His research specializations are ethics and political philosophy, with a focus on race and the liberal tradition. John entered college in 1969 after spending four years in the Marine Corps. He graduated from San Diego State University in 1973 with a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Classical Languages. After graduating from San Diego State University he entered graduate school at the University of California San Diego. John left graduate school after two years without a degree. He entered the business world. He was in marketing for more than twenty years working for IBM, Wadsworth Publishing, and Vanard Lithographers. During this time he also started a small business.