…most people choose the latter. Recently, I have been debating with my friends about “the law”–or the regulations created by the government. It was my viewpoint that ordinary citizens have no moral obligation to follow the said laws. This drove my friends mad! I guess they didn’t really understand what I was saying. This was apparent because they keept arguing with me about the words that didn’t come out of my mouth. I mean exactly what I said. I did not say that people should just go around breaking the law for the hell of it. Blindly breaking the law is just as dumb as blindly following the law.

I believe that people should do what is germane and just (whatever that may be). If you agree with a law then follow it, but if you don’t, break it! For example, pretty much all of society says that murder is wrong, and so does the law. So, do we have a moral obligation not to murder because it is wrong, or because it is illegal?

It’s all about the Utils!
People are going to do what they are willing and able to do to attain satisfaction (aka utility in Economics. FYI, units of satisfaction are called utils). Including that which is considered “not germane” by society; thus, society enacts laws that allows the government to punish people for acting in a non-germane manner. Therefore, it is the purpose of law to make individuals less willing to behave in the aforementioned manner.