Dr Alexandra Cook, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, has been awarded the Research Output Prize 2012-2013 for her work, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and botany: the salutary science, published by the Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford.

Universally studied for his writings on politics, philosophy, morality and education, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s interest in botany has been deemed a mere curiosity. In this radical reinterpretation Dr Cook demonstrates how this seemingly marginal activity shaped and was shaped by his philosophy.

Rousseau’s botanical project was informed by his belief in the superiority of nature over artifice – a principle illustrated in his famous Lettres élémentaires sur la botanique, in which he used the ‘natural method’ of plant classification, a ground-breaking system which would eventually triumph over rival systems. Based on a wide range of original sources, Dr Cook traces and re-assesses Rousseau’s botanical education, the complex history of his plant collections, and his participation in scientific correspondence networks. She also reveals how his botanical writings were manipulated and misinterpreted following his death.

In this richly illustrated study, supported by inventories of Rousseau’s botanical library, correspondents and herbaria, Dr Cook provides an unprecedented insight into the philosopher’s study and practice of botany. Not simply an intellectual pursuit, it became part of his physical and psychological self-discipline, a precursor to today’s ‘environmental therapy’.

The Outstanding Researcher Awards scheme aims to recognise HKU academics who excel in research.  All recipients of the Awards will be honoured at the upcoming award presentation ceremony for excellence in teaching, research and knowledge exchange on March 26, 2014 at Loke Yew Hall.
http://www.rss.hku.hk/honours-awards/internal-awards/rop-winners