The trends in the development of methodology of scientific cognition of civil legal reality

Introduction: the paper considers the tendencies of the development of methodology for civil law science according to the levels of its structure. Purpose: the paper aims at determination of the main ways of development of civil law science methodology. Methods: the methods of abstraction, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, dialectical, formal-logical, comparative legal methods and other general scientific and specific scientific methods are used. Results: the structure of methodology of scientific cognition of civil legal reality has been examined. The highest (dialectical), general scientific (interdisciplinary), and specific scientific levels of studying civil law are shown. Specific examples of use of particular methods in dissertations, monographs and scientific articles with civil orientation are demonstrated. Conclusions: it has been found that the general scientific level of methodology of studying civil law is characterized by the tendency to include additional inter-branch and interdisciplinary approaches to scientific knowledge generation into the system of methods of studying civil law, as well as by appeal to the forgotten techniques and methods of scientific activity. The specific scientific level of the methodology tends to emergence of new methods based on synthesis of the existing means of cognition of civil law phenomena. Scientific novelty: this work is the first attempt in civil law science to identify the main trends in the development of methodology of civil law cognition. Practical value: results of the study may be used in law-making and in scientific research.