Philosophy Faculty Profile: Dr. Glenn “Boomer” Trujillo

Apparently, Stoicism sucks. 

Or at least, that’s what beloved Professor Glenn “Boomer” Trujillo argues in a paper that has been downloaded over 1600 times from philpapers.org. Boomer’s paper, “Stoicism Sucks: How Stoicism Undervalues Good Things and Exploits Vulnerable People,” takes aim at the question of why major Stoic works such as Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations and Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic remain at the top of the philosophical charts after 2000 years. He worries that Stoicism has been coopted and twisted into “Broici$m” – a self-help guide for Silicon Valley bros and those who aspire to be like them. But why? Unlike some scholars, who defend the Stoics against what they see as a modern-day distortion, Boomer suggests that the Stoics deserve what they get. By denying that genuinely good things, including our loved ones and our life goals, are really good – they are at best “preferred indifferents” – Stoics fail to take seriously the external goods that make lives go well. As he puts it, “Stoicism’s commodification, bro-ification, and dilution are the direct results of the philosophy, not mere accidents or improbable contingencies.” 

This paper, a shot across the bow of contemporary scholars aiming to capitalize – literally – on Stoicism’s enduring popularity, displays Boomer’s trademark combination of deep learning, careful and creative thinking, and approachable humor, which makes him both a superb philosophical writer and a master teacher. In the best sense, Boomer takes his work seriously but himself a little bit unseriously. The result: Boomer is one of the most popular teachers on campus. 

Boomer arrived at UofL fresh out of his PhD program at Vanderbilt in the fall of 2019. Everything seemed so normal at the time. But then, in just his second semester, Covid descended, and the entire University went online. More than most of his colleagues, Boomer was well prepared for that transition, and began broadcasting accessible lectures on YouTube, including the timely and profound “How to Endure: Three Philosophical Traditions,” which spoke directly to all of our situations in quarantine as we coped with the unknown. 

Boomer remained at UofL, teaching undergraduate courses on Ancient Philosophy, Sex & Values, Contemporary Moral Problems, and graduate courses on Health Care Ethics, until 2022, when he moved back to his home state of Texas to teach at the University of Texas – El Paso. While at UTEP Boomer published his first book, the fantastic The Virtue of Playfulness. For those who won’t have the chance to read it, Boomer provided a series of YouTube videos narrating the book chapter by chapter. You can listen while you drive or walk! 

Louisville Philosophy scored a major “W” in 2024 when Boomer decided to return from El Paso. He fit right back in as a valued member of the faculty and a beloved teacher and mentor to his students, adding to his repertoire courses in Critical Thinking and in the Philosophy of Race & Racism. In the spring of 2025 he supported the International Service Learning Program’s trip to Greece by offering the students a special topics course on “Justice in Greece and Rome.” It was no surprise, then, that in May 2025 Boomer’s students recognized him as a Student Champion – a term that suits no faculty member more so than Boomer Trujillo.