Andrej Sirácky (9 December 1900 – 29 September 1988) was a Slovak sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and communist official.

Biography

After graduating from the grammar school in Vrbas in 1921, he applied to study philosophy at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

in Prague, which he finished with a doctorate in 1926. During his studies in Prague, he met Slovak left-wing intellectuals and students and became a founding member of the ''DAV'' group. After completing his studies, he returned home to Petrovac in Vojvodina, where he taught with a break at the Slovak gymnasium until 1941. He participated in the Slovak resistance during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was imprisoned in Budapest. After his release, he briefly worked as an editor of the journal ''Slovenská jednota''. In August 1948, he moved to Slovakia, where he began working at

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

and from 1953 to 1955 he was its rector. Sirácky was also chairman of the

Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences (, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary ...

from 1955 to 1961. He successively obtained the academic titles of docent and professor and scientific academician of SAV. He was also as academician of the

Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Czech: ''Československá akademie věd'', Slovak: ''Česko-slovenská akadémia vied'') was established in 1953 to be the scientific center for Czechoslovakia. It was succeeded by the Czech Academy of Science ...

. He was also a member of the

Slovak National Council The Slovak National Council (, SNR) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century as a focus for Slovak nationali ...

from 1960 to 1964 and also held positions in the

Communist Party of Slovakia The Communist Party of Slovakia (, KSS) is a communist party in Slovakia, formed in 1992 through the merger of the Communist Party of Slovakia – 91 and the Communist League of Slovakia. The party is observer of the Party of the European Lef ...

and was a member of the Central Committee of the KSS from 1971 to 1976. He was opposed to political liberalization in Czechoslovakia in 1968 during the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

, and in the following years, he held

normalization Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

positions and spoke out against "right-wing opportunism" within the party.

Works

Sirácky represented Marxist–Leninist philosophy and sociology in Czechoslovakia. He published, among other things, on historical materialism and ethics and dealt critically with the bourgeois conception of humanism and bourgeois philosophical anthropology.''filozofickej tvorbe Andreja Siráckého (1900-1988): In:Dejiny filozofie na Slovensku v XX. storočí''. Bratislava: Infopress, 1998 Selection of his works: * Sila slov a myšlienok (''Power of Words and Ideas''). Petrovac, 1943 * Umierajúca civilizácia (''The Dying Civilization''). Petrovac, 1946 * Kultúra a mravnost' (''Culture and Morality''). Bratislava, 1949. * Klérofašistická ideólogia ľudáctva (''Clero-fascist ideology of humanity'') Bratislava, 1955. * Sociológia a intergrácia vied (''Sociology and the integration of the sciences''). Bratislava, 1968 * Sociálny svet človeka (''The Social World of Man''). Bratislava, 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirácky, Andrej 1900 births 1988 deaths Slovak communists Slovak academics Slovak philosophers Communist Party of Slovakia (1939) politicians Academic staff of Comenius University Members of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Charles University alumni Slovak sociologists Slovak anti-fascists