Ignorance and Punishment
Everyone is familiar with the dictum, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one” and this is mostly true for all man-made laws. This should be applicable to every law but cultural differences, and language barriers prevent this from being all true. That’s why sometimes conflict arises when people break the law unknowingly.
But some people argue that man-made laws reflect a natural truth, that’s why they were instituted in the first place. They reflect morals based on universal truths and these laws are made in assumption that people are intelligent enough to understand why they exist. On the one hand, this is acceptable, since there should be nothing wrong in assuming the best in people, and there’s certainly nothing wrong in upholding what is correct and true.
But the problem arises when we begin to consider the different cultural background of people. For instance, is murder frowned upon by all societies in the whole world and do the government all around the world give the same degree of consequences to the offenders, or are the consequences lighter in some areas? Of course, the latter is the correct.
Another argument about law and punishment relies on the morals of people as individuals. It is also assumed that people in general should be guided by what’s right and wrong. These have been the bases for upholding man-made laws anyway. But over time, and through changes in society and culture, man has developed different personalities within himself, powered by his ego, id, and super-ego. These serve as guide or conscience of man in making his decisions in life and helps him determine for himself what he accepts is right and wrong.
But with all things said, laws should be made public. Laws should be accessible to all people, to every member of the society, whether educated formally or not. Whether or not people have different views on what right and wrong is, they should still abide by the laws because these laws are a reflection of the unity in a particular place and of a particular culture.