1. The fact of law. The term “law” refers to a historical and cultural reality that is found to exist in human society. Law in this sense is positive law. The Latin word ius is a homonym, designating a number of different things (rules of public authority that are in force at a given moment, the place where justice is administered, private juridical acts of binding force, ownership which is juridically protected — what we now call subjective rights). All these things are closely akin. In each case the word ius …