Modern natural law theories and the classical tradition

The paper attempts to analyze the historical aspects of the formation of some modern natural law theories in legal philosophy of the 20th century. It considers discussions between legal positivism and legal naturalism about the nature of law and the ways this dis-cussion influenced modern legal philosophy. The conceptual grounds and methodology of legal theory is sketched against the background of the broader classical tradition extending from antiquity to early modernity. The author suggests a new approach to the historical research designed to analyze the development of modern legal ideas and natural law theories in legal philosophy.