The book of a prominent Russian philosopher, doctor of philosophical sciences, professor V.A. Vazyulin, the first edition of which was published in 1968, has become a bibliographic rarity. Having played a fundamental role in the formation of the theory of dialectics as a system of logical categories, this book has not lost its methodological significance for the humanities even now. The new, revised and expanded edition is designed for philosophers, sociologists, economists. This book will be useful to scientists, teachers and university students.