Proibas

Proibas is a term used in philosophy and policy studies to denote a systematic framework for analyzing prohibitions and permissions within a social order. It is not a widely standardized term, but appears in contemporary discussions as a way to compare how different societies regulate conduct through legal, moral, and social prohibitions.

Origin and etymology: The word proibas is a neologism derived from the Latin root prohibere, meaning to prevent, combined with a plural-like suffix to indicate a class of prohibitions. In scholarly literature, proponents describe proibas as a meta-concept that situates prohibitions within a spectrum of normative constraints rather than as isolated laws.

Definition and structure: The proibas framework distinguishes three dimensions: authority (who enforces the prohibition), scope (which acts are prohibited), and sanction (the penalties or social penalties). It also differentiates types of prohibitions: legal prohibitions enacted by state power, moral prohibitions grounded in shared values, and soft prohibitions arising from social norms or market incentives.

Applications: Scholars apply proibas to assess policy design, compliance, and behavioral responses. It is used in ethics debates on paternalism, in regulatory impact analyses, and in comparative law to compare how different jurisdictions frame prohibitions and their enforcement regimes. Case studies often examine drug prohibitions, online content restrictions, and environmental regulations.

Criticism: Critics argue that proibas can be too abstract without clear empirical metrics, and that the boundaries between prohibitions and permissions can be blurred by competing normative sources. Others note that the framework can be sensitive to cultural context and enforcement capacity.

See also: Prohibition, Normative ethics, Regulation, Public policy.