September 14, 2026

Written and Unwritten Laws

The rules of society that really affect the individual are certainly not written laws (the criminal code), which concern marginal cases, violated by relatively few people and, when they are violated, there are usually very particular reasons. The important and intrusive ones are the unwritten rules: the sanctions that concern only crimes, but social sanctions are perhaps even more serious.

For example, a girl must observe the sexual rules of her social environment if she wants to find a husband.