Upcoming talks:
- Project Vox Symposium, Duke, Feb. 28 – March 1
- Du Chatelet Workshop, Dublin, March 21-2
- Integrated HPS, Caltech, March 27-9 [Abstract for talk]
- International Social Ontology Conference, Dublin, Aug. 5-8 [Abstract for talk]
My name is Michael, and I am a philosopher currently based at Western University in London, ON, as a Post-doctoral Fellow with the Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy project. You can reach me at mveldma7@uwo.ca
I work at the intersection of history and philosophy of science and early modern philosophy, focusing on three main dynamics of Enlightenment thought:
- the changing relationship between science and metaphysics (including ontology and natural theology)
- conceptual evolution in physics (especially the place of causation in mechanics),
- shifts in epistemic norms (especially for explanation, methodology, and hypotheses)
A major throughline for my research is the role played in these developments by mathematics and mathematization, as well as recovering marginalized and non-canonical voices for the history of philosophy (which also informs my teaching).
My dissertation (abstract here) reads Leonhard Euler’s natural philosophy as a contribution to the philosophy of science and to early modern thought. Those interested in a self-contained introduction to Euler and his connections to philosophy will soon be able to consult my article for the SEP, scheduled for early 2026. See my research section for more information about my post-doc project, publications, and works in progress.