Positivism and Its Implications for Legal Science and Law Enforcement

Muhammad Avin Athalla Rilya, Irwan Triadi

Abstract


This study aims to critically analyze the concept of positivism—both as a paradigm in the philosophy of science and as a school of thought in legal theory (legal positivism)—and examine its profound implications for the development of science (particularly the social sciences) and law enforcement practices. Positivism, which emphasizes empirical data, observation, verification, and a clear separation between fact (is) and value (ought), has shaped modern scientific methodology. However, when applied to law, legal positivism (as advocated by Austin and Kelsen) limits legal validity to formal procedures and competent authorities, ignoring moral considerations or substantial justice. Using normative-empirical research methods and a comprehensive literature review, it is found that the dominance of positivism in science fosters methodological objectivity, but in law enforcement, it can produce procedural legitimacy that is vulnerable to justice criticism. The main implication is the emergence of tension between the legal certainty promised by positivism and the pressing demands of substantive justice.

Keywords


Critical Analysis of Double Positivism, Central Argument, Main Findings

Full Text:

PDF

References


Austin, John. The Province of Jurisprudence Determined. London: John Murray, 1832.

Comte, Auguste. A General View of Positivism. Translated by J. H. Bridges. London: Trübner & Co., 1865.

Dworkin, Ronald. Law's Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986.

Hart, H. L. A. The Concept of Law. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Kelsen, Hans. Pure Theory of Law. Translated by Max Knight. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.

Pound, Roscoe. Juristic Science and Legal Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 1922.

Radbruch, Gustav. Five Minutes of Legal Philosophy (Fünf Minuten Rechtsphilosophie). 1945.

Fuller, Lon L. "The Morality of Law." The Yale Law Journal 71, No. 4 (1962): 630-672.

Satjipto Rahardjo. "Hukum Progresif: Sebuah Sintesis Hukum Indonesia." Jurnal Hukum 15, No. 1 (2008)

Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 48 Tahun 2009 tentang Kekuasaan Kehakiman.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17800493

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

Media Hukum Indonesia (MHI)

E-ISSN :3032-6591

Organized by Penerbit Yayasan Daarul Huda Kruengmane,