What is ‘law’?

This chapter develops thinking critically about law in relation to: having an appreciation of the philosophies of law and jurisprudence; thinking critically about different legal perspectives; and gaining an understanding for theoretical and methodology sections for analytical essays and dissertations. It considers how scholars have answered the essential question: what is ‘law’? This involves another important sub-question: what is ‘jurisprudence’? The chapter details the different philosophical approaches, schools or stances ‘legal perspectives’ because each scholar generates a unique perspective on law. It provides a succinct introduction to jurisprudence. The chapter discusses the selected legal perspectives, all theories of law divided into two categories: first category are theories on ‘the nature of law’, second category comprises critical legal perspectives. It explores the chronology of the development of legal perspectives and outlines the response of one legal perspective to another.