The author of the article shares his reflections on innovative knowledge, inspired by reading a book by M.K. Gorshkov “Russian society in the context of new reality. To the results and continuation of the sociological mega-project” (Moscow: Ves Mir Publishers, 2017) and some other works – his own and his school. As it is shown in the article, many Russian and foreign sociologists consider the main function of sociology to be the diagnosis of society. A special place in this series is the unique theoretical and methodological instruments for the sociological diagnostics proposed by the Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences M.K. Gorshkov that organically combines interdisciplinary and contextual approaches. Its application allowed the investigators to obtain very valid results of Russia’s states in the last quarter of the century, on the basis of which a forecast is given for its future that also takes into account the peculiarities of current global and national realities. In this context, the author of the article proposes to reconsider the development strategy of Russian society, its reorientation to the realization of socio-economic tasks and the achievement of humanistic goals of the development of the society. Accordingly, the new management is demanded including the development and reproduction of social and human capital as the most important socio-humanitarian component on the basis of highly developed spheres of science, culture, and education. The diagnostic instruments identify and justify the means of optimizing the social life of Russians among which are: a socio-humanitarian expertise; conditions for free activity of people; the national variant of the democratic system ensuring the reproduction of social trust of citizens in political institutions; the formation of education as a means of countering the challenges for Russia; the humanization of the economy aimed at increasing of social and human capital. The sociological diagnosis that was carried out made it possible to establish a social diagnosis according to which Russian society has become complex, more differentiated and multilayered with a permanent process of technical and socio-cultural renewal while the Russians formed the awareness of their belonging to the European and Eurasian world.