Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Susana Monsó about animal minds. They talk about how animal minds are defined and why there is an emphasis on cognition. They also talk about a minimal concept of death and why this is important to understand animal minds. They talk about whether consciousness is essential for understanding animal minds and some of the arguments for and against moral individualism. They also talk about the ethics of eating farmed animals, how to treat domesticated animals, and many other topics. Susana Monsó is a philosopher who has a Bachelors in philosophy, Masters in ethics and human Values and a PhD in philosophy. She is also the co-founder of the Philosophy of Animal Minds and Behavior Association. Her main interest areas are on animal minds and animal ethics. You can find all of her published research at her website.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Rob Dunn about the natural history of the future of earth. They discuss the two laws of ecological diversity and how increased ecological diversity is helpful for growth. They also talk about the anthropocentric view of the world and different islands for diverse populations. They discuss the inadvertent ark and how corridors play a role here. They also talk about how humans stay concentrated in certain regions with GDP and violence being contributing factors. They also talk about biodiversity, gut microbiome, and the role of climate change for the future of the earth. Rob Dunn is a biologist and professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on the world around people in their local environments and his lab examines species, organs, cells, genes, and various ecosystems of everyday life. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent, A Natural History of The Future. You can find his work at his lab. Twitter: @rrobdunn Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kevin Aho about existentialism, life, and death. They discuss his background and heart attack which was the motivation for him writing his most recent book. They discuss the inevitability of death, existentialism and its major concepts, and authenticity. They also talk about "the herd" and negative impact of social media. They also discuss various ideas on disorders and neuroscience, Nietzsche's ideas on suffering well, and many other topics. Kevin Aho is a professor of philosophy at Florida Gulf Coast University. He has Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate in philosophy. He teaches and writes on existentialism, phenomenology, and hermeneutics. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent, One Beat More: Existentialism and The Gift of Mortality. You can find his work here. Twitter: @kevinaho17 Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Quammen about the origins and treatments for SARS-CoV-2. They discuss the lack of preparedness and missed warnings of SARS 2003. They talk about the two main schools of though on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the 2 lineages, variants, and future variants. They also talk about herd immunity, drug therapies, and vaccines. They mention gain-of-function research, preparedness for future pandemics, and many other topics. David Quammen is a well-renowned science writer and has received a Rhodes Scholarship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous awards for his writing. He is the author of sixteen books including, The Song of the Dodo, Spillover, The Tangled Tree, and his latest, Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat A Deadly Virus. You can find his work here. Twitter: @davidquammen Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Massimo Pigliucci about the nature of virtues and character. They define virtue and why people seek virtue. They describe the differences between virtues and morals and discuss moral relativism. They talk about daemons and how they are important for moral character. They also talk about Plato's five ways of governing, trusting institutions, aspects of character, and many more topics.Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at City College of New York. He has a PhD in biology, a PhD in philosophy, and a doctorate in genetics. His main interests are philosophy of science, nature of pseudoscience, and stoicism. He is widely published in scientific journals and in mainstream outlets. He is the author of 16 books including his most recent book, The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us About Our Search for Good Leaders. 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 Siddhartha Mukherjee about cellular biology. They define what a cell is and talk about the importance of Leeuwenhoek and Hooke in observing and discovering the cell. They talk about the five basic principles of cell biology and explore the anatomy of a cell. They explain how important B cells and T cells are for the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system for fighting diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. They also talk about the potential of stem cells for human medicine and many other topics. Siddhartha Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and a cancer researcher and physician. He has his Bachelors in biology from Stanford University. As a Rhodes Scholar, he has a DPhil in immunology from Oxford University and an MD from Harvard University. He has published articles in journals such as Nature and The New England Journal of Medicine and in mainstream outlets such as The New York Times. He is the author of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winning, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, The New York Times best-Seller, The Gene: An Intimate History, and the author of the new book, The Song of The Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and The New Human. You can find his work here. Twitter: @drsidmukherjee Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Hannah Bradshaw about same-sex friendships, opposite-sex friendships, and relationships in society. They discuss some of her background and research, dynamics of male friendships, and dynamics of female friendships. They discuss opposite sex friendships, different levels of friendship, boundaries in friendships, and intrasexual female competition. They also discuss men and women in the workforce together, potential careers for younger generations, and sex differences in disgust research. Hannah Bradshaw is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Washington and Jefferson College. She has her PhD in experimental psychology and her main interests include a multidisciplinary approach examining disgust sensitivity, women's sociality, and consumer behavior. You can find her work here. Twitter: @hkbradshaw Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robin Hanson about hidden motives, norms, and the sacred. They discuss how one understands motives and why they are hidden. They also talk about bias and not violating norms, free will, status and signaling and why dominance and prestige are important. They also talk about some aspects of cancel culture, large and small norms, and self-deception. They spend some time discussing the sacred, futarchy, and many other topics. Robin Hanson is an Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He has degrees in physics and a PhD in social sciences from Caltech. His interests include economics, philosophy, political theory, healthy policy, and regulation. He has many articles published in various scientific journals and is the author of many books, including the most recent (co-authored with Kevin Simler), The Elephant In The Brain. He is also the co-host (with Agnes Callard) of the podcast, Minds Almost Meeting. You can find his work at his personal website. Twitter: @robinhanson Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Bruce Carruthers about credit, trust, and the American economic system. They discuss the point of emphasis on promise and trust when discussing credit and finances in the United States. They talk about why people willingly go into debt to be part of an American economic system. They spend time talking about the history and current use of the credit rating scale and its expanding evolution for society. They also talk about the national bank of the United States, student loans, and many other topics. Bruce Carruthers is a sociologist and John D. MacArthur Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. His research focuses on the history of credit in the United States. He is the author of five books including the most recent book, The Economy of Promises: Trust, Power, and Credit in America. 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 Richard Polt about the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. They define and discuss Dasein, 3 forms of Dasein, and how it is different from other types of being. They talk about authenticity and inauthenticity, being as metaphysics, and the role of Aristotle's philosophy on Heidegger's thought. They discuss Heidegger's "turn" in the 1930s, being-in-the-world, 4 senses of the world, and what a shared world means. They also talk about environment, present-at-hand, and ready-to-hand. They engage on Heidegger's concepts of care, thrownness, and anxiety. They also mention Heidegger's thoughts on language and technology, along with his involvement in the Nazi party, and many other topics. Richard Polt is Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of philosophy at Xavier University. He has a Bachelors in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley and a PhD from the Committee on Social Thought from the University of Chicago. His major interests are in Greek and German philosophy and he has translated and written over seven books, mostly on German philosophy, namely Heidegger's philosophical thought. You can find his work here.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe