Ariel Melamedoff

I have broad interests in the history of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and epistemology, especially as these concern the foundations of science. My primary research is in early modern European philosophy, focusing on the work of Mary Shepherd, David Hume, and Baruch Spinoza. Starting in Fall 2025 I will be an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) at University College London. 

In my dissertation I argue that Mary Shepherd's theory of causation is best read in the context of the tradition of metaphysical emergentism, and I develop a model for understanding Shepherd's view as an emergentist account of causation. This model captures her central metaphysical commitments, as well as explaining her response to Hume's causal theory. 

I completed a PhD at NYU in 2024, after an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Toronto, and a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Winnipeg.