Josef Hölzl (physiologist)

Josef Hölzl (born September 28, 1925 in Ybbsitz , Lower Austria ) is an Austrian natural scientist ( physiologist ) who, as a professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, headed the "Institute for Technology and Merchandise Management " from 1972 to 1991.

Career

After studying natural history as a teacher at the University of Vienna, he received his doctorate in 1955 with a topic on ecology with the plant physiologists Richard Biebl and Karl Höfler .

In the same year he started as an assistant at the Technical University at the “Institute for Botany, Technical Microscopy and Organic Raw Materials Science”, where he completed his habilitation in 1965 with the Venia “Botany with special consideration of the technically used natural substances”. Together with the institute's director Engelbert Bancher , he published the book “Structure and properties of organic natural substances. Introduction to organic raw materials ", which has become a standard work in raw materials and commodity science . In the direction of his scientific study of organic raw materials, Hölzl was in the tradition of a number of prominent predecessors of Viennese technical goods science such as Julius Wiesner (1836–1916).

In 1971, Josef Hölzl became a titan at the Technical University. Associate professor and was then director of the Botanical Institute of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna until 1982 . In addition, in 1972, after Gustav Hofbauer's early death, Josef Hölzl was appointed to succeed Edmund Grünsteidl as associate professor at the University of World Trade.

Chair

Technical and commercial goods science and commercial goods science were combined in one institute. The predecessors of this specialist culture, which followed Johann Beckmann in terms of the history of science , were Julius Wiesner and Wilhelm Exner , who have become classics in commodity science and technology. Josef Hölzl headed the "Institute for Technology and Merchandise Management", which was started by Ernst Beutel as the "Institute for Warranty" at the University of World Trade, renamed the "Technological Institute" in 1926 and continued by Edmund Grünsteidl since 1946, from 1972 until his retirement in 1991 . Josef Hölzl continued the theory finding started by E. Grünsteidl on the theory of goods as a holistic specialist project.

The pioneering achievement of Josef Hölzl was to have put the subject " Commodity Theory" on a secure theoretical basis, on the one hand in the systematics and classification of goods, on the other hand with the interdisciplinarity of the general system theory , which includes the environment in the problem of general technology and real economy . Josef Hölzl's holistic concept of the theory of goods (triad: technology / economy / environment) is scientifically-theoretically secured in the bioeconomic paradigm ( Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen ). In the generalist, transdisciplinary commodity science, he saw a basic subject for sustainable management theory. The successor to his chair, Gerhard Vogel, changed the name of the institute from "merchandise management" to " sustainable product management ".

In 1978, through the integration of the subjects “natural history” and “commodities including technology”, the humanities and natural sciences course “ biology and commodity theory ” had to be anchored as a teaching post at the commercial schools . This inter-university course, introduced by Hölzl in 1982, was abolished a decade after Josef Hözl's retirement at the turn of the millennium.

Significant for the history of science is the end of an academic tradition that goes hand in hand with the closure of the chair, as it has been maintained for over two centennia after the model of Johann Beckmann since Empress Maria Theresa in Austria.

Appreciations

Following the scientific generalism, Josef Hölzl brought together all commodity science societies around the world in 1976 by founding the International Society for Goods Science and Technology (IGWT). In the same year he started publishing the international magazine "Forum Ware" with Otto Gekeler, who played a key role in founding the German Society for Goods Research and Technology (DGWT).

An honorary symposium was held in 1991 on the retirement of Josef Hölzl: “In search of what we have in common. Technology / economy / ecology. ”His interest in knowledge was the“ physique ”of the production processes in the socio-economic system, which man sets directions:“ Honest scientists have to act on their own initiative ”. In recognition of his scientific life's work, the “Evolution-Ware-Economy” symposium was held in Darwin year 2009.

Works (selection)

• Josef Hölzl and Engelbert Bancher: Structure and properties of organic raw materials. Springer Verlag, Vienna 1965.
• Josef Hölzl: History of the product knowledge in Austria. Series of publications by the Institute for Technology and Merchandise Management. Volume 5, WU-Vienna 1982.
• Josef Hölzl: Introduction to the theory of goods. R. Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich 1989.
• Josef Hölzl: General technology. Series of publications by the Institute for Technology and Merchandise Management. 2nd ext. Edition WU-Vienna 1989.

literature

• Gerhard Vogel (Ed.): In search of the common. Technology / economy / ecology. Festschrift in honor of o.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Josef Hölzl. Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration 1991.
• Richard Kiridus-Göller, Eberhard K. Seifert (eds.): Evolution - goods - economy. Bioeconomic basics for commodity theory. oekom-Verlag, Munich 2012.

Web links

• Biology and Commodity Science (Study Act)
• (former) Institute for Technology and Sustainable Product Management