My name is Michael, and I am a philosopher currently based at Western University in London, ON. I am a Post-doctoral Fellow with the Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy project. I work at the intersection of history and philosophy of science and early modern philosophy.

My research is on three main features of Enlightenment thought: the conceptual development of physics (especially causation in mechanics), shifts in epistemic norms in science (especially regarding explanation, methodology, and hypotheses), and the relationship between science and metaphysics.

I am particularly interested in the role of mathematization in these developments, and in recovering marginalized and non-canonical voices for the history of philosophy, which 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. My research section has more information about my post-doc project, publications, and works in progress.

You can reach me at mveldma7@uwo.ca