Christian Culak is a moral philosopher concurrently lecturing at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not corrupting the youth in academia, he’s corrupting musical genres with his personal music project.
What are you working on right now?
Currently I’m working on a virtue ethics approach to the issue of whether examples of moral badness should be allowed in machine learning with artificial moral agents. Motivating the side that we should do so is of special interest to me, with a focus on actions that are not wrong yet worse than morally indifferent.
What do you like to do outside work?
Music! Since 2013, I’ve had a DIY solo musical project called Culak. It’s mostly metal but aimed at conveying multifaceted experiences, which leads me to incorporate instruments that are unconventional to traditional metal like violin, synthesizer, piano, choir, and organ. One or two albums are released each year. There are 20 so far with the next fully written in pre-production.
Strength training is also a hobby of mine. This just has practical aims; it makes regular tasks like carrying groceries and doing yard work easy. Plus, exercising the will to push further becomes habitual after a while, which becomes habitual when pushing through academic projects, too!
How do you manage both musical and academic projects?
Every project is composite. Each paper consists of sections, which consist of paragraphs, which consist of arguments, which consist of ideas, which consist of words. Each music album consists of songs, which consist of sections, which consist of melodies or chords, which consist of notes. No matter which, you can only write a word or a note at a time. Any progress is good progress. Much of the time, little progress is all there can be. Do this every day, and before you know it, you’ll have a paper or a song… or both!
What advice do you have for PhD students?
Three things. First, don’t put things off. With funding cuts to philosophy programs these days, departments cannot afford to keep PhD students longer than guaranteed. Some students spend half a decade working towards their PhD just to be asked to leave during their ABD phase. Whatever you need to do, figure out a way to get it done. Sometimes life happens and academia must be put on hold. But making a little progress on projects every normal day prevents bad days from getting in the way.
Second, do the job you want before you have it. Having a PhD doesn’t make you competitive. Want a research position? Present at conferences or to departments, get published individually or as a co-author, review new books. Want a teaching position? Assist with teaching needs as much as you can handle, acquire teaching certifications, participate in teaching efficacy workshops, and with the wisdom acquired from them receive superb student evaluations. Do this before graduating. This not only makes you competitive on the job market but also allows you to master the job you want before you have it.
Third, don’t forget the rest of your life. I don’t mean the years to come but everything else that matters now outside of grad school. Academia endlessly demands our time, attention, and energy. There are always articles to read, papers to write, lectures to prepare, assignments to grade, conferences to attend, and emails to reply to. One of the biggest complaints about grad school is one of its greatest feats: Too much to do with too little time. It forces you to learn how to prioritize your academic and non-academic life. Make time for those you care about, for your hobbies, or even for just sitting in restful silence away from the noise of the world around you.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest, not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form.
Jessica Castellani
Jessica Castellani had a unique high school experience attending Toledo School for the Arts, where she played in a percussion ensemble and steel drum band for six years. She earned her dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Toledo. Her primary focus was “the Self” and the mystical experience of losing it. She earned her Master of Arts in Philosophy from The University of Toledo as well, with a specialization in comparative philosophy, Eastern studies, and continental philosophy. She has taught World Religions and Introduction to Philosophy at The University of Toledo both in person and virtually. She is a member of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo, tutors students, and has worked in the service industry for over a decade. In her free time, she likes to spend time outside and with her pets, friends, and family.
