What is the difference between Spirit of law and letter of law?

The letter of the law is what the law states; the spirit of the law is a social and moral consensus of the interpretation of the letter.

What is meant by the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law?

The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law is an idiomatic antithesis. When one obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit, one is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the “letter”) of the law, but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law.

What is the meaning of spirit of the law?

: the aim or purpose of a law when it was written They seem to be more concerned with obeying the letter of the law than with understanding the spirit of the law.

What does it mean to live by the letter of the law?

If you say that someone keeps to the letter of the law , you mean that they act according to what is actually written in the law, rather than according to the general principles of it, especially when you disapprove of this.

What does “spirit of the law vs. letter of the law” mean?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law is an idiomatic antithesis . When one obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit, one is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the “letter”) of the law, but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law. May 20 2019

What is “the spirit of Laws”?

The Spirit of the Laws (French: De l’esprit des lois, originally spelled De l’esprit des loix; also sometimes translated The Spirit of Laws) is a treatise on political theory, as well as a pioneering work in comparative law, published in 1748 by Charles de Secondat , Baron de Montesquieu.

What does letter of the law mean?

the letter of the law. the precise literal interpretation of a rule or instruction (as opposed to its broad intention). the ˌletter of the ˈlaw. (often disapproving) the exact words of a law or rule rather than its general meaning: They insist on sticking to the letter of the law.

What does the law of the spirit mean?

Spirit of the law refers to ideas that the creators of a particular law wanted to have effect. It is the intent and purpose of the lawmaker, or framer of the Constitution, as determined by a consideration of the whole context thereof.