FOLIO I · THINKER · GEN. 04 · N° 054

Felix Kaufmann

Works
7
Articles
0
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
Book
OriginalGerman
1924
29 yrs.
Die Kriterien des Rechts
Book
OriginalGerman
1940s
1947
52 yrs.
Observations on the Ivory Tower
Book
OriginalEnglish
1950s
1958
63 yrs.
Methodology Of The Social Sciences
Book
OriginalEnglish
1960s
1968
73 yrs.
Das Unendliche in der Mathematik und seine Ausschaltung
Book
OriginalEnglish
1990s
1992
97 yrs.
Wiener Lieder zu Philosophie und Ökonomie
Book·2 editions
OriginalGerman
Further editions
  • Felix Kaufmanns Songs of the Mises-Kreis: Wiener Lieder zu Philosophie und Ökonomie2022
    OriginalGerman
    On Amazon ↗
Cite this page

Three copy-ready formats with the canonical URL and access date.

APA
Felix Kaufmann. (n.d.). Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed July 14, 2026, from https://mises.at/en/denker/felix-kaufmann
Chicago
“Felix Kaufmann.” n.d. Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://mises.at/en/denker/felix-kaufmann.
German historical style
Felix Kaufmann, edited by mises.at and scholarium, https://mises.at/en/denker/felix-kaufmann (accessed July 14, 2026).