%0 Journal Article
%T Josiah Parsons Cooke Jr.: Epistemology in the Service of Science, Pedagogy, and Natural Theology
%A Stephen M. Contakes
%A Christopher Kyle
%J Hyle : International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
%D 2011
%I HYLE Publications, Karlsruhe and University of Karlsruhe
%X Josiah Parsons Cooke established chemistry education at Harvard University, initiated an atomic weight research program, and broadly impacted American chemical education through his students, the introduction of laboratory instruction, textbooks, and influence on Harvard's admissions requirements. The devoutly Unitarian Cooke also articulated and defended a biogeochemical natural theology, which he defended by arguing for commonalities between the epistemologies of science and religion. Cooke's pre-Mendeleev classification scheme for the elements and atomic weight research were motivated by his interest in numerical order in nature, which reflected his belief in a divine lawgiver.
%K philosophy of chemistry
%K biography
%K philosophy of education
%K epistemology of science
%K natural theology
%K chemistry and religion
%U http://www.hyle.org/journal/issues/17-1/contakes-kyle.pdf