The book of the outstanding Russian scientist, initiator and active participant in the revival of Russian sociology as a science by A.G. Zdravomyslov summarizes a kind of theoretical and applied research of the author, his reflections on the nature and purpose of sociological knowledge. Taking into account the unique research experience of the author, his personal participation in the scientific life of the USSR and Russia today, as well as leading foreign countries, the role of sociology in the modern world is considered. Features of the development of sociological thought in France, Germany, Great Britain and the USA are disclosed. A special place is given to Russian sociology, its formation in the middle of the 19th century, the resumption of scientific life and the further development of sociological science in the second half of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries.