Бентам как первый правовой позитивист:  опыт рефлексии англо-американской науки

Maksim D. Gorbunov

doi:10.52575/2712-746X-2026-51-2-338-348

Authors

Maksim D. Gorbunov Lobachevsky National Research University of Nizhny Novgorod

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52575/2712-746X-2026-51-2-338-348

Keywords:

philosophy of law, legal positivism, natural law, utilitarianism, analytical jurisprudence, normative regulation, state

Abstract

In Russian legal scholarship, Bentham is traditionally viewed as a utilitarian moral philosopher. His influence on the formation of legal positivism within analytical doctrine has been insufficiently explored. This necessitates turning to the interpretation of his legacy accepted in British academia. The aim of this study is to reconstruct Bentham’s main ideas in the field of legal understanding, drawing on contemporary Anglo-American scholarship. The paper analyzes the preconditions of Bentham’s work, the key themes of his writings, and the role of H.L.A. Hart in rehabilitating Bentham as a legal theorist. It is shown that Hart interpreted Bentham’s utilitarianism as an external standard of criticism and a criterion for the effectiveness of positive law. The conclusion is drawn that Bentham can be regarded as the first legal positivist to combine an analytical method, a statist understanding of law, and an instrumentalist approach to legislation. His influence is most clearly manifested in contemporary Anglo-American jurisprudence.

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Author Biography

Maksim D. Gorbunov, Lobachevsky National Research University of Nizhny Novgorod

Candidate of Law Science, Associate Professor, Department of History of State and Law
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
E-mail: maxandgor@gmail.com

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