Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Heather about the spread of Christianity. They discuss how the spread of Christianity is a story of conversion, the religious landscape at the end of the Roman empire, and the four phases of Constantine’s conversion. They talk about the essential aspects of the Council of Nicea, Augustine’s legacy, and Homoean Christianity. They also discuss the arrival of Islam in the 5th Century, the spread of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon world, Charlemagne and the papacy, and the Great Schism of 1054. They also talk about the Crusades, Christianity’s spread, and many more topics. Peter Heather is a historian of Medieval history and Late Roman Empire. He is Professor and Chair of Medieval History at King’s College, London. His primary interests are in the later Roman Empire and is published on the Goth and Visgoth kingdoms of the Medieval period. He has written numerous books including the most recent, Christendom: The Triumph of A Religion-A.D. 300-1300. You can find his work here. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Eckart Frahm about the Assyrian Empire. They give an overview of the various Assyrian periods, discuss the importance of the “fertile crescent,” and talk about the impact of language in Assyria. They talk about the importance of Ashur as a god and as a city, the initial rulers in the old Assyrian period, the middle Assyrian period, and the distinctions between Assyrian and Babylon. They also discuss the fall of Nineveh, Biblical accounts of the Assyrian empire, the second destruction of Assyrian artifacts by ISIS, and many other topics. Eckart Frahm is Professor of Assyriology in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department at Yale University. He is one of the world’s leading expert on the Assyrian Empire. He has written or co-written over six books including the most recent book, Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Charles Freeman about the history of intellectualism in the West. They discuss the preservation of texts after the fall of the Roman Empire, Charlemagne and his interactions with the Papacy, the importance of Augustine on Western thought, and the Great Schism of 1054. They also talk about rationality in the Middle Ages, impact of Islam, importance of Thomas Aquinas incorporating Greek philosophy into Christian theology, and the rise of Humanism. They also discuss impact of colonialism and conversion, the Reformation and the figures of Calvin and Luther, the reopening of the Western mind, and many more topics. Charles Freeman is an independent historian and author. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has written over half a dozen books. He has wide spanning interests in the history of European culture and thought. He is the author of the last book, The Reopening of The Western Mind. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ashley Ward about the senses and understanding our world. They define what a “sense” is and why we focus on the five senses. They question whether we can know reality outside of our senses and discuss the complexity of the human eye and how they human eye is different from other eyes. They talk about the role of beauty and aesthetics, impact of sound and music, taste and how it evolves over time, smell, the importance of touch, and many other topics. Ashley Ward is a biologist and professor of animal behavior in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Sydney. He studies a wide range of animals and researches learning, communication, and decision-making in many animals. He is the author of the book, The Social Lives of Animals, and the most recent book, Where We Meet The World. You can find his work here and here. Twitter: @ashleyjwward Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Bart Ehrman about armageddon and the apocalypse as detailed in the Bible. They discuss why many people have a fascination with the end times and many of the things detailed in the book of Revelation. They talk about the role of interpretation, various views of the tribulation, and where the idea of the rapture originated. They discuss the importance of genre in the Bible, the historical view of Revelation, negative messaging of Revelation, and many more topics. Bart Ehrman is James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has both his M. Div and PhD from Princeton University. He has served as President of the Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical literature and chair of the New Testament textual criticism section of the Society. He has served as associate editor for the Journal of Early Christian Studies, book review editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, and editor of the monograph series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers (Scholars Press). He currently serves as co-editor of the series New Testament Tools, Studies, and Documents (E. J. Brill), co-editor-in-chief for the international journal of early Christian studies, Vigiliae Christianae, and area editor (early Christianity) for the Encyclopedia of Ancient History. An expert on the New Testament and the history of Early Christianity, has written or edited thirty books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews. He is the author of numerous books including his new book, Armageddon. Website: https://www.bartehrman.com/Blog: https://ehrmanblog.org/Twitter: @bartehrman Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a discussion with Judith Herman about trauma and justice. They discuss how her new book on trauma is connected to her previous book on trauma. They define trauma and its potential overuse, role of dominance and submission before violence in intimate partner violence (IPV), and the role of patriarchy in our society. They talk about modern feminism working for trauma work, acknowledgement, apology, and forgiveness in trauma work, and restorative justice. They also talk about resilience, exposure therapy, and many other topics. Judith Herman is the clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of Training at the Victims of Violence Program at Cambridge Hospital. She obtained her MD from Harvard Medical School. She has received numerous honors such as a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, a Bunting Institute fellowship at Radcliffe, a Manfred S. Guttmacher Award from the American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, and a Women in Science Award from the American Medical Women’s Association. She is the author of three books including the classic, Trauma and Recovery and her latest book, Truth and Repair. You can find her work here. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Simon Baron-Cohen about various components of autism. They define autism, discuss the systematizing mechanism and the if-and-then logic, and talk about the empathy circuit. They discuss how the systematizing quotient (SQ) and the empathy quotient (EQ) correspond with research on Big-5 personality and intelligence research. They mention some of the sex differences between between the SQ and EQ, evolutionary elements of invention, autism in present times, and many other topics.Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry University of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is Director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, which he set up in 1997. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the American Psychological Association. He is Vice-President of the National Autistic Society, and was President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR, 2017-19). He was Chair of the NICE Guideline Development Group for Autism (Adults) and was Chair of the Psychology Section of the British Academy. He is coeditor in chief of the journal Molecular Autism which has the highest impact factor of all autism research journals. He received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honors List 2021. He has published over 700 peer reviewed scientific articles, which have made contributions to many aspects of autism research. He is also the author of five books including the most recent, The Pattern Seekers. You can find his work at his website. Twitter: @sbaroncohen Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paul Bloom about major themes in psychology. They discuss how he wrote his latest book, Psych, and some of the origins of the book. They talk about dualism and understanding the brain, consciousness, and why we should still study Freud. They also discuss Piaget’s contributions to psychology, how serious is the replication crisis, core personality, the future of psychology and many more topics. Paul Bloom is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. Paul's interests are on morality, pleasure, and development. He is the past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and co-editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. He is the author of numerous books such as Against Empathy, The Sweet Spot, and his latest book, Psych, which you can purchase here. You can find much of his research and writing at his website. Twitter: @paulbloomatyale. Bonus: Make sure you read Nicole’s fantastic review below and subscribe to her excellent Bookmarked Reads📚. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Dirks about science communication and various issues in academia. They discuss his background as chancellor and dean of various academic institutions, problems and solutions for higher education, and why liberal arts are still needed. They also cover free speech and culture wars issues, COVID-19, science communication, and many other topics. Nicholas Dirks is President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences. He was the 10th Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley and was also Dean of faculty at Columbia University. He has a background in history and anthropology and has written numerous books. You can find his work here. Twitter: @nickdirks Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lindsay Chervinsky about death and mourning of U.S. Presidents. They discuss how the book came about and how certain essays were chosen for the volume. They talk about the themes of race, political party, and family. They discuss the ideas of legacy, and how U.S. presidential funerals compare with other global heads of state. They talk about Washington and his private funeral, Jefferson and his descendants, Taylor and his mixed legacy, and the global impact of Lincoln. They also discuss Theodore Roosevelt through a current lens, generational impact of FDR and JFK, the long goodbye of Reagan, the bipartisan mourning of H.W. Bush, and many other topics. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a historian, author, and speaker. She obtained her PhD in history from the University of California, Davis and is a fellow at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. She has also been a professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University. She is the author of The Cabinet: George Washington and The Creation of An American Institution and co-editor (with Matthew R. Costello) of Mourning The Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. You can find her work at her website and on her substack, Imperfect Union. Twitter: @lmchervinsky Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe