The Essence of the Law

(The Spirit of the Law)

The Essence of the Law: The essence of the law is that no man should injure another; all the rest is commentary.

[Attributed to Thomas Jefferson, US Framer/Founder, Third US President; Source: A book in the Book Store at Washington University of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, circa 1970. The quote was described as a paraphrase of a quote from a Jewish Rabbi. The book was not bought; its title and author were not remembered. Therefore the precise source is lost.]

Injury = Threatening to cause or actually causing to another individual a loss of life, limb, liberty, family, property, business, honor, or/and peace-of-mind.

Justification (inre The Essence of the Law) = Defense of self, family, other innocent individuals, property, business, honor, and peace-of-mind against all enemies foreign and domestic as well as common criminals.

NOTE: A right is a justification for action, a reason for taking action. A right is either granted or seized. If gods do not exist to grant rights, justifications for action, then humans can seize those rights for themselves, or agree that governments can grant those rights.

The Essence of the Law Restated: The Essence of the Law is that no individual should be allowed without justification to injure another individual by threatening to cause or actually causing to that individual a loss of life, limb, liberty, family, property, business, honor, or/and peace-of-mind; all the rest of the law is commentary.

The essence of the law is the spirit of the law which is the justification, the reason, why laws have been, are now, and will be written and enacted and enforced.

Q: Why are laws written?
A: To specify that individuals should not injure each other without justification!

Crime = Intention or action by one individual to injure another innocent individual by threatening to cause or actually causing to that innocent individual a loss of life, limb, liberty, family, property, business, honor or/and peace-of-mind.

Inre any Crime, there are four possible types of individuals:

(1) The Criminal—An individual who intends to injure another innocent individual (the Victim) by committing a Crime and thereby defy and disregard the essence of the law and thereby do unto that other individual what he or she would not that individual to do unto him or her;
(2) The Victim—An individual who is injured by the intentions and actions of the Criminal;
(3) The Rescuer—An individual who intends to rescue the Victim by verbally or physically preventing or stopping the Criminal from committing the Crime;
(4) The Eyewitness—An individual who observes the Criminal threatening or actually injuring the Victim.

Justification for a Victim to injure a Criminal arises from the intent of the Victim to defend himself or herself from injury by the Criminal and justification for a Rescuer to injure a Criminal, if necessary, arises from the intent of the Rescuer to rescue the Victim from the Criminal—from injury by the Criminal.

Whether/not a Victim or Rescuer is justified to apply a force beyond whatever force may be reasonably deemed necessary to prevent or stop a Criminal from committing a Crime may be a legal matter but the underlying essence of the law is that a Victim has a right to defend himself or herself from the threats or actions of a Criminal and a Rescuer has a right to defend a Victim from the threats or actions of a Criminal.