Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jean Twenge about the current generations in our society. They discuss how we define generations and why its important, technological changes being central to generational changes, and the ranges of generations. They talk about upcoming trends for Polars/alphas, Gen Z and the connection between increased mental health with increased social media use, and the changing social, economic, and educational dynamics with Millennials. They discuss Gen X as the middle child of generations and their emphasis on toughness, Boomers centrality and the ripple effects of the deaths of despair. They talk about the bipartisan nature of Silents, future generations, and many more topics. Jean Twenge is a social psychologist and professor of psychology at San Diego State University. She is an expert on generational differences and technology from a dataset of 39 million people. She is the author of over 180 scientific publications and books which include Generation Me, iGen, and her latest book, Generations. Website: http://www.jeantwenge.com/Twitter: @jean_twenge Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Marissa Harrison about female serial killers. They discuss media sensationalizing serial killers, morbid curiosity, and defining serial killers. They talk about the average profile of a female serial killer, motives for female serial killers, and mental illness. They discuss psychopathy, PCL-R, and the need for improved mental health services. They also talk about neurobiology of serial killers, future research, and many other topics. Marissa Harrison is a research psychologist and Associate Professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg. She has her PhD in Biopsychology (Evolutionary Psychology) from the University of Albany. Her primary research areas are in serial murder and human sexuality. She is the author of the book, Just As Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers.Website: https://www.justasdeadly.com/Twitter: @mharrisonpsu Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

Inês Hipólito, a philosopher and researcher at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, dives into the fascinating interplay between neuroscience and embodiment. They discuss the Free Energy Principle and its implications for understanding cognition and artificial intelligence as living systems. The conversation touches on Merleau-Ponty's work on embodiment, challenging traditional notions of self and identity. Hipólito emphasizes how personal experiences and cultural context shape our understanding, all while navigating the complex intersections of life, entropy, and perception.

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Fisher about the long view and our future. They talk about how society started thinking more short-term and not long-term. They discuss the historical aspects of longtermism, positive outlooks for different futures, longtermism and capitalism, and how our politics has become more short-term. They talk about the evolutionary framework for foresight and longtermism, deep time both past and future, climate change, and many more topics.Richard Fisher is a senior journalist with the BBC-London. He is an Honorary Research Associate at University College, London. He has also been a fellow at MIT. His work covers science, technology history, health, and philosophy. He is the author of the book, The Long View. Website: https://richardfisher.carrd.co/Substack: The Long View: A Field Guide Twitter: @Rifish Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Brian Lowery about the social construction of the self. They provide a definition of the “self,” how the self is only understood in the context of others, self as autonomous, and why the self is an illusion. They discuss the idea of a core self, different identities with different communities, switching identities, freedom and free will, and many other topics. Brian Lowery is the Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University. He is a social psychologist and is the director of many leadership groups. His research focuses on racial attitudes, perception of inequality, and the social context. He is the author of the book, Selfless: The Social Creation of You. He is also the host of Know What You See podcast. You can find his work here. Twitter: @brianloweryphd Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

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