Historical change of scientific paradigms and the composition of the offence

Relevance . In the last decade, the focus of scientific research has shifted from specific issues to fundamental and interdisciplinary ones. For this reason, scholars in criminal law increasingly turn to fundamental categories, traditionally including crime and the elements of a crime. Modern discussions on the elements of a crime (its essence, structure, characteristics, etc.) necessitate a return to the origins of this category's formation and an analysis of the determinants that influenced changes in its content. The purpose of this study is to justify the dependence of the content of the fundamental category of "elements of a crime" on the scientific paradigm. Objectives : To analyze and compare the historical shifts in scientific paradigms and the modifications of the category of "elements of a crime" in criminal law science; to identify the specific features of understanding the elements of a crime in a given historical period. Methodology . The study is based on the historical method, which made it possible to establish a connection between the prevailing scientific paradigm at a certain stage in the development of criminal law science and the understanding of the elements of a crime. Additionally, other general scientific methods were used, including analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction. Results . The study has proven that with the development of the theory of knowledge, specifically with changes in modes of thinking, the concept of the elements of a crime has also evolved. Conclusion . The historical changes in types of thinking (the prevailing philosophical method of cognition) initially led to the transfer of the elements of a crime from the procedural to the substantive domain. Later, it facilitated the integration of subjective and objective aspects within it and ultimately transitioned from a set of subjective and objective characteristics of a real phenomenon to an informational model that describes a complexly structured crime.