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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

74:41

#111 - Are We Evolved to Exercise?: A Dialogue With...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/02/14

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daniel Lieberman about the evolutionary history of exercise. They discuss why evolution and adaptation are important to understand the human body, use of energy, myths of sitting, and how much sleep do we really need. They talk about why speed and endurance are important for humans, aggression, walking and running, the active grandparent hypothesis, and many other topics. Daniel Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist and is a Professor in the

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89:13

#110 - The Power of Convergent Evolution: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/02/10

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jonathan Losos about convergent evolution. They begin by defining convergent evolution and what the role of the environment is for convergent evolution. They discuss the importance of phenotypes and behaviors, speciation, and adaptive radiation. They mention how evolution can work fast using examples from nature. They also talk about evolution in the lab, the LTEE, and E. Coli. They also discuss the future of evolution, life on other planets, and

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116:44

#109 - Genetic History of the Americas: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/02/07

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jennifer Raff about the genetic history of the Americas. They discuss why respect and care for the histories and cultures of indigenous groups should be respected when doing research. They talk about the Clovis peoples, diversification of early people groups, and coastal migration. They outline the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas, Indigenous groups in Latin America, and past and present Inuit peoples. They discuss the ethics of genetics

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217:19

#108 - Structural Figures of Continental Philosophy:...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/02/03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a discussion with John Macready about many figures and concepts in continental philosophy. They begin the conversation by talking about the two camps of analytic and continental philosophy. They talk about Plato and his conception of reality, allegory of the cave, and the logos. They discuss Descartes' methodology, cogito, and free will. They mention Hume and his epistemology, sentiments, free will, and racial naturalism. They discuss Kant and his concepts of

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118:12

#107 - Biophysics of the Living World: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/31

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Raghuveer Parthasarathy about four basic principles of the living world. They define what is the hybrid discipline of biophysics and why he chose the four physical laws he lays out in his book. They discuss the mechanics of self-assembly, regulatory circuits, browning motion, predictive randomness, and scale. They provide an overview of genes and discuss sheaths, helices, histones and how they contribute to humans genetic makeup. They also discuss

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125:12

#106 - The Interconnectedness of Scale: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/23

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Geoffrey West about scale and sustainability. They begin by discussing scale and how it is typically defined. They give an overview of the major relevant scaling laws including the logarithmic scale. They discuss the importance of metabolic rate and the magic number four. They talk about growth and scale and how these concepts are applied with aging along with the role of temperature on metabolism. They discuss fractals and how they work with scale

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111:56

#105 - Are Humans Evolved for Cooperation and...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/17

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Michael McCullough on cooperation and kindness with humans. They discuss his professional background and why he wrote his most recent book along with how one can understand kindness and cooperation. They discuss the four instincts of care, reciprocity, judgments, intentions, and character evaluation. They also discuss a taxonomy of emotions, compassion, empathy, and other emotions. They talk about the axial age and development of the golden rule

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65:34

#104 - Four Women Who Revolutionized Ethics: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Benjamin Lipscomb about four women philosophers in the early 20th century who revolutionized ethical studies. They discuss how he came to write this book and how these four women came to know each other and discuss ethics. They talk about how facts and values are different and the towering presence of Aristotle's philosophy. They describe the environment of Oxford in the 1920s and how much misogyny and sexism played a part in academia during this

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62:23

#103 - The Horde: Genius of the Mongols: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/10

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Marie Favereau about the Horde and the Mongol empire. They discuss the Horde and the distinction between the Mongol empire and Mongol exchange. They talk about common misconceptions of the Mongols and the legacy and impact of the powerful figure in Chinggis Khan. They discuss the golden lineage and how the Mongols continued to be very organized after the death of Chinggis Khan with the hierarchy of the blue and white horde. They explain the concept

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103:59

#102 - Genes, Moods, and the Self: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/06

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Bill Sullivan about genes and how they impact various aspects of humanity. They define genes and DNA and the roles of genes within the environment. They also discuss the complicated dynamics of epigenetics. They talk about the genetics of taste and caffeine and how some genes are implicated in addictions to various substances. They also talk about the genetics of appetite and the gut microbiome, emotional states, and beliefs. They also discuss

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101:59

#101 - From Darwin to Derrida: A Dialogue with David...

Converging Dialogues ·

2022/01/03

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Haig about evolution, causes, and the meaning of life. They discuss how bits of matter can help us understand purpose and value. They talk about the four causes of Aristotle, adaptation, group selection vs. cooperation, and the three types of genes. They discuss replicators and vehicles, types and tokens, memes, and the extended phenotype. They mention the gene selection network, instinct, using biology for understanding meaning, various

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114:30

#100 - In the Shadow of Vietnam: A Dialogue with Mark...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/30

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Mark Atwood Lawrence about the foreign policy of the United States in the 1960s. They discuss why his book focuses on other foreign policy elements outside of Vietnam during the 1960s. They mention the political opinions of communism, how lower officials managed day-to-day foreign affairs, and why he used the term “third world.” They talk about the transition from Eisenhower to Kennedy and the style of governance that Kennedy used for foreign

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65:36

#99 - Time of the Magicians: A Dialogue with Wolfram...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/28

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Wolfram Eilenberger about four German philosophers at the turn of the 20th century. They focus on the central theme of whether one can separate the ideas from the biography of a person. They talk about the embodied view vs. the pursuit of eternal truths. They discuss how institutional changes have impacted philosophy in the modern era. They mention the challenges of analytic philosophy and why the four philosophers in his book do not focus on

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89:24

#98 - Puzzling Wonders of Evolution: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/23

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kenneth Catania about various animals that are outliers for evolution. They discuss how evolution helps understand these animals that are outliers. They talk about the anatomy and features of the star-nosed moles. They mention the importance of the neocortex in moles and shrews. They discuss the fascinating features of the tentacled snake and the electric eel along with the "zombie" effect the female jewel wasp conducts and many other

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112:18

#97 - The Neuroscience of Psychotherapeutic Change: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/20

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Lane about the neuroscience of psychotherapy and enduring change. They give an overview of how the neuroscience of psychotherapy can impact enduring change. They provide an overview of memory and the integrated memory model. They mention experiences outside of memory and the three types of unconscious memory along with the cognitive map model. They discuss emotion focused therapy, defining emotion, the social constructivist model, and many

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131:53

#96 - The Complicated Utility of Anger and Shame: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/16

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Owen Flanagan about emotions, specifically the emotions of anger and shame. They discuss a definition of emotion and the distinction between feelings and affect. They discuss how emotions are active and whether one can choose their emotions. They dialogue about the social constructivist model of emotions and some of the critiques. They define anger and distinguish between different types of anger. They talk about why pain-passing and payback anger

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115:37

#95 - The History of Human Emotions: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/13

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Firth-Godbehere about the history of human emotions. They provide a definition of emotion and how it is different from affect and feelings. They explain emotional regimes, communities, and scripts. They talk about how the Greeks understood emotions and some of the differences between positive and negative emotions. They discuss the system of desire developed by the Hindus in India and the distinction between desire and disgust. They also

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157:27

#94 - The Neuroscientific and Philosophical Landscape...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/09

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Stuart Shanker about the neuroscience and philosophical underpinnings of self-regulation. They discuss his clinical and research background in working with children and why he emphasizes a just society with self-reg. They discuss the 5-step method of self-reg and why stress management is important. They talk about infant development and the "4th trimester." They expound upon the evolutionary development of the triune brain and the current critiques

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86:55

#93 - 500 Million Years of Cephalopods: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/06

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Danna Staaf about the history of cephalopods. They discuss the taxonomy of cephalopods and some of their anatomical features. They talk about how scientists understand cephalopods from the fossil record. They discuss the genesis of cephalopods and their first common ancestor along with the three sub-categories: ammonoids, coleoids, and nautiloids. They explain the importance of ammonoids, their shell, and how it became internalized. They mention

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61:36

#92 - Is There A Way Out of Toxic Polarization?: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2021/12/02

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Coleman regarding toxic polarization in society. They define toxic polarization and what makes the current moment unique from other moments in social history. They talk about in-group/out-group dynamics and why dialogue is essential. They discuss attractors and the importance of Kurt Lewin's field theory. Peter explains his five-factor model of the way out (reset, bolster, complexity, movement, and adaptation) and how we can use complexities

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451 results

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