CAUSE, LEGAL CAUSE AND PROXIMATE CAUSE

Man is a social being; but neither by instinct nor through training does he always express himself so that no one is hurt through his self-expression. Each individual at some time or other acts in such a way that the result of his activity is an injury to himself, to another, or to the social organization of which he is a part. His activities, therefore, need to be watched and controlled. It is the function of the legal ordering of society to exercise such watchfulness and control.

The law is a method of social control, and legal principles, concepts, standards and rules ( of which the law is composed) are means by reference to which the control is directed and guided in as uniform a fashion as the varying circumstances of community life make possible. The function of the administrative part of the legal system is to enforce the law in such a way that the purposes of the law are fulfilled and the legal ordering of society is made effective.