In the Russian science of social security law, studies appear in which individual scientists attempt to substantiate the unity of state and non-state social security and see in this a “new look” of social security law. The hypothesis put forward by them about the acquisition of a private-public nature by the industry necessitates a theoretical analysis of the essence of the paradigm of social security law and the identification of conditions for its change.

The purpose of the study is to answer the question about the need to change the paradigm of Russian social security law. The objectives of the research are: consideration of the concept of a scientific paradigm from the perspective of a general scientific and industrial approach; analysis of the formation of the scientific paradigm of social security law; identifying the prerequisites for its change at the present stage of development of Russian society.

The methodological basis of the study was made up of general scientific (dialectical, logical, systemic, analysis and synthesis) and special (comparative legal and formal legal) methods.

The chosen approach to the study of the paradigm of social security law allowed us to state that the foundations of the scientific paradigm of this branch of law were laid in the middle of the twentieth century in the universal theory of V.S. Andreev. It was revealed that the changes in the social system that occurred were reflected in basic and particular theories, which did not become indicators of the entry of the social security law paradigm into a crisis phase. A modern view has been developed on the further development of the branch of social security law as a public law one with the recognition that related relations aimed at the social protection of citizens are regulated by other branches of law - labor, civil, etc., which is the most justified and, with strict adherence to it, is possible preservation and development of the social security system, guaranteeing citizens the right to social security.