The concept of legal system in the theory and philosophy of law: from utilitarianism to positivism

The article is dedicated to the study of the inter-relation of the concept of the legal system in its contemporary understanding with a number of general phenomena, which are basic for the contemporary theory of state and law. This analysis is provided in the context of historical and legal discourse within which is studied the transformation of the ideas of the leading theorists and philosophers of law for the period between the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of twentieth century. The major conclusion of the provided analysis is the thesis that the legal system is a complex social phenomenon, which takes one of the central places in the theory of law. The determination of the essence and content of the concept of the legal system was an essential part in the works of a number of well-known theorists of law, starting from the second half of the eighteenth century. Despite the fact that in the context of the historical evolution of both society and the legal science, the ideas on the essence of the legal system altered considerably, the researchers adequately emphasized the inter-relation of the legal system with such phenomena as sovereignty, legislative practices, law-enforcement, administrative and judiciary systems, the ideology predominant in the society, etc.