FOLIO I · THINKER · GEN. 04 · N° 054

Felix Kaufmann

Works
11
Articles
75
Generation
4.
Portrait of Felix Kaufmann
FOL. 04 · N° 054 · Felix Kaufmann
BIOGRAPHY

Life and Work

Felix Kaufmann (born 4 July 1895 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary; died 23 December 1949 in New York) was an Austrian-American philosopher of law.
Metadata
Born
4. Juli 1895
Died
23. Dezember 1949
Generation
Generation 4
Life stations

Stations

  1. 1895
    1895
    Birth · Wien
    Birth

    Born on 4 July 1895 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.

  2. 1919
    1919
    Doctorate · Wien
    Doctorate in Law

    Obtained his doctorate in law at the University of Vienna in 1919 (after studying law and political science).[1]

  3. ⁦1922–1938⁩
    ⁦1922–1938⁩
    Academic post · Wien
    Privatdozent in Legal Philosophy, Vienna

    Worked as a Privatdozent in legal philosophy at the University of Vienna from 1922 to 1938. Member of the Vienna Circle and of the school of legal philosophy around Hans Kelsen.[1]

  4. ⁦1922–1938⁩
    ⁦1922–1938⁩
    Career · Wien
    Managing Director, Anglo-Iranian Oil— approximate

    Alongside his work as a Privatdozent, he earned his living as managing director of the Austrian branch of an international oil company (Anglo-Iranian Oil).[4]

  5. 1926
    1926
    Doctorate · Wien
    Doctorate in Philosophy

    Obtained his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Vienna in 1926.[1]

  6. 1936
    1936
    Publication · Wien
    "Methodenlehre der Sozialwissenschaften" (Methodology of the Social Sciences)

    Publication of his major work "Methodenlehre der Sozialwissenschaften" (Methodology of the Social Sciences; 1936); published in English in the USA as "Methodology of the Social Sciences" in 1944.[1]

  7. 1938
    1938
    Emigration · New York
    Emigration to the United States

    In 1938 he left Austria because of the mounting reprisals against Jewish academics and emigrated to the United States.[1]

  8. ⁦1938–1949⁩
    ⁦1938–1949⁩
    Academic post · New York
    Professor at the New School for Social Research

    From his arrival in 1938 until his death he taught as Professor of Legal Philosophy at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York.[1]

  9. 1949
    1949
    Death · New York
    Death

    Died on 23 December 1949 in New York; he was an Austrian-American philosopher of law.

Relationships

Influences

Influenced by · 1
  1. ⁦1922–1938⁩
    ⁦1922–1938⁩
    Academic influence
    Hans Kelsen⁦(1881–1973)⁩ · Wiener Rechtstheorie

    Member of the school of legal philosophy around Hans Kelsen during his Privatdozentur in legal philosophy at the University of Vienna.

Private seminar, colleagues, Mont Pèlerin · 2
  1. ⁦1920–1934⁩
    ⁦1920–1934⁩
    Private seminar

    Kaufmann was a participant in the Mises-Privatseminar in Vienna.[2]

  2. ⁦1922–1936⁩
    ⁦1922–1936⁩
    Colleague
    Moritz Schlick⁦(1882–1936)⁩ · Wiener Kreis

    Kaufmann was a member of the Vienna Circle around Moritz Schlick (Thursday evenings at the University of Vienna) until Schlick's death in 1936.[3]

Felix Kaufmann in the context of the School as a whole: five generations, their teacher-student lineages, circles and collegial ties.

Show in the family tree →
SOURCES ON STATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS14 citations · 4 sources
CATALOGUE OF WORKS · CHRONOLOGICAL

The Books

1920s
1922
27 yrs.
Logik und Rechtswissenschaft. Grundriss eines Systems der reinen Rechtslehre
Book
OriginalGerman
1924
29 yrs.
Die Kriterien des Rechts. Eine Untersuchung über die Prinzipien der juristischen Methodenlehre
Book
OriginalGerman
1929
34 yrs.
Die philosophischen Grundprobleme der Lehre von der Strafrechtsschuld
Book·Franz Deuticke; Leipzig und Wien; 1929; VIII, 138 S.
OriginalGerman
1930s
1930
35 yrs.
Das Unendliche in der Mathematik und seine Ausschaltung
Book
OriginalGerman
1936
41 yrs.
Methodenlehre der Sozialwissenschaften
Book·Julius Springer; Wien; 1936; IV, 331 S.
OriginalGerman
1940s
1944
49 yrs.
Methodology of the Social Sciences
Book
OriginalEnglish
1947
52 yrs.
Observations on the Ivory Tower
Book
OriginalEnglish
1990s
1992
97 yrs.
Wiener Lieder zu Philosophie und Ökonomie
Book·3 editions
OriginalGerman
Further editions
2020s
2022
127 yrs.
Felix Kaufmann’s Songs Of The Mises-Kreis: Wiener Lieder zu Philosophie und Ökonomie
Book
OriginalGerman
9 of 9 entries
ARTICLES · 75 CATALOGUED

Essays, Reviews, Lectures

1920s
1922
27 yrs.
Die theoretische Philosophie als Wissenschaftslehre
Article·Prager juristische Zeitschrift; 1922; 2; 3/4; S. 124–128
OriginalGerman
Rezension: L. Nelson, System der philosophischen Rechtslehre
Article·Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht; 1922/1923; 3; S. 498
OriginalGerman
Theorie der Rechtserfahrung oder reine Rechtslehre?
Article·Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht; 1922/1923; 3; S. 236–263
OriginalGerman
1923
28 yrs.
Die ökonomischen Grundbegriffe. Eine Studie über die Theorie der Wirtschaftswissenschaft
Article·Zeitschrift für Volkswirtschaft und Sozialpolitik; 1923; 3; S. 31–47
OriginalGerman
1924
29 yrs.
Kant und die reine Rechtslehre
Article·Kant-Studien; 1924; 29; S. 233–242
OriginalGerman
Rezension: E. Landmann, Die Transzendenz des Erkennens
Article·Österreichische Rundschau; 1924; 20; S. 33–39
OriginalGerman
1925
30 yrs.
Logik und Wirtschaftswissenschaft. Eine Untersuchung über die Grundlagen der ökonomischen Theorie
Article·Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik; 1925-10; 54; 3; S. 614–656
OriginalGerman
1926
31 yrs.
Rezension: C. A. Emge, Vorschule der Rechtsphilosophie
Article·Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik; 1926; 56
OriginalGerman
Rezension: M. Salomon, Grundlegung zur Rechtsphilosophie
Article·Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik; 1926; 56
OriginalGerman
Staatslehre als theoretische Wissenschaft
Article·Kant-Studien; 1926; 31; 1-3; S. 53–60
OriginalGerman
10 of 75 entries
Cite this page

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APA
Felix Kaufmann. (n.d.). Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed October 16, 2026, from https://mises.co/felix-kaufmann
Chicago
“Felix Kaufmann.” n.d. Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://mises.co/felix-kaufmann.
German historical style
Felix Kaufmann, edited by mises.at and scholarium, https://mises.co/felix-kaufmann (accessed October 16, 2026).