Chris Hattingh
For millennia the dominant thinking throughout human society was, ‘force over voluntary interactions.’ Regardless of the country, the adage of ‘might makes right’ was the guiding rule upon which people interacted with each other.
With the adoption of the Magna Carta in England in 1215, and later on the change in thinking that characterised the American War for Independence, the reforms of various religions (especially Christianity in the Western context), and the Enlightenment, rose the importance of, ‘voluntaryism over force,’ and equality before the law.
The rule of law, properly understood, refers to a view and rationale of the why behind laws themselves - the spirit or tone in which law is devised and implemented.
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Chris Hattingh is Deputy Head of Campaigns at the South African Institute of Race Relations
https://www.bbrief.co.za/2022/02/07/businessbrief-february-march-2022-edition-is-now-available/
