Wilson, John Cook, FBA
1849-1915

Son of a WM minister, James Wilson ( ? -1887; e.m. 1821), he was born on 6 June 1849. Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, he took first class honours in classics and mathematics and was appointed Wykeham Professor of Logic in 1889. He became a Fellow of New College in 1901 and honorary Fellow of Oriel College in 1909. He received an honorary LLD from St. Andrews. As a pioneer in 'regarding epistemology as the primary function of philosophical reasoning', he 'influenced a generation of Oxford philosophers'. He published relatively little, his most important book being Statement and Inference (1926), published posthumously. A keen cyclist himself, the formation of the Army Cyclist Corps was at his suggestion. He died on 11 August 1915.

Sources
  • Times, 12 August 1915
  • Oxford DNB

Occupations

Category: Person
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