Universal Laws (1) Highest Common Denominator

Which Laws?

Every society recognizes the need for law, but laws only work if they are widely accepted. If too many people disagree with a law, it will be ignored. If people hate enough laws, they will become hostile to the law-makers. For law to function effectively, we need a set of laws that everyone accepts.

The key to the rule of law is to find the "highest common denominator" (to twist a mathematical expression). The highest common denominator is the set of laws that every one will accept, or at best not reject. The aim is to identify laws that most people will support.

Some basic laws are accepted by everyone everywhere, regardless of their religion or cultural background. These laws are universal because they seem to be rooted in human nature. We do not need someone to teach us that these things are wrong. We all know that these laws are right.

In the next few posts, I will define these universal laws.