Õiguspositivistid

õiguspositivism on õigusteooria, mis väidab, et õiguse olemasolu ja sisu sõltuvad sotsiaalsetest faktidest, mitte selle moraalsest sisust. Positivistid usuvad, et õigus on inimeste loodud süsteem, mis eristub loodusõigusest, mis väidab, et õigus põhineb universaalsetel moraaliprintsiipidel.

Key figures in legal positivism include John Austin, who defined law as the command of a sovereign backed by the threat of punishment, and H.L.A. Hart, who developed the concept of a "rule of recognition" as the ultimate criterion for identifying valid laws within a legal system. Another prominent legal positivist is Hans Kelsen, whose pure theory of law sought to establish a scientific and neutral understanding of law, free from sociological and moral considerations.

Legal positivism is often contrasted with natural law theory. While natural lawyers believe that unjust laws are not true laws, positivists argue that a law can be legally valid even if it is morally unjust. The focus of legal positivism is on what the law *is*, rather than what it *ought to be*. This analytical approach aims to provide a clear and objective understanding of legal systems.