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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

97:41

#134 - Origins of The Human Brain: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/05/05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Harris about the origins of the human brain. They discuss the evolutionary history of the brain, rise of the neuron, and genesis of the neural tube and neuroepithelium. They talk about the phylotypic stage, neural stem cells to neurons, and four cycles of the cell. They discuss the important neuron theory, contributions of Ramon y Cajal, and how neurons "wire up." They talk about growth cones, Sperry's theory of neural connections, cell

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63:21

#133 - The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/05/02

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kai Bird about Jimmy Carter. They discuss the context and environment of rural Georgia in the 1920s in which Carter was born. They talk about the impact of racism in his upbringing, importance of his Christian faith, and steady bond with his wife Rosalynn. They discuss his presidency and inflation and unemployment, Panama Canal, Camp David accords, and the Iran hostage situation. They also discuss why he did not get re-elected in 1980 and his

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107:58

#132 - The Evolution of Birds: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/29

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Douglas Futuyma about the evolution of birds. They discuss how evolutionary biology can be a very helpful lens to understand birds. They talk about the importance of the phylogenetic tree for birds, their genetics, and why variation in birds is so important. They explain the three important questions for evolution, speciation, developmental life cycles, social lives of birds, and many more topics.Douglas Futuyma is Distinguished Professor Emeritus

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96:34

#131- Citizens: A Better Future: A Dialogue with Jon...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/25

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jon Alexander about a citizens story for humanity. They begin by talking about the consumer's story, how reciprocity and interdependence work in a citizens story, and how one sees the subject, consumer, and citizen story in a our present society. They talk about Taiwan as a case study of the citizen model and where populism fits into the citizen story. They discuss whether institutional reform is possible, practical features, and many other

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108:24

#130 - Undoing Bias: A Dialogue with Christia Spears...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/21

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christia Spears Brown about the various aspects of bias. They give a definition and overview of bias in our current society. They question whether bias can be positive and some of the human differences in the reception of bias. They talk about implicit vs. explicit bias and provide a history of institutional bias. They discuss how bias shows up in schools and Title IX expansion. They talk about girls in STEM programs, progress and needed work with

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109:32

#129 - The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/18

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Riley Black about the last days of the dinosaurs. They discuss what life on earth was like with dinosaurs being very prominent and so successful in diversifying. They mention the importance of fossils for understanding dinosaurs. They discuss the asteroid and its impact on the earth. They talk about the animals that survived after the asteroid and how earth survived post-impact. They discuss how plants showed subsistence on the post-impact earth

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71:00

#128 - Immigration In The 21st Century: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/14

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nancy Foner about immigration and some of the current data on immigration in the 21st century. They provide and overview of current immigration data, discuss the more recent waves of immigration and why the 1965 immigration bill was very important. They discuss the current racial composition of the United States, culture change, and immigrants positive influence on school, economy, and within communities. They also talk about the role of politics,

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61:20

#127 - The Philosophy of Baruch Spinoza: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/11

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Steven Nadler about the philosophy of Spinoza. They discuss Spinoza's definition of god and the connection with nature. They talk about how humans are included within nature and the role of free will. They discuss Spinoza's moral philosophy, humans move towards preservation, and how Spinoza defines the free person. They also talk about how Spinoza views the emotions, honesty, and how to live the good life. Steven Nadler is the Vilas Research

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64:17

#126 - Dogs Without Humans: A Dialogue with Jessica...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff about a canine future without humans. They talk about how dogs could potentially survive and evolve in a post-human world. They mention the difference between breeds vs. individualized dogs, generations of dogs post-human, and how dogs have evolved with humans thus far. They also talk about features of dogs in a post-human world, skull morphology, ethics, and how people can treat dogs better in the present. Jessica

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105:48

#125 - A Geological History of The Earth: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/04/04

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Andrew Knoll about the geological history of the earth. They discuss how light, gravity, dark energy, and dark matter explain the early origins of the universe and earth. They also talk about the various layers of the earth, zircons, tectonic plates, and how one defines life. They also talk about how geology can assist in telling the time of earth, why the geologic timescale is important, and the early Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. They also talk

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89:33

#124 - Living In the Grey with Neurodiversity: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/31

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jenara Nerenberg about the complexities of neurodiversity. They begin by defining neurodiversity and highly sensitive people. They also talk about Jenara's critiques of psychiatry and psychology, specifically the diagnostic process. They discuss the curious evolution of diagnoses and the grey areas where people have challenges but not a full diagnosis. They also talk about the difference between diagnosis and treatment and many other topics. Jenara

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98:48

#123 - The Process of Animal Domestication: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/28

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra about animal domestication. They define domestication and how it is a process. They talk about niche construction and the three pathways of domestication. They mention the impact of agriculture, wild and semi-domestication, hybridization and adaptive radiation, as well as the impact of globalization and urbanization. They discuss the ethics of domestication, evolutionary developmental biology, morphological variation and

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126:15

#122 - Virtues and Limits: A Dialogue with David...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/24

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David McPherson about the virtues of limits. They discuss the six limiting virtues and 4 limits. They discuss the origins of virtues and the two stances of these virtues. They talk about the difference between virtues and values and the importance of worldviews. They also discuss various opinions about Nietzsche's ideas on values and engage about authenticity, political and economic limits, healthy nationalism, and many other topics.David McPherson

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188:15

#121 - Unifying the Bayesian Brain Model and Free...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/21

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a discussion with Karl Friston about the Free Energy Principle, Bayesian Brain, and many neurobiological principles. They give an overview of the history of the models of the brain and discuss the evolutionary components of the brain. They also mention how important executive functioning and abstraction are for various organisms. They give an overview of the Bayesian brain, discuss predictive coding, and the two classes of neurons for prediction and prediction

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244:58

#120 - Is Psychology A Failing Science?: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/19

In this special episode, Xavier Bonilla has an extended and wide ranging discussion about emotions, current state of psychology, and sexuality. They discuss emotions and their function, expression of emotions, fear as a spectrum and instinctual vs. learned fear. They discuss the history of substance abuse and challenges with the American Psychological Association (APA) such as their reduction in scientific rigor and focus on activism. They discuss APA's recent guidelines and their shift to social

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103:28

#119 - The Communication of Whales: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Mel Cosentino about whales, their behavior and their communication. They give an overview of the taxonomy of whales, interactions between porpoises and orcas, and how whales communicate. They talk about memory and executive functioning in whales, how humans can understand how they communicate, and the environment in which they reside. They also talk about the impact of climate change, science communication, and many other topics. Mel Cosentino has

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77:43

#118 - The Origins of The East India Company (1/4): A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/14

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Dalrymple about the origins of the East India Company (EIC). They start by discussing his quartet of books on the EIC and his motivations for writing this history. They talk about the origins of the EIC, what was traded, and the large influence the company had in India. They discuss how the EIC went from trading to overthrowing the Mughal empire and ruling India. They also discuss how the EIC dealt with famine and became semi-nationalized,

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150:13

#117 - Cooperation and The Social Lives of Animals: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/10

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ashley Ward about cooperation and the social lives of various animals. They talk about the importance of krill and how they cooperate, locusts and their exchange of serotonin, and the social lives of roaches. They also talk about inclusive fitness with bees, ant colonies, social connection of birds, and the adaptive flexibility of rats. They also discuss animal domestication and the ethics of farmed animals. They talk about the social hierarchy of

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84:15

#116 - John F. Kennedy: The Formation of An American...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Fredrik Logevall about the early life of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. They discuss why JFK's story is important for telling America's story. They mention the Irish immigrants that came to the United States and how his family gravitated to politics shortly after their immigration from Ireland. They provide the familial, national, and global backdrop for Jack along with the major characteristics of his psychological

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83:41

#115 - Should We Care About the Culture Wars?: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/03/03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Meghan Daum about various aspects of culture and society. They discuss how the focus in society is about many cultural challenges. They talk about generational and technological shifts and the impact of fear and loneliness. They mention the new thought leaders, the ethics of podcasting, and much more. Meghan Daum is an author and podcaster who has previously been an op-ed columnist for the The Los Angeles Times. She is the recipient of the 2015

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