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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

109:51

#473 - Native America and First Peoples: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/02/12

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ken Feder about Native America and First Peoples. They talk about the various labels for Native Americans, land acknowledgements and Columbus Day. They discuss the earliest origin date for First Peoples coming to America, White Sands, human adaptations, diverse nation groups, infighting among nations, genocide and schools, and many more topics. Kenneth Feder is professor emeritus of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University. His books

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59:01

#472 - Consciousness and the Human Experience: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/02/08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christof Koch on the nature of consciousness. They talk about why consciousness is important to study, differences with subjective experiences and phenomenology, selfhood, thinking beyond interoceptive perceptions, and Cartesian dualism. They discuss panpsychism, neural correlates of consciousness, vision, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), psychedelics, the future of consciousness research, and many more topics. Christof Koch is a neuroscientist

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108:49

#471- Elites and Democracy: A dialogue with Hugo Drochon

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/02/05

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Hugo Drochon about elites and democracy. They discuss how elites always rule in democracies, why we need elites, dynamic democracy, social movements, distrust of elites, Nietzsche’s eternal return and circulation of elites, elites in non-democratic societies, and many more topics. Hugo Drochon is a political theorist and historian. He has his PhD from Cambridge and completed his postdoctoral fellowship there as well. He has also had fellowships at

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75:45

#470 - The Case for American Power: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/02/02

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Shadi Hamid about why American power is still needed. They discuss American power, American success globally, American idealism, democracy in the world, benevolent authoritarianism, future of American power, and many more topics. Shadi Hamid is a columnist at The Washington Post and a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. From 2023 to 2024, he served on the Post’s editorial board. Hamid is the author

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71:16

#469 - From Natural Philosophy to Modern Science: A...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/29

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Dear about the history of modern science from natural philosophy. They discuss natural philosophy and modern science, Newton and theology, different ways of doing science, pure and mixed mathematics, Linnaeus and taxonomy, German pedagogy for modern science, physics research, Lapace and the bell curve, Faraday, Darwin, Einstein, and many more topics. Peter Dear is professor emeritus of history at Cornell University. His books include

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66:47

#468 - How Progress Ends: A Dialogue with Carl...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Carl Benedikt Frey about technology and economics throughout history. They discuss why decentralized systems create an environment for innovation, Ancient China’s centralized efforts, Europe’s competitive state during the enlightenment, U.S. and decentralization, modern regulations, AI and our future, and many more topics.Carl-Benedikt Frey is the Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI & Work at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Fellow of

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88:53

#467 - McNamara At War: A Dialogue with William Taubman

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/22

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Taubman about the complex life and career of Robert McNamara. They provide an overview of McNamara, his upbringing, temperament, and evolution. They discuss his work with the Ford Motor Company, how he organized the Defense Department, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, World Bank, breaking his silence on Vietnam, and many more topics. William Taubman is the Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Amherst College. His book, Khrushchev:

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105:55

#466 - A Global History of Islam: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/19

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James McDougall about a global history of Islam. They discuss the global spread and diversity of Islam, Arabia before Muhammad, succession after Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, emphasis on law and doctrine within Islam, Hadiths, the Ottoman Empire and spread of Islam, Islamists, Islam in the 21st century, and many more topics. James McDougall has taught history at Princeton; the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; and

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62:41

#465 - Diogenes: The Original Cynic: A Dialogue with...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/15

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Inger Kuin about the philosopher Diogenes. They discuss the impact of Diogenes, his personal development, embodied philosophy, human reason, interactions with Plato, suffering, pleasure, desire, and how we apply his philosophy in the modern world. Inger N. I. Kuin is an associate professor of classics at the University of Virginia. Born in the Netherlands, she worked as a journalist before receiving an MA in philosophy from the University of

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62:38

#464 - Thought Experiments, Morals, and Effective...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/12

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Edmonds about thought experiments and effective altruism. They talk about the shallow pond, why thought experiments are important, the trolley problem, critiques of the shallow pond, effective altruism, charities, and many more topics. David Edmonds is a philosopher and author. He is Distinguished Research Fellow at Oxford University. His main interests are in moral philosophy and ethics. He is also the co-host (with Nigel Warburton) of the

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96:38

#463 - Remaking America's Constitution: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/04

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Akhil Reed Amar about the history of the U.S. Constitution from 1840-1920. They discuss America as an idea, Madison’s notes on the constitution, 3/5s rule, electoral college, slavery, Taney and Dred Scott ruling, Emancipation Proclamation, 13, 14, 15, and 19th amendments, and many more topics. Akhil Reed Amar is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University and the author of several books on constitutional law and history,

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70:25

#462 - 250 Years of the United States: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2026/01/01

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Bell about the American Revolution on the international stage. They discuss the American Revolution in a global context, Boston Tea Party, East India Tea Company, British citizens opinions of the American Revolution, and the Irish perspective of the American Revolution. They also talk about the Hessians, Native peoples during the American Revolution, French alliance, Spanish involvement, British loyalists, and many more topics. Richard Bell

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78:43

#461 - World Enemy #1: A Dialogue with Jochen Hellbeck

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/29

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jochen Hellbeck about Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the Jews. They discuss Soviet communism and anti-semitism as unified opposition for the Nazis, anti-communism fueling public agreement, western views of anti-communism and anti-semitism, and how this was given to the German public. They also talk about Hitler invading Poland, pivot to genocide, killing Eastern Europeans, how Germans were treated after the end of WWII, and many more topics

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91:49

#460 - What A Liberal Society Could Be: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/26

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alex Zakaras about liberalism. They discuss aiming for liberal values, defining liberalism, radical liberalism, libertarianism, freedom and choice, tyranny and autocracy, liberal pluralism, wage and labor exploitation, and many other topics. Alex Zakaras is professor of political science at the University of Vermont. He is the author of many books, including the most recent book, Freedom For All: What A Liberal Society Could Be. Get full access to

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75:14

#459 - Crick: A Dialogue with Matthew Cobb

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/22

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Matthew Cobb about the life and work of Francis Crick. They discuss his upbringing, influences, x-ray crystallography, discovering the double helix of DNA with Watson, reception of his discovery in academia and public, personal misadventures in the 1960s, pivot to brain and consciousness research, legacy of Crick, and many other topics. Matthew Cobb is a professor emeritus at the University of Manchester He earned his PhD in psychology and genetics

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52:22

#458 - A History of the DSM: A Dialogue with Allan...

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/19

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Allan Horwitz about a history of the DSM. They discuss the origins of the DSM, DSM I & II, DSM III and its big changes, DSM-V and its massive overhaul, the future of the DSM, and many other topics. Allan Horwitz is the Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books including, DSM: A

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64:54

#457 - Who Wins Wars?: A Dialogue with Phillips P....

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/15

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla. has a dialogue with Phillips O’Brien about war, peace, and power. They discuss the idea of great powers, why short, clinical wars do not really happen, size and population of countries, economics and materials, societal and structural elements for power, leadership, allies, and many more topics. Phillips Payson O’Brien is a professor of strategic studies and head of the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is a regular

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94:37

#456 - The Future of Space Exploration: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/08

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Caleb Scharf about the past and future dynamics of space exploration. They discuss astrobiology, why look for life in space, dispersal, how we got to the moon (and why we haven’t gone back?!), major obstacles for space travel, going to Mars, Jupiter, Venus, the Sun, the future of space exploration, and many more topics. Caleb Scharf received the 2022 Carl Sagan Medal while director of astrobiology at Columbia University and is currently the senior

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146:43

#455 - 2,000 Years of the Roman Empire: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/12/01

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Edward Watts about the 2,000 years of the Roman Empire. They provide an overview of the Roman Empire and the origins of the Romans, Greek influence and building institutions, Roman citizenship and identity, and the transition from Roman monarchy to Republic. They also talk about Cincinnatus, Carthage, transition from Republic to Empire, Marcus Aurelius, succession and Constantine, along with Christianity and rise of Islam. They also discuss

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58:38

#454 - A Global History of Capitalism: A Dialogue...

Converging Dialogues ·

2025/11/23

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sven Beckert about a global history of capitalism. They discuss how capitalism has always been global, positive and negative aspects of capitalism, origins and trading from a distance, capitalism within the state and in the countryside, slavery, working class, wealth and income inequality, capitalism in the 21st century, and many more topics. Sven Beckert is Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. His research and teaching center on

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473 results

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