Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Thomas R. Verny about his work on the embodied mind. They discuss Thomas' background and motivation for writing his most recent book and how the embodied mind is an extended mind. They discuss the importance of the gut microbiome and the enteric nervous system. They talk about the vagus nerve, epigenetics, and stem cells and CRISPR. They also provided details on regeneration, hibernation, and metamorphosis using the example of the Planarian flatworm. They also talk about consciousness, the self, and many other topics. Thomas R. Verny is a psychiatrist and author. He has taught at many academic institutions such as Harvard, University of Toronto, and York University, Toronto. He founded the Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Association of North America (PPPANA, renamed APPPAH—Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health – in 1995), and served as its president for eight years. He also launched the APPPAH Journal – the Journal of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health (JAPPAH) (Human Sciences Press, New York), which he edited from its inception until 1990. He is a member of the Ontario Review Board (ORB) and Associate Editor of the Journal of the Association for Pre- and Peri-natal Psychology and Health (JAPPPAH). He has almost 50 papers in the scientific journals and is the author of numerous books, including the most recent, The Embodied Mind: Understanding the Mysteries of Cellular Memory, Consciousness, and Our Bodies. You can find his work at his website.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Christakis about cooperation, social networks, and tribalism. They discuss how humans are more cooperative and have a propensity for good than many people emphasize. They talk about the social suite and examples of unintentional, intentional, and artificial communities. They discuss positive and negative aspects of cooperation, punishment, and social networks. They discuss friendship, in-group tribalism, social learning, teaching, and culture. They also provide a brief update on where COVID-19 is at the moment and what we can expect in the next few years. Nicholas Christakis is a physician and sociologist who conducts research at his Human Nature Lab at Yale University on social networks. Currently, he is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Internal Medicine, & Biomedical Engineering at Yale University.  He has his MPH and MD from Harvard University along with his PhD in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is the author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of A Good Society, and Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. You can find his lab here. Twitter: @nachristakis Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lori Marino about the ethics of eating animals and whether they have conscious states. They define intelligence in non-human animals and discuss the brains of whales and how they communicate. They discuss consciousness in animals and how humans can ethically cohabitate with animals. They talk about how domesticated animals, including farmed animals, have sentience, personality, and consciousness. They also talk about the ethics of eating animals and artificial meat, and many more topics.Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and expert in studying animal intelligence and behavior. She has her PhD in biopsychology and has done extensive research on whale and dolphin intelligence. She is well-published in the scientific literature on animal minds. She is the President of The Whale Sanctuary Project and is also the founder and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy. You can read her essay mentioned in this episode here.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Skye Cleary on authenticity and the feminism of Simone de Beauvoir. They define authenticity, discuss existence before essence, and dialogue on the "other" and subjectivity. They talk about de Beauvoir's mystifications and how to define what is a woman? They discuss roles, progress for women, and women's health. They also discuss de Beauvoir on friendship, love and marriage, motherhood, narcissism, and why rebellion is necessary. Skye Cleary is a philosopher who teaches at Columbia University and City University of New York. She was the editor-in-chief of the American Philosophical Association's blog and certified fellow with the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. She is the author of three books including her latest, How to be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment. You can find her work here. Twitter: @skye_cleary Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla moderates a dialogue between Patrick Lockwood and Colin Wright on gender and sexuality. They begin by defining biological sex and defining gender. They spend some time discussing the various complexities around gender dysphoria and they discuss the idea of being born in the wrong body. They end the dialogue by emphasizing how to have honest and compassionate conversations about sex and gender. Patrick Lockwood is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. He works at a premier addiction clinic for LGBTQ+ population in Los Angeles. He has over 15 years of experience in clinical practice, mainly with individuals that have substance abuse challenges. He is the author of The Fear Problem and has his own youtube channel. Twitter: @psychplockwoodColin Wright is an evolutionary biologist with an emphasis on behavioral ecology. He is widely published in the scientific journals with his research on paper wasps, spiders, and ant colonies. He has written a variety of pieces on evolution, sex, and gender differences. You can follow his substack and on Twitter: @swipewright  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gregory Forth about the search for a hidden human species. They discuss his background working in Indonesia, an overview of different species of humans, and where the "ape-men" fit into the broader picture. They talk about the environment on Flores, Indonesia and the characteristics of the Lio people who are the primary eyewitnesses. They give a profile of the ape-men, discuss the role of myths and legends, and give specific details of the eyewitness accounts of the ape-men. Gregory Forth is an anthropologist and was professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta for over 30 years. He is well published in the scientific journals and has authored various academic books. He is the author of Between Ape and Human. 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 Will Beischel about the most recent research on gender. They discuss their background for studying sex and gender and then provide an exhaustive analysis of the sex configuration theory. This theory includes understanding sexual orientation and its broader horizon along with three aspects including gender, sex, and gender/sex. They talk about how the social environment interacts with testosterone and power, interactions with others and some of the connections between biology and sociality for gender/sex. They talk about the traditional view of biological sex and understanding brain development in utero along with genetics to understand the variances with gender. They also talk about the roles of masculinity and femininity and how to adjust these ideas in the 21st century. Will Beischel has a PhD from the University of Michigan. They have a degree in biology and neuroscience and their main interest is in sexual and gender identities, with a focus on sexual and gender minorities. You can find their work here. Twitter: @willbeischel Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a wide-ranging dialogue with Tania Reynolds about her research on female intrasexual competition, attractiveness privilege, and free speech. They provide a sexual selection overview such as preferences for mate choice. They talk about sexual selection for cooperation, heritability in mate preferences, and the aspect of female mate choice. They discuss monogamy and polygamy in mate choice, evolutionary and moral features of attraction, and an emphasis on youth. They also mention female standards of beauty in modern society and body positivity. They discuss in detail the specific aspects of intrasexual female competition, types of aggression, and the influence of patrilocal and matrilocal societies. They discuss attractiveness privilege and how it fits within other types of privilege, menstruation and anxiety, and gender bias. They end the conversation with a discussion on the limits and boundaries of free speech. Tania Reynolds is a Social Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico. She was also a postdoctoral research at the Kinsey Institute. She is well-published in many scientific journals and her research focuses on female intrasexual competition and cooperation, biases in social and and moral evaluations, sexual selection and life history theory. You can find her research here. Twitter: @taniaArline Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Isaac Butler about the history of method acting in the 20th century. They discuss who was Stanislavski and how he started his theater studio and system. They discuss the impact of Tolstoy and Chekhov on Stanislavksi. They explain the expansion of the method globally and how Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler became involved with the method. They talk about the differences between the system and the method and what is composed of the Method. They discuss how Marlon Brando was a genius and legend, origins of the actors legend, and some of the current modern actors that use the actors studio. They talk about current-day method acting and many more topics. Isaac Butler is a cultural critic, historian, theater director, and podcaster. He is the co-author of The World Only Spins Forward (with Dan Kois) and of his most recent book, The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act. He is the host of the Slate's podcast, Working. Twitter: @parabasis Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Moshe Hoffman and Erez Yoeli on game theory and how this can be used to understand human behavior. They define game theory, discuss how primary and secondary rewards can be used, and explain Nash equilibrium and hawk-dove theory. They discuss the importance of signals and the costly signaling model, signals with different audiences, and how evidence and persuasion are spun differently. They also discuss the prisoners dilemma, altruism, cooperation, punishment, and may other topics. Moshe Hoffman is a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Behavior, research fellow at MIT's Sloan School of Management and lecturer in Harvard's Economics department. His work focuses on game theory used with topics on human motivation, learning and evolution, and preferences. You can find his work here. Twitter: @moshe_hoffmanErez Yoeli is a research scientist at MIT's Sloan School of Management and Director of MIT's Applied Cooperation Team (ACT), and also a lecturer in Harvard's Economics department. His work focuses on altruism, and how using game theory can help in working with governments and products. Purchase Hidden Games. You can find his work here. Twitter: @erezyoeli Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe