Empiricism, Theory, and Metatheory in the Study of Legal Relations: Applying a Layered Approach to the Analysis of Penal Law Relations
Shakhanov V.V. Empiricism, theory, and metatheory in the study of legal relations: applying a layered approach to the analysis of penal law relations. Penitentiary Science, 2026, vol. 20, no. 3 (75), pp. 241–249. doi 10.46741/2713-2811.2026.75.3.002.
the article analyzes the heuristic potential of using a “layered” system of legal
cognition. Purpose: by analyzing the “layered” system of legal cognition as a gnosiological matrix
of jurisprudence, to show that each level of scientific knowledge has its own scientific purpose,
which is most fully realized only in interaction with other levels; to demonstrate capacities of the
“layered” system of legal cognition in the study of penal (penitentiary) legal relations. Methods:
at the stage of collecting empirical information – abstraction, induction, empirical analysis; at the
stage of theoretical reflection – idealization, constructive introduction of theoretical objects, logical
reduction; at the metatheoretical level – general scientific and philosophical justification. Result:
Examining legal relations through the lens of a “layered” structure of scientific knowledge allows
for a broader understanding of how their specific characteristics evolve depending on the legal
instruments employed – which, in turn, are determined by the particular stage of scientific inquiry.
This approach also enables scholars to harness the heuristic potential of the “boundary of meanings,”
a conceptual space that integrates and connects different levels of scientific knowledge. At the
empirical stage, the legal relationship does not go beyond the scope of its sectoral classification.
Here, external, “procedural” aspects are recorded – the legal facts that trigger the mechanism of
the emergence, modification, and termination of legal relations. At the theoretical level, the object
of legal relationship becomes idealized and acquires the quality of a theoretical model that reflects
essential features of legal reality. This level reveals the substantive aspect of the development of a
legal relationship, presenting it as a multi‑stage, time‑consuming process of realizing the rights and
obligations of its subjects. At the metatheoretical level, the boundary of the subject matter content of
the study of legal relations is outlined, the initial conceptual framework is clarified, and the prospects
for development are determined. Conclusions: a holistic understanding of the dynamics of a penal
legal relationship is achieved only through the integration of all three levels of legal cognition. The
proposed “layered” approach is of theoretical and practical significance. Understanding that a
penal law relationship is an ongoing, multi‑stage process allows for a more conscious approach to
its legal regulation, ensuring a balance between the punitive elements of punishment and the rights
of convicts, between the stability of legal relationship and its necessary dynamics.
Keywords: legal relationship; penal law relationship; penitentiary legal relationship; scientific knowledge levels; empirical level; theoretical level; metatheoretical level; boundary of meanings; purpose of the legal relationship; meta-goal of the legal relationship.
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