The Philosophy of Law as a Gateway to Understanding Law

Abstract

The philosophy of law constitutes a fundamental branch of legal science that provides a conceptual framework for understanding the essence, purpose, and legitimacy of law. This study is grounded in the need for a philosophical perspective that views law not merely as a collection of written norms, but as a reflective human construct closely connected to justice, morality, and social values. Using a normative-juridical method, this research is based on a systematic literature review of classical and contemporary legal philosophies, focusing on the relationship between law, morality, and justice. The analysis demonstrates that legal understanding is shaped by diverse philosophical approaches, ranging from legal positivism, which emphasizes the separation between law and morality, to natural law theories that prioritize universal moral principles as the foundation of legal validity. The findings indicate that the philosophy of law functions as an intellectual gateway that enables a critical and reflective understanding of law, allowing legal norms to be evaluated beyond formal legality. This study concludes that an introductory engagement with the philosophy of law is essential for developing analytical reasoning and ethical awareness in legal scholarship. Accordingly, the study recommends that the philosophy of law be positioned as a mandatory and contextually oriented subject within faculties of law in Indonesia, in order to strengthen students’ conceptual, normative, and moral understanding of law in both theory and practice.