TY - JOUR AU - Filippova, Sofia Y. PY - 2017/08/01 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Functions of the civil law science JF - Pravovedenie JA - Pravovedenie VL - 61 IS - 4 SE - Private law DO - UR - https://pravovedenie.spbu.ru/article/view/6789 SP - 102-136 AB - <p>The author considers arguments about the futility of legal science made by Y. von Kirchmann in 1848&nbsp;and is trying to address them. The author considers that it is necessary to answer the question about the purpose of the civil law science and addresses the question about the objective of the study as a subjective view of a scientist on the expected research results and functions of science, as an objective reflection of the impact of this science on the world (law and society). The author conducts the analysis of changes in scientific result of the civil law studies during their development and distinguishes between the functions of a normal civil law science based on these results. The article shows the value of the functions for setting scientific problems, obtaining and evaluation of scientific results. The author considers ideological, educational, descriptive, explanatory, critical, creative, predictive, symbolic, and regulatory functions. The author comes to the conclusion that the ideological function was typical for the civil law science of the Soviet period and was no longer relevant in the 1970-s. The educational function has lost its relevance as well; it was manifested in the fact that modern works in the field of civil law rarely focus on the population, do not facilitate promotion of the Russian civil law and legislation, thus adversely affecting the public trust to the state. The author comes to the conclusion about the need to adopt measures to strengthen the educational function of the science. The author notes that the civil law science somehow performs the descriptive and explanatory functions throughout its development, however under modern conditions the description of law is automated. The critical function of the civil law science has been intensified in the anticipation of codification. Excessive increase of critical function adversely affects the legal consciousness (both ordinary and professional). In this regard, the article points out the negative consequences of a protracted period of modernization of the Civil code. The author is skeptical about the possibility of the civil law science to perform the creative function, that is, addressing changes into the legislation. The author shows the importance of the symbolic function suggesting that formulas and procedures convenient and understandable for private law agents can be expected as a scientific outcome. Special attention is paid to the regulatory function specific for the civil-law science. It consists in the establishment of codes of private law unification.</p> ER -