Abstract
This chapter analyses the theory of state and law proposed by N. Korkunov, the Russian legal scholar. The theory is discussed in the context of the ideas developed by the St. Petersburg school of legal philosophy, which was heavily influenced by Korkunov’s works. Korkunov created a realistic conception of law, based on a synthesis of positivism, sociology and psychology. Thus, Korkunov not only saw the normative (regulatory) dimension of law, but also its social dimension, manifested in legal relationships, as well as its psychological dimension, which provides what we would call the axiological legitimisation of law. In fact, this thinker anticipated the subsequent attempts at an integrated understanding of law that could reconcile various theoretically valid approaches and underlie a “universal definition of law covering all the legal phenomena”.
Translated by M. Gorodisky (maxim.gorodisky@gmail.com), A. Samarsky (artem.samarsky@gmail.com).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
They were subsequently published in “Collection of articles 1877–1897” (Korkunov 1898).
- 2.
This was acknowledged by Georges Gurvitch, Max Laserson, Klaus von Beyme (see Zorkin 1978).
- 3.
This view does not seem right, as the very notion of a “subject territory” implies authority based on territory, not kinship.
- 4.
References
Korf SA Korkunov. Novyy entsiklopedicheskiy slovar [Korkunov. The new encyclopedic dictionary], vol 22. Izdanie Aktsionernogo Obshchestva “Izdatelskoe delo byvshee Brokgauz-Efron”, Petrograd, pp 782–783
Korkunov NM (1898) Sbornik statey 1877–1897 gg. [Collection of articles, 1877–1897]. Izdanie yuridicheskogo knizhnogo magazina N.K. Martynova, St. Petersburg
Korkunov NM (1907) Lektsii po obshchey teorii prava [Lectures on the general theory of jurisprudence], 7th edn. Izdanie Yuridicheskogo Knizhnogo Magazina N.K. Martynova, St. Petersburg
Korkunov NM (1909) Russkoe gosudarstvennoe pravo [Russian public law], vol 1. Tipografiya M. M. Stasyulevicha, St. Petersburg
Polyakov AV (2000a) Ontologicheskaya kontseptsiya prava: Opyt osmysleniya [Ontological theory of law: exercise in understanding]. Pravo i politika 6:4–14
Polyakov AV (2000b) Peterburgskaya shkola filosofii prava i zadachi sovremennogo pravovedeniya [St. Petersburg school of legal philosophy and the goals of modern legal studies]. Pravovedenie 2:4–22
Zorkin VD (1978) Pozitivistskaya teoriya prava v Rossii [The positivistic theory of law in Russia]. Izdatelstvo Mosk. un-ta, Moscow
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Polyakov, A. (2018). The Theory of State and Law by Nikolay Korkunov. In: Brożek, B., Stanek, J., Stelmach, J. (eds) Russian Legal Realism. Law and Philosophy Library, vol 125. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98821-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98821-4_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98820-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98821-4
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)