The Law as Social Consciousness form: Knowledge, Practices, Trust

Abstract

The article deals with the consideration of law as a social consciousness form within the framework of the sociology of knowledge. The author demonstrates the internal coherence of knowledge, practices, trust, structures within a particular form of social consciousness. The order of law with another forms of social consciousness (as universums of specific judgments), like mythology, morality, religion, science, everyday thinking is proved. Thus author applies his own concept of the correlation between the instances of the Other and the Third. It is emphasized that the production of judgments within any of the forms of public consciousness is directly related to the constant (that is not synonymous with everyday) practices of the agents themselves. It is concluded that law is primarily not institutions or formalized rules, but a form of public consciousness.