法治 

法治(英語:rule of law)是与人治(英語:rule of man)相反之概念,亦很容易與以法而治或依法而治(英語:rule by law)這概念混淆。後者著重於製訂及執行法律條文,但法治則指以人权保障,和自由保障为前提和基础立法,以严格依法管治国家为核心,以制约权力为关键的社会管理机制、社会活动方式和社会秩序状态[1]。“法治”与“宪政”紧密相关,其內涵不單是要求所有人民守法,更側重於法律對政府權力的控制和拘束。在法治基礎之下,政府只能依法律規定來懲處違法者,不能私自減輕或加重罰則,且即便政府自己違法亦將受罰。[2][3][4]

法治意味着每个人,包括立法者行政者司法者,都受到法律的约束。[1]在这个意义上,法治与统治者凌驾于法律之上的独裁人治相对立,而在民主制度中得到體現。然而法治仍有賴社會持續地維護,因為缺乏法治的現象,仍可以在民主国家专制国家中找到,例如由于忽视、不關心或藐视嚴苛性的法律工作,如果政府没有足够的纠正机制来恢复法律的精神,民主法治就更容易衰退。

以法治为基础的国家被称为法治国,個體獨立自由得到充分的保障。在一个法治国中,国家的力量受制于对政府任意行使公权力的约束,以达到守护公民的权利。法治国裏的公民共享以法律为基础的公民政治,并可以安心使用法院向當局申訴提告。

  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 The Oxford English Dictionary has defined "rule of law" this way:

    The authority and influence of law in society, esp. when viewed as a constraint on individual and institutional behaviour; (hence) the principle whereby all members of a society (including those in government) are considered equally subject to publicly disclosed legal codes and processes.

    See “Civil Affairs and Rule of Law”, Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School (accessed October 18, 2013) (quoting the OED). (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆) The phrase "rule of law" is also sometimes used in other senses. See Garner, Bryan A. (Editor in Chief). Black's Law Dictionary, 9th Edition, p. 1448. (Thomson Reuters, 2009). ISBN 978-0-314-26578-4. The lead definition given by Black's is this: "A substantive legal principle", and the second definition is the "supremacy of regular as opposed to arbitrary power". Black's provides a total of five definitions of "rule of law".
  2. ^ Ten, C. l, Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law, A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd), 2017: 493–502 [2019-11-12], ISBN 9781405177245, doi:10.1002/9781405177245.ch22, (原始内容存档于2019-11-12) (英语) 
  3. ^ Reynolds, Noel B. Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law. All Faculty Publications (BYU ScholarsArchive). 1986 [2019-11-12]. (原始内容存档于2019-04-27). 
  4. ^ Constitutionalism, Rule of Law, PS201H-2B3. www.proconservative.net. [2019-11-12]. (原始内容存档于2018-03-15). 



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