Gavin Howe
Rulers Law has been the default form of government for billions of people for thousands of years. It is characterised by the arbitrary rule of a king, who governs by issuing edicts that are called 'The Law' and interpreting the law however it best suits their ultimate goals. When a ruler begins to break laws, they are often attempting to prevent and destroy written laws, constitutions, charters, or corpus juris (body of laws) that would interfere with their complete power and control.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Form of government | Arbitrary Law |
| Legislative Control | |
| Adding New Masters | |
| Authority | Force, violence, and conquest |
| Sovereign power | In the hands of the conquerors or their descendants |
| Equality | People are divided into classes |
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What You'll Learn
- Arbitrary Law: Government is by the whims of the king, not by fixed rule of law
- Legislative Control: The ruler issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets the law however it suits their goals
- Adding New Masters: Problems are solved by issuing more edicts or laws, creating more regulatory agencies and charging the people for these services with new taxes
- Bully Tactics: Authority under Ruler's Law is nearly always put in place by force, violence and conquest
- Might Makes Right: All sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants
Arbitrary Law: Government is by the whims of the king, not by fixed rule of law
Arbitrary law is a form of government in which the whims of the king or ruler are the law. This means that the ruler is not bound by any fixed rules or restrictions and can make decisions and issue edicts on a whim.
The Founding Fathers identified ten major elements of this form of government, which they saw as being wielded like a bludgeon by King George and his administration. These included the use of force, violence and conquest to establish authority, the concentration of power in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants, and the division of the people into classes.
John Locke, in his 1689 work *Two Treatises of Government*, emphasised the importance of governance through "established standing laws, promulgated and known to the people". He contrasted this with rule by "extemporary arbitrary decrees", which he saw as lacking any notice or forethought.
The idea of the rule of law, in which all citizens are equal before it and power is prevented from being used arbitrarily, has been central to political and legal thought since at least the 4th century BCE when Aristotle distinguished "the rule of law" from "that of any individual".
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Legislative Control: The ruler issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets the law however it suits their goals
Legislative Control
The ruler issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets the law however it suits their goals. This is a form of arbitrary law, where government is dictated by the whims of the king, rather than a fixed rule of law.
Rulers know that a fixed law governs even the king, so to maintain complete power and control, they must prevent and destroy written laws, constitutions, charters, or corpus juris (body of laws) that might interfere with their rule. This is achieved through the issuing of edicts or laws that are called 'The Law'.
The ruler's interpretation of the law is often used to justify their actions, no matter how unlawful they may seem to others. This can lead to a situation where the ruler's word is law, and any dissent or criticism is seen as a threat to their power.
In addition to issuing edicts, rulers may also use other tactics to maintain control, such as setting up more bureaus, creating regulatory agencies, and flooding the people with regulations. This can create a sense of confusion and powerlessness among the people, making it difficult for them to challenge the ruler's authority.
The Founding Fathers identified ten major elements of Ruler's Law that were being used by King George and his monarchical administration, including bully tactics, might makes right, and the division of people into classes.
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Adding New Masters: Problems are solved by issuing more edicts or laws, creating more regulatory agencies and charging the people for these services with new taxes
When a ruler begins to break laws, they are often acting under what is known as 'Ruler's Law'. This is a form of government that has been the default for billions of people for thousands of years. Under Ruler's Law, the ruler issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets the law however it best suits their ultimate goals.
One of the ways in which a ruler may act under this system is by 'Adding New Masters'. This involves solving problems by issuing more edicts or laws, creating more regulatory agencies, and charging the people for these services with new taxes. The ruler may also set up more bureaus and swamp the people with a flood of regulations. This allows the ruler to maintain complete power and control, while also generating revenue.
Ruler's Law is characterised by the use of force, violence, and conquest to establish authority. All sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants, and the people are divided into classes who are subjects of the ruler. The founding fathers identified ten major elements of Ruler's Law that were being used by King George and his monarchical administration.
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Bully Tactics: Authority under Ruler's Law is nearly always put in place by force, violence and conquest
Authority under Ruler's Law is nearly always put in place by force, violence and conquest. This is known as Bully Tactics.
Ruler's Law has been the default form of government for billions of people for thousands of years. The Founding Fathers identified ten major elements of Ruler's Law that were being wielded like a bludgeon in the hands of King George and his monarchical administration.
Under Ruler's Law, all sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants. The people are not treated equally, but are divided into classes, and are looked upon as subjects of the king. The entire country is considered to be the property of the ruler, who speaks of it as his 'realm'.
Ruler's Law is enforced by the use of force and violence. This can be seen in the period between the Norman conquest and the final conquest of Wales, when the king of England extended his authority, and the authority of English law, to other parts of Britain, by force and by threat of force.
The acquisition of territory by force is an 'act of state' that municipal courts must simply accept. When the king of England acquires a new land by force of arms then, regardless of the justice or injustice of the acquisition, the land belongs to the king and he may alter its laws. Conquest is associated with the traditional principle that sovereign states may resort to war at their discretion and that territorial and other gains achieved by military victory will be recognised as legally valid.
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Might Makes Right: All sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants
The concept of 'Might Makes Right' is a central tenet of Ruler's Law, which has been the default form of government for billions of people for thousands of years. It holds that all sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants. This means that authority is nearly always put in place by force, violence, and conquest.
Ruler's Law is characterised by arbitrary law, where government is by the whims of the king, rather than by fixed rule of law. The ruler issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets the law however it best suits their ultimate goals.
In early modern times, contemporary political philosophers embraced the concept of the sovereign state occupying the European continent, piece by piece, eventually forming the system that came to occupy the globe. Philosophers like Dante and Marsilius of Padua advocated for a separation of temporal and religious powers that would be achieved through a transfer of prerogatives into the temporal ruler's hands.
The growth of democracy has imposed important limitations upon the power of the sovereign and of the ruling classes. Citizens and policymakers have recognised that there can be no peace without law, and that there can be no law without some limitations on sovereignty. As such, sovereignty is increasingly exercised on behalf of the peoples of the world, not only by national governments but also by regional and international organisations.
Despite this, the concept of 'might makes right' has been used to justify absolutism in the internal political order and anarchy in the international sphere. For example, in Hobbes' Leviathan (1651), the sovereign was identified with might rather than law.
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Frequently asked questions
Ruler's Law is a form of government where the ruler is not bound by fixed laws but instead issues edicts that are called 'The Law' and interprets them however they see fit.
Authority under Ruler's Law is usually put in place by force, violence, and conquest. All sovereign power is considered to be in the hands of the conquerors or their descendants.
Rulers maintain power by preventing and destroying written laws, constitutions, charters, or corpus juris (body of laws) that would interfere with their complete power and control. They also issue more edicts or laws, set up more bureaus, create more regulatory agencies, and charge the people for these services by continually adding new taxes.
When a ruler breaks the law, it can be difficult to tell if this is a concerted attack on the rule of law or just a result of their desire to smash government. However, it often leads to an uproar from the opposition party and judges ruling against the ruler.
