Foreword in Kn. Lotman Yu . M. Semiosphere . — C. -Petersburg: "Art-SPB", 2000. — 704 s. — C. 5-10. Previously published in: Vyshgorod 1998 No03, ss. 133 - 138. From the note to the 1998 edition. :"This article was published in 1969. in the newspaper "Soviet Estonia" (No. 27) as a response to a letter from an assistant driver of a diesel train Semennikov, in which he was interested in new science - semiotics . At a distance of three decades, the inquisitive machinist appears as a mythical figure. But, even if we are dealing with an editorial hoax, we cannot but thank “Soviet Estonia” for publishing a semiotic article by Yu .. M. Lothman, written for a wide audience. The article is addressed to a wide range of non-specialists and is a general outline of the goals and objectives of the young science of semiotics, its significance for society and culture as a whole.