Toby Friend
Mary Curie Fellow
Causation, Laws of nature, Powers and Dispositions
I'm a philosopher interested in the intersection of metaphysics and philosophy of science. Predominantly, I investigate issues, questions and theories concerning laws of nature, causation and composition. While at Human Abilities I will begin to flesh out an account of laws of nature as the most fundamental entities of our world and explore how this connects with the ontology of causal relations. In November I will begin a Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellowship, under the mentorship of Professor Dr Barbara Vetter, with the title of 'A Powers Ontology for Causal Models'. This project aims to develop a powers-based understanding of causal relationships which can underlie and help explain the success of a variety of causal modelling techniques in engineering.