Supervisors:
Dr Tobias Tanton and Dr Jonathan Lewis-Jong
College:
St John's
Biography:
Scott Ryan Maybell is a Science & Religion scholar who uses philosophical methods to study demonization, religious conceptions of evil, and mystical experiences. The primary throughline of his work is an emphasis on negotiation and fallibilism, be it favoring theological positions which allow for arguing with the divine or navigating the recognitive dynamics of who gets to "count" as having mystical insight. His dissertation is on invocations of the Devilfish, the use of monstrous cephalopod imagery to frame one's enemies as an all-subsuming evil force, and how the rise of this motif was inextricably linked with the emergence of capitalism, secularity, and modern forms of state sovereignty. Before entering academia, Scott’s decade-long career in public service included mediating court cases between government entities, asylum seekers, and Indigenous groups in Arizona as well as advocating for homeless communities and running youth programs in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Educational Background:
Master of Science in Science and Religion, University of Edinburgh (2023)
Bachelor of Science in Philosophy of Science, University of Utah (2022)
Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minor emphases in Religious Studies and Cognitive Science, University of Utah (2022)
Research Interests:
Science & Religion, demonology, Gnostic Studies, pragmatism, philosophy of mysticism
Recent Publications:
"Heavenly Mother, If You Exist, Read This: Mormonism as a Mystical Atheism." Topoi, Collection on Mystical Atheism (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-026-10403-8.
"The VALIS Confession: Esoteric Compassion and the Struggle for Recognition." In The Esoteric Theology of Philip K. Dick, edited by George Sieg and Michael Barros, 161-85. New York: Fortress Academic, 2026. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/esoteric-theology-of-philip-k-dick-9781978772236/
"The Shoulders of Giants: Influence of Christian Heresy Catalogues on Isaac Newton’s Rhetoric." Reviews in Science and Religion 79 (2024): 21-30.
"Theology and Technology, Volume 1: Essays in Christian Analysis & Volume 2: Essays in Christian Exegesis and Historical Theology: edited by Carl Mitcham, Jim Grote, and Levi Checketts." Science & Christian Belief 36, no. 1 (2024).
"YHWH's Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach: by Daniel O. McClellan." Theology and Science 22, no. 1 (2024): 245-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2023.2294532.
