"The Law is one aspect of a much more concrete and encompassing relation than the relation between commanding and obeying that characterizes the imperative"

Paul Ricoeur considers the limitations of understanding law solely in terms of command and obedience. The imperative, in philosophical terms, is an act where a subject issues a command and another subject is expected to obey. Ricoeur suggests that viewing law through the narrow lens of imperatives fails to capture its full dimension. For Ricoeur, law is richer and more complex; it involves a set of relations that are concrete and encompassing, going beyond the mere exercise of authority and submission.

Law, as Ricoeur sees it, creates a framework in which individuals and communities engage. It is not simply a matter of issuing orders and receiving compliance. The law operates as a social institution, embedding itself in the traditions, mores, and collective understandings of a society. Through law, individuals are recognized as citizens, as persons with rights and responsibilities, and as participants in a shared order. The legal relation relies on mutual recognition, dialogue, and participation. It invites people to understand themselves as part of a broader collective, not just as passive recipients of commands.

Moreover, law introduces a distance between personal will and societal norms. Whereas the imperative reduces action to individual will, the command of one to another, law establishes a space where legitimacy, justice, and fairness are at stake. The authority of law is not rooted simply in power but in the collective endorsement and justification of norms. It structures the social order by mediating conflicting interests and facilitating coexistence.

Ricoeur’s view insists on appreciating law as a lived relationship, not as abstract coercion. The legal bond unites people in a fabric of meanings, rights, duties, and expectations that bind society together. In grasping law as a concrete and encompassing relationship, one recognizes that legal systems uphold values and shape identities, making law a deeply human and social practice that transcends mere commands.