Can a theory ever become a law?

Answer

There are, of course, many theories… and many laws….

Can I assume that you mean a theory about a natural phenomenon?

Then one can indeed discover a law through observations and explain it as a law or a law of nature. For example: Ohm’s law, Newton’s laws,… these are formulas that help you with electricity and mechanics. But Newton’s laws no longer apply on a very small scale (cf. quantum mechanics) or on a very large scale (cf. astrophysics) as A. Einstein has shown with his general theory of relativity. See references to Wikipedia for an overview of such natural laws.

Something else is a ‘principle’ that one would formulate. More uncertainty is creeping in here. Consider, for example, the principle that Darwin formulated to explain the evolution of organisms: the survival of the fittest (the organism or living being that is most adapted to the environment has the most chances of survival – so not the ‘strongest’). This principle explains a lot in evolution, but it is not a law.

Something else is, for example, the well-known ‘golden rule’ as a principle of action that, for example, I. Kant formulated: “Act in such a way that the principle of your action can be elevated to a principle of general legislation”. It’s a guideline. Not immediately convertible into a (legal) law, even if this has an impact in the legislation when it is stated in the constitution that ‘all Belgians are equal before the law’, ie that in principle all laws must apply to all Belgians (which may be subject to certain conditions).