The first edition in Russian and in full of the world famous work of one of the classics of sociological, economic and political thought, which gives a holistic idea of ​ ​ the theoretical views of the Italian scientist in these areas. The book reveals the general methodological problems of social cognition and the basic concepts of Pareto. This is, first of all, a general scientific logical and experimental method of cognition and the peculiarities of its use in the study of social phenomena, conditions of social equilibrium, illogical actions of people and their dominant role in the life and development of society.