Legal consciousness: methodological context of the study Introduction

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the methodological foundations of legal consciousness in the context of modern development. In the context of the transformation of the legal system of Ukraine, European integration, the formation of European values, and the strengthening of the role of civil society institutions, there is a need for scientific substantiation of the methodological principles of the study of legal consciousness, which form the basis for the scientific analysis of this phenomenon as a socio-legal phenomenon. Currently, legal consciousness is an important factor in the implementation of law and reveals the internal attitude of a person, social groups, and society as a whole to law, legality, and justice. The methodological principles of the study of legal consciousness include a set of approaches, principles, methods, and tools that ensure its comprehensive, systematic, and objective study. The aim of the article. The purpose of the article is to determine the methodological principles of researching legal consciousness in the context of modern development. Results. Among the main philosophical principles of the study of legal consciousness, it is worth mentioning, first of all, the dialectical approach, which considers legal consciousness as a dynamic, historically changing phenomenon that develops in interaction with the legal system and society. Along with the dialectical approach, historical, anthropological, axiological (value) and other approaches also play an important role in the philosophical understanding of legal consciousness. In particular, the historical approach takes into account changes in legal consciousness in a historical context (for example, the transformation of legal consciousness in the conditions of a post-totalitarian society); the anthropological approach emphasizes a person as the main subject of legal consciousness, with his internal beliefs, needs, motivation; the value or axiological approach allows us to analyze legal consciousness as a sphere that reflects the idea of justice, freedom, dignity, duty. The complexity and multifaceted nature of the phenomenon of legal consciousness necessitates interdisciplinary research of this phenomenon in various fields of scientific knowledge. That is why legal consciousness is a subject of scientific research not only in the field of legal theory, but also in philosophy, psychology, sociology and other sciences. An interdisciplinary approach ensures the integrity and depth of the study of legal consciousness. It is through the integration of methods of jurisprudence, philosophy, sociology, psychology and other sciences that it is possible not only to theoretically comprehend this phenomenon, but also to develop effective mechanisms for legal education, the formation of legal culture and the strengthening of the rule of law in society. In the study of legal consciousness, an important role is also played by the functional approach, the application of which makes it possible to isolate the functions of this legal phenomenon. In the legal literature, there are various approaches to determining the functions of legal consciousness, and their study requires reference to works on the general theory of law, which analyze the essence of functions and their role in regulating social relations. In addition, within the framework of modern jurisprudence, more and more attention is also paid to the value (axiological) approach to understanding legal consciousness. This approach is based on the recognition that legal consciousness is not only a reflection of knowledge about law or legal norms, but primarily an evaluative attitude of a person towards law as a social institution, its legitimacy, justice and effectiveness. Conclusions. Methodological principles of legal consciousness research are a complex multi-level system of approaches and methods that provides a comprehensive understanding of this multifaceted phenomenon. The use of philosophical, general scientific, special and interdisciplinary methods makes it possible to identify both the patterns of legal consciousness formation and the factors that contribute to or hinder its development. Such a comprehensive approach opens up prospects for further applied research aimed at improving legal culture in Ukrainian society, and also provides an opportunity to understand more deeply how citizens perceive and interpret legal norms and what social, cultural and psychological factors influence the formation of legal consciousness in the conditions of modern dynamic transformations. Legal awareness is the result of the development of a number of factors, which necessitates the integration of the appropriate methodological tools of individual scientific areas of modern socio-humanitarian doctrine as a whole, in particular, philosophy and theory of state and law, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, etc. Such methodological integration helps to understand not only the peculiarities of the perception and implementation of legal norms in various socio-cultural environments, but also to identify internal or personal factors in the formation and development of legal awareness. Keywords: legal consciousness, methodology, interdisciplinary approach, methods and principles of scientific knowledge, legal system, human rights.