John Marvin

Academics

I am a joint PhD Student at the University of Chicago
in the Department of Philosophy and in Philosophy of Religions at the Divinity School, primarily interested in approaching the philosophy of mathematics and logic (and
philosophical areas at large for which it has important implications) with critical attention to the broader context
of intellectual history surrounding mathematical/logical
practice and the philosophy thereof. My research focuses
in on the evolution of mathematics and the formalization
of logic from the 19th century to the present alongside
the development of intellectual currents such as the emergence of phenomenology, the divergence of analytic philosophy, and developments in the philosophy of science.
Through these loci, I endeavor to interrogate what the
complex and idiosyncratic phenomenon of inferential abstract thought, epitomized in contemporary mathematical logic, implies must be the case about the mind and/or
world, and to apply the insights gleaned from these general inquiries to specific problems in the philosophy of
mathematics, language, mind, metaphysics, and epistemology. Along with directly philosophical work and
these more expansive interests in intellectual history, the
comparative analysis of religious thought and language
with abstract mathematical reasoning, and the study of
their intersections, I am also interested in working on concrete problems in philosophical logic, especially in areas
like type theory, set theory, and computability theory, and
in various topics in the philosophy of physics (especially
quantum mechanics).

I started my undergraduate career as an advanced
chemistry student after spending some time before college employed as a full-time computer science researcher
working on precision time protocols in networking standards, and despite my decision to shift focus to studying philosophy and religion, continued to independently
pursue mathematics, logic, analytic philosophy, and scientific theory. As a graduate student, I have since had
the chance to do doctoral-level coursework through the
mathematics and philosophy departments in set theory,
computability theory, type theory, category theory, and
other advanced mathematical logic.

One can peruse my CV here.

Music

Beyond academics, most of my time and thought ends up turned toward music.  I am a self-taught jazz pianist, taking strongest influence and inspiration from such forebears as Ahmad Jamal, Clare Fischer, Keith Jarrett, and (especially the final months of output by) Bill Evans, as well as from contemporaries like Robert Glasper, Sullivan Fortner, and naturally many others across time.  In an earlier phase of life, I played guitar (and other instruments) in Midwest emo/screamo, experimental heavy metal, and avant-garde electronic bands and projects.  I am happy to share recordings with anyone interested in hearing them.