法理学是法学的一般理论、基础理论、方法论和法学的价值意识形态。从这一学科和课程定位出发，本教材简明而富有逻辑地阐述了马克思主义法学的产生与发展；对法的本体，法的演进与发展，法的制定与实施，法的价值，法与政治、经济、文化的关系等法理学的基本理论进行了全面阐释；对通贯整个法学体系的基本范畴，诸如法、权利、义务、法律行为、法律关系、法律责任等进行了细致分析；对全球化与法律发展、法治与社会建设以及法律程序、法律方法、法律职业等法学理论和法治实践的前沿问题进行了深入探索。
本教材第四版广泛吸收了当代中国法治建设及高校法学理论教学与科研上的新经验、新成果、新思路，在第三版的基础上，进一步更新知识、创新理论、结合实践，并在文字篇幅、写作风格和编写体例等方面有所改进与完善。
Jurisprudence is the general, basic theory and methodology of law as well as the ideology of legal science. Based on this understanding of the academic discipline and curriculum, this book gives a brief yet logical expression of the creation and development of Marxist legal science. Efforts have been made in this textbook to expound the fundamental subjects and issues of jurisprudence (legal theory) comprehensively, such as ontology of law, evolution and development of law, legislation and its enforcement, functions and values of law, the relationship between law and politics, economics and culture, etc. Attention has also been directed to the detailed analysis of the basic categories that go through the whole system of legal science, for instance, law, right, duty, legal action, legal relation and legal responsibility. Frontier issues like globalization and development of law, rule of law and society construction, legal procedure, methods of law, legal profession have also been probed profoundly.
Based on the 3rd edition, the 4th edition widely absorbs new experience, new achievements and new thinking from the process of the construction of the rule of law and the teaching and academic research of legal theory in colleges and universities in contemporary China, shows further progresses in the updating of its knowledge, the innovation of theories and its linkage to practice, modifies and perfects the text length, language and writing style, and so on.
