Prof. Dr. Victor Kraft (4.7.1880 – 3.1.1975)

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Prof. Dr. Victor Kraft (4.7.1880 – 3.1.1975) Prof. Dr. Victor Kraft (4.7.1880 – 3.1.1975) Victor Kraft, der bis heute als einer der bedeutendsten Vertreter der wissenschaftlichen Philosophie gilt und zu dessen Schülern Paul Feyerabend und Ingeborg Bachmann zählen, wurde am 4. Juli 1880 als Sohn des Bürgerschuldirektors Josef Kraft in Wien geboren.1 Hier absolvierte er auch das Realgymnasium (mit Griechisch) im 6. Bezirk und legte im Jahre 1899 die Matura mit Auszeichnung ab. Er studierte an der Universität Wien Geschichte, Geographie und Philosophie. Darüberhinaus hörte er Vorlesungen in Botanik, Kunst- geschichte und Volkswirtschaftslehre. Die ursprünglich angestrebte Lehramtsprüfung legte er nicht mehr ab, da er sich in der Folge ganz dem Studium der Philosophie zuwandte. Im Jahre 1903 promovierte er mit einer philosophischen Dissertation zum Thema „Die Erkenntnis der Außenwelt“.2 Danach setzte Kraft seine Ausbildung für ein Semester lang in Berlin fort, wo er Vorlesungen und Seminare bei Wilhelm Dilthey, Georg Simmel, Carl Stumpf, Heinrich Wölfflin und anderen besuchte. Im Herbst 1904 wurde er zum Militärdienst einberufen, wurde aber wegen eines Herzleidens vorzeitig entlassen und mußte im Frühjahr 1905 einen längeren Kuraufenthalt in Lussin antreten. Seine Berufslaufbahn begann er im Jahre 1911 als Praktikant an der Universitäts- bibliothek Wien, im nächsten Jahr wurde er dort angestellt. Im gleichen Jahr erschien auch seine Habilitationsschrift zum Thema „Weltbegriff und Erkenntnisbegriff“. Im Jahre 1914 erhielt er die Venia legendi für theoretische Philosophie und hielt von da an als Privatdozent Vorlesungen u.a. aus den Gebieten Erkenntnislehre und Methodologie. Im Jahre 1922 erfolgte die Ernennung zum Staatsbibliothekar I. Klasse. Zwei Jahre später wurde ihm der Titel eines außerordentlichen Professors verliehen. Ab dem Anfang der 20er-Jahre nahm er an der von Professor Schlick gegründeten neopositivistischen philosophischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft teil, die unter dem Namen „Wiener Kreis“ in die Geschichte eingehen sollte. Dennoch blieb er inhaltlich auf Distanz zu diesem Kreis. Im Jahre 1938 wurde Victor Kraft mitten im Semester die Venia legendi entzogen, und im nächsten Jahr wurde er als Bibliothekar zwangspensioniert, da seine Frau jüdischer Abstammung war und er sich geweigert hatte, sich von ihr zu trennen. Die dadurch gewonnene Freizeit nützte er für philosophische Studien. Im letzten Kriegsjahr wurde er schließlich zum Arbeitseinsatz eingezogen und dem Institut für Denkmalpflege als wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft zugeteilt, wo er bis zum Kriegsende bibliothekarische Aufgaben übernahm. Nach Kriegsende wurde Victor Kraft sowohl als Dozent wie auch als Bibliothekar rehabilitiert und gehörte mit zu den Ersten, die bei den Aufräumungsarbeiten in der Wiener Universitätsbibliothek mithalfen. Am 17. Jänner 1947 wurde er schließlich als letzter öster- reichischer Bibliothekar zum Generalstaatsbibliothekar befördert, kurz darauf (am 31. März 1947) in den Ruhestand versetzt, aber im Dienst belassen, bis er im Herbst 1947 zum wirklichen Extraordinarius ernannt wurde. Im Jahre 1950 wurde er zum ordentlichen Pro- fessor und zum Vorstand des Instituts für Philosophie ernannt. Im gleichen Jahr erfolgte auch seine Ernennung zum korrespondierenden Mitglied der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Im Jahre 1952 wurde er als Professor der Philosophie emeritiert. Zwei Jahre später wurde er schließlich wirkliches Mitglied der Akademie der Wissenschaften. Durch seine Emeritierung von beruflichen Verpflichtungen frei nützte er die dadurch gewonnene Muße für weitere philosophische Forschungen und Publikationen. Noch in seinem 80. Lebensjahr veröffentlichte er seine „Erkenntnislehre“. Im Jahre 1968, also in seinem 88. Lebensjahr, erschien schließlich sein Buch „Die Grundlagen der Erkenntnis und der Moral“. Als Bibliothekar hatte er sich unter anderem als Schlagwortrevisor sowie in der Ausbildung des bibliothekarischen Nachwuchses verdient gemacht. Außerdem war er lange Zeit Obmann der Vereinigung österreichischer Bibliothekare, zu deren Ehrenmitglied er schließlich im Jahre 1949 ernannt wurde. Im Jahre 1966 wurde er darüber hinaus als einer der Ersten mit der Ehrenmedaille der Vereinigung österreichischer Bibliothekare ausgezeichnet. Am 3. Jänner 1975 verstarb Victor Kraft schließlich kurz vor der Vollendung seines 95. Lebensjahres in Wien. 1 Die folgenden Daten stammen weitgehend aus Victor Krafts maschinschriftlichem Curriculum vitae, das sich im UB-Archiv, Sonderaufstellung, Beiträge zur Personalgeschichte der Bibliothek 18.-20. Jahrhundert befindet. Vgl. außerdem dazu den Artikel in Wikipedia: <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Kraft>[27.6.2006]. 2 Erschienen im Auszug im Archiv für Philosophie, 2. Abteilung: Archiv für systematische Philosophie. Neue Folge 10, 1904. .
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