ABRIDGED CV
Jeffrey Tlumak, boomer trujillo, John Lachs (Vanderbilt, 2019)
Ph.D. in Philosophy
Vanderbilt University, 2019
Dissertation: "No Laughing Matter: Playfulness and a Good Life" | Chair: John Lachs; Advisors: Jeffrey Tlumak, Rob Talisse, Kelly Oliver, Christian Miller
Fulbright
Bochum, Germany, 2011-12
English Teaching Assistant at Schiller-Schule Gymnasium; Guest student Ruhr-Uni Bochum
David Phillips, boomer trujillo, Cynthia Freeland, Tamler Sommers (U of H, 2011)
M.A. in Philosophy
University of Houston, 2011
Thesis: “The Psychological Nature of Virtue and the Unity of the Virtuous Life” | Chair: Cynthia Freeland; Advisors: David Phillips, Tamler Sommers
B.A. in Philosophy
St. Edward’s University, 2009
Summa Cum Laude in the Honors Program | Presidential Award Winner | Thesis: “On Why Film Cannot Be Philosophy” | Advisor: Peter A. Wake
Assistant Professor of Instruction, UTEP Philosophy
Research Areas
Ethics (esp. Virtue Ethics & Bioethics), Moral Psychology, Ancient Greek and Hellenistic, 19th Century German, Noncanonical, Philosophy of Art
Academic Articles
“Possessed: The Cynics on Wealth and Pleasure”
TL;DR: Cynics argued that living self-sufficiently is the goal of life. Any material possessions or social entanglements work against this, so Cynics argued against them. Possessions possess you, and no Cynic can abide that.
“The Benefits of Being a Suicidal Curmudgeon: Emil Cioran on Killing Yourself”
TL;DR: Emil Cioran argues that the world is meaningless, so suicide is too. While one ought not finish suicide, one maybe should contemplate it because it changes you for the better.
“Friendship for the Flawed: A Cynical and Pessimistic Theory of Friendship”
TL;DR: Cynics and Pessimists rightly point out that friends present moral risk and that solitude is preferable to ill company. But they also make great friends because they’re unpretentious.
“What Race Terms Do: Du Bois, Biology, and Psychology on the Meanings of ‘Race’”
TL;DR: W.E.B. Du Bois defines race as a cluster of concepts that allows him to integrate biological, sociological, historical, moral, and political properties.
"From Taquería to Medical School: Juan Carlos, Aristotle, Cognitive Enhancements, and the Good Life"
TL;DR: Using human enhancements can lead to a good life and be virtuous, but it matters who’s using them and why.
Essays
“Stoicism Sucks: How Stoicism Undervalues Good Things and Exploits Vulnerable People”
TL;DR: Stoics are axiological solipsists (value is all in the head, and nowhere else), and they talk like sociopaths (you’re only good because you help me to reflect my values).
"The Friends of Sisyphus: Or, the Meanings Relationships Give Us"
TL;DR: People can make our lives more meaningful or miserable. Sisyphus with friends or enemies looks different to us than him all alone.
“How to Keep Grad School from Destroying You”
TL;DR: Personal advice on how to survive grad school.
Pieces for Students of Philosophy
“Ancient Cynicism: Rejecting Civilization and Returning to Nature”
“Aristotle on Friendship: What Does It Take to Be a Good Friend?”
“Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice”
Artistic Stuff
Micro fiction at 50-Word Stories: “Refrain” | "Homemade Lunches" | "The Marvel" | "Mutant" | "Sudsy Surrender"
"What Drives a Man" (1700 words, scifi)
"There" (1400 words, fantasy)
“The Trans-Historical Correlation between the Technological and Felinological An Abstract of a Manuscript Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor, Taurus Excretum,” (1000 words, scifi/comedy)
"Purge" (Photo manipulation)
Titles of Presentations and Lectures
“Cynicism without Assholery, Jerkiness, or Other Social Vices” | “Inward Turn, Outward Spurn: Positive Psychology Undermines Stoicism“ | “Pretty Little Lies for Big Ugly Times: A Non-Cognitivist and Therapeutic Interpretation of Late Stoic Value“ | “No Laughing Matter: Playfulness and a Good Life” | “Life in the Garden: Epicurus on Becoming Godlike” | “The Paradoxes of Cynicism” | “Happy People are Playful People” | “Quinean Naturalism without Quine: Using Virtue to Naturalize Ethics” | “How to Be a Stoic in Three Easy Steps” | “Monsters and Psychopaths: Noël Carroll’s Art-Horror and Cynthia Freeland’s Realist Horror” | “Virtue Ethics and Cultural Diversity: Objectivity, Eudaimonia, and the Virtues” | “Art Then and Now: The Public and Moral Roles of Art"