The monograph presents a scientific, sociological, bibliometric and semiotic analysis of the status of classics in the social sciences of the twentieth century - economics, sociology, psychology and history. The synthesis of these approaches allows the authors to explore a wide range of problems associated with the study and use of classical heritage. The book analyzes in detail the changes in the composition of the classics; its meaningful parameters; transformation of the corpus of classics in connection with the growth of scientific knowledge and the rapid increase in the number of individual subdisciplines, areas, research areas; the role and functions of classics in higher education and in the research process. According to the author's concept, although the "classic" loses its status of superiority over modernity, in return it acquires the status of the "foundation" of the present, being, in fact, part of "modernity" in a broad sense and remaining in demand along with later scientific ideas, concepts and theories.