The aim of this study is to assess the contribution of Baden Powell (1796–1860) to debates on the methodology of science, natural theology and the question of species, within the context of contemporary Anglican debates. The three topics have been selected out of a wide range of issues with which Baden Powell was concerned in the course of his life. His intellectual career covered many fields of inquiry. He devoted attention to experimental research on optics and radiant heat, to ecclesiastical history, the history of science, educational reform and theological and philosophical debates. He was an extremely prolific author, the great majority of his works being anonymous contributions to periodicals. Secondary sources have made only incidental reference to Baden Powell, usually confining themselves to consideration of his last publications. There is no systematic analysis of Baden Powell's contribution to nineteenth-century culture available. The most significant comment on his ideas is the Cambridge doctoral dissertation by John David Yule on the ‘Impact of science on British religious thought’ (1976). Yule's reconstruction of the early phases of Baden Powell's career will be examined in detail. Reference to relevant secondary literature will be given when appropriate.

The issues selected for detailed examination in this study represent Baden Powell's main concerns. It will be shown that his consideration of the philosophical foundation of scientific and religious knowledge guided his approach to the wide spectrum of specific issues upon which he touched. The present monograph is mainly concerned with illustrating significant phases of Baden Powell's intellectual biography with an emphasis on the relevance of some neglected features of English, and specifically Anglican, intellectual life for the understanding of our author's ideas.