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PODCAST

Converging Dialogues

Converging Dialogues

Converging Dialogues is a podcast that is designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thoughts and opinions. Wide-ranging topics include philosophy, psychology, politics, and social commentary. A spirit of civility, respect, and open-mindedness is the guiding compass. convergingdialogues.substack.com

science social sciences

All Episodes

100:42

#166 - Infant Cognition and Plants: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/10/07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Annie Wertz about her research on infant cognition and the interactions with plants. They discuss her background and how she came to study infant cognition and plants. They discuss infant development and cognition including object permanence, theory of mind, and various cognitive domains. They also talk about different types of plants such as toxic vs. non-toxic plants. They discuss the co-evolution of plants with humans and how infants can

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113:14

#165 - Platypus, Echidna, and The Magnificent Mammals...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/10/02

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jack Ashby about the wonderful mammals of Australia. They talk about the distinctions between monotremes, marsupials, and placentals and where they are located around the world. They mention the ways in which the rest of the world discusses Australian mammals. They describe the features of the platypus, along with their mating and reproduction characteristics. They also talk about the features of the echidna including the males four-headed penis

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101:17

#164 - A Natural History of The Red Planet: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/29

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Simon Morden about the natural history of Mars. They talk about the current data concerning Mars, origins of the universe and how Mars formed. They talk about the importance of the great dichotomy, features of Mars during the pre-Noachian period, and the 2 moons of Mars. They discuss the Noachian period and how water was on Mars. They talk about the change of climate and atmosphere in the Hesperian period, rust and how Mars became red, the

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45:24

#163 - The Power of Our Influence: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/25

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Vanessa Bohns about her research on influence. They define influence and how it has a reciprocal nature. They discuss who we are influenced by and what are the social norms for influence. They talk about why it is hard to make requests and hard to say no. They mention the negative aspects of influence, influence in dating and romantic relationships, the role of power with influence, and many other topics.Vanessa Bohns is a social psychologist and

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76:40

#162 - Expansionism and Tariffs: The Presidency of...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/21

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robert W. Merry about the life and presidency of William McKinley. They discuss the character and temperament of McKinley, his Ohio upbringing, impact of the Civil War, and why tariffs were a huge part of his policies. They talk about the brilliance of the 1896 election and his vision for his 1st term focusing on economic prosperity. They discuss the annexation of Hawaii, the Spanish-American war, and how he managed the Philippines acquisition

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88:02

#161- The State of Our Culture: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/19

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Deresiewicz about wokeness, academia, generational shifts, and the state of our culture. They talk about where one should place their energy and attention to events in society. They talk about how serious wokeness is and the misadventures of the extreme left in academia. They mention how society should progress towards balance, reforming/creating institutions, and the role of the internet and social media. They also talk about the various

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112:50

#160 - Iron Will: The Presidency of Grover Cleveland:...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/15

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Troy Senik about the life and presidency of Grover Cleveland. They discuss how one defines a successful president and why this is important to consider when evaluating a presidential legacy. They talk about the philosophy and worldview in which Grover Cleveland governed, his temperament and contextual background, his absence from the civil war, and his time as mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. They spend time discussing the case of Maria

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92:41

#159 - Our Need to Belong: A Dialogue with Geoffrey...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/12

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Geoffrey Cohen about the science around the concept of belonging. They discuss Kurt Lewin's work on social psychology, specifically on his idea of situation building and the importance of the environment. They talk about the individual vs. collective dichotomy, five vital resources, belonging uncertainty, and belonging with identity. They also discuss us vs. them, interpersonal dynamics and perception, the negative side of belonging and fundamental

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124:56

#158 - Ancient Brains, Modern Times: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Douglas Kenrick and David Lundberg-Kenrick about the evolutionary adaptations of the human body and brain. They discuss their pyramid of needs being rooted in evolution and juxtaposing it with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They talk about evolution mismatches and tradeoffs and the values of behaviorism for adaptive change. They discuss tribalism, friendships, prestige/dominance, romantic relationships, family, and many other topics. Douglas Kenrick

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149:33

#157 - An Evolutionary Framework for Depression: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ed Hagen about evolution, mental disorders such as depression, and suicidality. They begin talking about the power of evolution, providing a defense of evolutionary psychology and the evolutionary history of humans. They discuss the evolutionary model for mental health disorders, the clinical taxonomy of the DSM-5, and defining depression. They provide some criticism of the new prolonged grief disorder, discuss the epidemiological data on

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83:13

#156 - The Embodied Mind: A Dialogue with Thomas R....

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/09/01

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Thomas R. Verny about his work on the embodied mind. They discuss Thomas' background and motivation for writing his most recent book and how the embodied mind is an extended mind. They discuss the importance of the gut microbiome and the enteric nervous system. They talk about the vagus nerve, epigenetics, and stem cells and CRISPR. They also provided details on regeneration, hibernation, and metamorphosis using the example of the Planarian

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81:38

#155 - The Human Blueprint For A Good Society: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/08/28

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Christakis about cooperation, social networks, and tribalism. They discuss how humans are more cooperative and have a propensity for good than many people emphasize. They talk about the social suite and examples of unintentional, intentional, and artificial communities. They discuss positive and negative aspects of cooperation, punishment, and social networks. They discuss friendship, in-group tribalism, social learning, teaching, and

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52:47

#154 - Eating Someone: Animal Ethics and...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/08/14

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lori Marino about the ethics of eating animals and whether they have conscious states. They define intelligence in non-human animals and discuss the brains of whales and how they communicate. They discuss consciousness in animals and how humans can ethically cohabitate with animals. They talk about how domesticated animals, including farmed animals, have sentience, personality, and consciousness. They also talk about the ethics of eating animals

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104:29

#153 - Authenticity and Feminism with Simone de...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/08/07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Skye Cleary on authenticity and the feminism of Simone de Beauvoir. They define authenticity, discuss existence before essence, and dialogue on the "other" and subjectivity. They talk about de Beauvoir's mystifications and how to define what is a woman? They discuss roles, progress for women, and women's health. They also discuss de Beauvoir on friendship, love and marriage, motherhood, narcissism, and why rebellion is necessary. Skye Cleary is a

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141:20

#152 - The Complexities of Gender and Gender...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/07/31

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla moderates a dialogue between Patrick Lockwood and Colin Wright on gender and sexuality. They begin by defining biological sex and defining gender. They spend some time discussing the various complexities around gender dysphoria and they discuss the idea of being born in the wrong body. They end the dialogue by emphasizing how to have honest and compassionate conversations about sex and gender. Patrick Lockwood is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. He

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71:07

#151- A Hidden Human Species?: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/07/25

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gregory Forth about the search for a hidden human species. They discuss his background working in Indonesia, an overview of different species of humans, and where the "ape-men" fit into the broader picture. They talk about the environment on Flores, Indonesia and the characteristics of the Lio people who are the primary eyewitnesses. They give a profile of the ape-men, discuss the role of myths and legends, and give specific details of the

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100:23

#150 - The Multiple Configurations of Gender: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/07/17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Will Beischel about the most recent research on gender. They discuss their background for studying sex and gender and then provide an exhaustive analysis of the sex configuration theory. This theory includes understanding sexual orientation and its broader horizon along with three aspects including gender, sex, and gender/sex. They talk about how the social environment interacts with testosterone and power, interactions with others and some of the

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242:18

#149 -Female Intrasexual Competition, Attractiveness...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/07/10

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a wide-ranging dialogue with Tania Reynolds about her research on female intrasexual competition, attractiveness privilege, and free speech. They provide a sexual selection overview such as preferences for mate choice. They talk about sexual selection for cooperation, heritability in mate preferences, and the aspect of female mate choice. They discuss monogamy and polygamy in mate choice, evolutionary and moral features of attraction, and an emphasis on youth

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112:29

#148 - Method Acting: The Most Misunderstood System...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/07/03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Isaac Butler about the history of method acting in the 20th century. They discuss who was Stanislavski and how he started his theater studio and system. They discuss the impact of Tolstoy and Chekhov on Stanislavksi. They explain the expansion of the method globally and how Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler became involved with the method. They talk about the differences between the system and the method and what is composed of the Method. They

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93:52

#147 - Game Theory and Human Behavior: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/06/26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Moshe Hoffman and Erez Yoeli on game theory and how this can be used to understand human behavior. They define game theory, discuss how primary and secondary rewards can be used, and explain Nash equilibrium and hawk-dove theory. They discuss the importance of signals and the costly signaling model, signals with different audiences, and how evidence and persuasion are spun differently. They also discuss the prisoners dilemma, altruism, cooperation,

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466 results

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