法律與社會有相輔相成之關係，離開了社會，吾人即無法想像法律爲何物。反之，若無法律，社會亦無法維持及存 在。所以「法之功能爲何」及「如何研究法律以使其更可發揮功能」實爲現代法學重要之課题。 法律社會學係法學亦係社會學之一部分，不但視法律爲「社會規範」，同時亦視之爲「社會現象」，故藉由法律 社會學之角度觀察「法之功能」及其研究方法當最切合實際之需要。吾人可藉由此種硏究途徑清楚地觀察到法律與社 會間有關「法之功能」及其研究方法，避免流於「應然」與「實然」間不協調之爭執。

Law is so closely interrelated with society that when taken apart from its social arena, people fail to imagine what it is. On the contrary, society, without law, not only fails to be maintained but also fails to exist. Therefore, what is the function of law? How to study law so as to make function better? These become important subjects as far as modern jursprudence is concered. Legal sociology is a part both in jurisprudence and in sociology. It treats law as a social norm and also as a social pheromenon. It can satisfactorily meet the practical needs to observe the functioning of law and its research method by means of legal sociology, for by the said approach, people can clearly examine the functioning of law and its research method and hence solve the problem arising from the disaccord between sein and sollen.