«The Legal Nature» — a Legal Term or a Falsely Borrowed Word

The paper examines the perspectives of legal scholars regarding the significance and scope of the scientific application of the term «legal nature». This expression has been actively employed by prominent figures in Russian legal scholarship for over a century; however, a consensus regarding its definition remains elusive. The frequency and scope of its use by Russian academics have escalated to the point where some commentators have suggested that it lacks the requisite characteristics of a scientific term. Over the past decade, numerous specialized studies have revealed that «legal nature» is employed in jurisprudence with more than ten distinct meanings. The authors emphasize that the term «nature» lacks a uniform definition not only in jurisprudence but also in philosophy. Each scholar has endeavored to articulate a definition for the scientific concept encapsulated by this phrase. The authors of the study cogently criticize the validity of these attempts, highlighting the detrimental implications of the scientific use of «legal nature» and proposing strategies to mitigate the prevalent trend of employing polysemous terms broadly and this particular phrase specifically.