Scientific Doctrine of Criminal Procedural Law as an Instrument of Verification of Scientific Hypotheses
Abstract
Abstract. The article examines the verification function of the doctrine of criminal procedural law, which consists in checking scientific hypotheses for their compliance with the fundamental theoretical foundations of the science of criminal procedural law. The doctrine is considered as a dynamic mechanism for evaluating and legitimizing scientific knowledge, rather than merely a static system of established views, which ensures systemic integrity and continuity of scientific knowledge. The relationship between doctrinal verification and empirical testing is analyzed, and the priority of normative criteria over exclusively pragmatic considerations of effectiveness in evaluating scientific hypotheses is established, which is related to the very nature of criminal procedural law, its purpose, practice of formation and application, as well as significant substantive differences from other branches of scientific knowledge. Doctrinal verification is revealed through a system of criteria of compatibility, consistency, and teleological correspondence, which allow assessing not only the absence of contradictions with existing knowledge, but also the overall ability of a new hypothesis to integrate into the general theoretical system of criminal procedural law. It is emphasized that scientific hypotheses must comply not only with substantive doctrinal foundations but also with the qualitative characteristics of the doctrine itself, the main of which are argumentation, provability, and validity. The problem of the relationship between doctrinal conservatism and scientific innovation is investigated. The limits of doctrinal verification are determined taking into account the historical conditioning of the doctrine, its national specificity, and internal heterogeneity. Practical recommendations are formulated for the development of a differentiated system of criteria for doctrinal verification, the creation of mechanisms for institutionalized scientific discussion around controversial hypotheses, and the introduction of methodology for doctrinal substantiation in dissertation research.
Keywords: doctrine; criminal procedural law; verification; scientific hypothesis; legal doctrine; methodology.
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