METHODOLOGICAL CONCEPTS OF TEACHING LOGIC TO HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS MAJORING IN LAW

Abstract

The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that logic in the legal sphere during the practical work of lawyers played and plays one of the key roles today. Therefore, in lectures and practical classes when teaching the course «Logic» to applicants for higher legal education, the teacher must skillfully use a whole range of methodological approaches aimed at a more detailed assimilation of the material. In addition, it is the diversification of methodological approaches, in our opinion, that has an impact on the process of interest of applicants for higher legal education in the course «Logic», solving logical problems and preparing for practical classes. In this area, the relevance of methodological approaches to teaching the course «Logic» lies in the fact that logic is a philosophical discipline, and that is why it plays a key role in the process of forming the legal thinking of applicants for higher legal education. In addition, in the philosophical-analytical connotation, their legal activity is clearly tied to the norms of behavior and rules of human life in society and the state. That is, it is intertwined with the essential needs and responsibilities of a large number of people of different psychotypes.

It is a practicing lawyer or legal scholar who must perfectly master the logic of anthropological communication, clarity and special consistency of thinking, skillfully and expediently make the right, considered decision, relying on a rational-critical approach to the analysis of actions of an individual.

Therefore, logic in the legal profession performs a number of necessary functions, thanks to which it becomes more in demand by lawyers. The cognitive-heuristic function of logic provides an opportunity for higher education students to make specific «discoveries» for themselves in the process of practical classes. The normative-thinking function encourages higher education students, future lawyers, to study key laws and by-laws, which are the basis of jurisprudence. The propaedeutic-educational function of logic is aimed at improving the culture of communication of a lawyer with people and a humane attitude towards them. Therefore, the course «Logic» is aimed at improving both the culture of thinking of a future lawyer, and the level of his education and professional qualifications of a bachelor of law.

We believe that the methodological concepts of teaching logic to higher education students are laid down in the works of famous philosophers who teach the course «Logic»: A. E. Konversky, O. G. Danilyan, O. M. Yurkevich, O. M. Shepetyak, V. S. Blikhar, V. V. Levkulych, O. V. Yarmola and many others. It is thanks to their scientific works on logic in general and logic for lawyers in particular, we can fully use their methodology and techniques when teaching the course «Logic» to applicants for a bachelor of law degree, consider the key methodological concepts and related problems that often arise in the process of philosophical and educational teaching practice in the course «Logic» in the legal sphere. Therefore, following the logical sequence, it should be noted that a detailed scientific and philosophical analysis of the methodology and techniques of teaching logic, which is represented to us by Ukrainian scientists, teachers of the course «Logic», in our opinion, is relevant for higher legal education in Ukraine.

The purpose of the work is to make an extended analysis of the methodological concepts relevant today for teaching the course «Logic» for applicants for higher legal education in Ukraine. Here it is necessary to apply socio-legal, anthropological-cultural and administrative-philosophical methodological approaches. In the complex, such a statement of the goal of logical-philosophical research will provide us with the opportunity to highlight the methodological concepts of teaching logic to applicants for higher education in the specialty «Law».

The methodological basis is scientific-philosophical and educational-legal research on the logic of Ukrainian thinkers of the 21st century: philosophers, lawyers, teachers, in which the methods and methodology of teaching the course «Logic» for applicants for higher education in legal specialties are represented. These works reflect the ideas, positions, methods, and means of teaching the course «Logic» for students that are necessary for our philosophical and educational work. Thanks to their fruitful work, we have the opportunity to carry out a scientific and philosophical search for methodological concepts necessary for teaching the course «Logic» to higher education students.

The scientific novelty of this philosophical and methodological research lies in the fact that we seek to find out the practical benefit of studying the course «Logic» by higher education students of legal specialties. To characterize the practical benefit and significance of the proposed techniques and methodologies and their concepts when teaching this course to students and future lawyers. In this context, we emphasize the active inclusion of higher education students in the work on the logical analysis of the texts of laws and legislative acts in jurisprudence.

Conclusions. The research we conducted has a specific focus on the analysis of methodological concepts in teaching the course «Logic» to applicants for higher education in legal specialties in Ukrainian universities. It demonstrates that the study of logic by law students is a mandatory stage in the development of a future legal specialist or legal scholar, and the latest methodologies should deepen this process and improve its effectiveness.

Logic as a philosophical discipline, as a science of forms of thought, has a long history. Since ancient times, logic was taught in the philosophical schools of ancient Greece and Rome. Graduates of these philosophical schools worked after graduation mainly in the legal and administrative spheres: judges, lawyers, advisors, administrators. Therefore, thanks to their perfect mastery of knowledge in logic, they achieved a «fair» solution to issues and problems in courts and administrative state bodies. Such a tradition of «serving» logical knowledge has occurred in all ages and has reached our time.

Therefore, today philosophical studies on logic are quite valuable, and textbooks on logic written by philosophers and lawyers have several reprints within 3-5 years.

In this regard, the methods and methodology, as well as the methodological concepts of teaching the logic course, have their value for our Ukrainian philosophical and legal science. Today we use the research and textbooks on logic: A. E. Konversky, O. G. Danilyan, O. M. Yurkevich, O. M. Shepetyak, V. S. Blikhar, V. V. Levkulych, O. V. Yarmola and many other scientists-researchers who worked in the field of logic.

After all, thanks to Ukrainian philosophers, lawyers, and teachers, logic in higher educational institutions of our country has been developing since the end of the 20th century and continues its development at the beginning of the 21st century on a par with European higher educational institutions.

Thanks to the successful educational and methodological work of Ukrainian thinkers on logical issues, conducting lectures and seminars on the course «Logic» for lawyers remains interesting for students and relevant for their future legal work. In addition, methodological concepts of logical-philosophical analysis of legal issues related to human freedom and conscience, the implementation of laws and obligations to the state are especially relevant in our turbulent time of Russian aggression against Ukrainians and their state. Significant in this logical-philosophical exploration is the appeal to the logic of international law in general, the logic of the activities of international organizations, in particular the UN. In our opinion, students’ analysis of the processes of compliance or violation of the principles of international law, legal norms and rules of interstate coexistence by modern geopolitical players not only forms critical thinking skills, but also additionally stimulates students’ interest in studying logic, as it shows the connection between academic knowledge and practice. Actively encouraging students to study legal experience, in our opinion, not only contributes to the formation of a logical culture of a lawyer, but also forms the legal consciousness of a future specialist. For example, the desire for inevitable punishment for the leaders of states that violated these international laws of coexistence, as well as the responsibility of the people who supported their leaders and committed war crimes, is indicative.

In view of this, the methodological concepts of teaching the course «Logic» to applicants for higher legal education in Ukraine, in our opinion, are aimed at influencing the logical and philosophical analytics of students, future lawyers. They will be able to help our lawyers always adhere to legal requirements, norms and rules that combine the best humanistic and democratic traditions of jurisprudence in Europe and the world. In this regard, the presentation of various methodological techniques in the process of teaching the course «Logic» to law students is aimed at revealing the significance of logical thinking in the work of lawyers.