Legal culture of modern Belarusian society: evaluation criteria in the projection of theoretical legal knowledge

Introduction. The problems of legal culture in modern political and legal realities have not only theoretical but also practical significance. The development of criteria for the formation of legal culture is intended to adjust legal policy to ensure the rights and freedoms of the individual, sustainable development of society.

Materials and methods. The theoretical basis of the study are the works of famous Soviet and modern Belarusian and Russian scientists – R. S. Bainiyazov, A. I. Guseynov, S. G. Drobiazko, V. P. Malakhov, L. A. Petruchak, V. P. Salnikov, A. P. Semitko, N. V. Silchenko and others. The normative basis of the study is the normative legal acts of the Republic of Belarus. General scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, as well as normative-legal and sociological methods are used.

Analysis. The criteria for assessing the legal culture of society are established in the context of the methodological approaches to its study developed in jurisprudence and are projected onto the legal life of modern Belarusian society. The cultural approach defines the criterion of legal culture as the acceptance of the spiritual value of law by Belarusian society, which is reflected in the national legal mentality and manifests itself in the formation and effective functioning of state legal institutions. Among the values-goals of the legal development of society in the context of the axiological dimension of legal culture are security, freedom, and justice, which are of a universal nature. Within the framework of the sociological approach, a distinction is made between the legal culture of society and individual social groups.

Results. The criteria for legal culture are established by a number of factors of a legal and social nature. National law should fix the system of social values, and legal ideology should consolidate the meanings of the legal functioning of society in the public legal consciousness. When assessing legal culture, the peculiarities of the national legal mentality, legal traditions, the formation of the legal consciousness of government officials and the population as a whole are subject to consideration.

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