Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Avram Alpert about the good enough life. They define what is the good enough life, pluralism and relativism, and spend time on what greatness is and maybe why it should not be emphasized. They discuss the elements of a good enough life for social policies, work, virtue ethics, and many other topics. Avram Alpert is a writer, lecturer, and organizer. Currently, he is a fellow at the New Institute in Hamburg, Germany. He has taught at Rutgers and Princeton University and his work has been published in places such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. He is the author of a few books, including the most recent, The Good Enough Life. You can find his work here. Twitter: @avramalpert Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daryl Davis about his career as a musician and his encounters with extreme hate groups. They discuss his background in music and how he came to be a professional musician. They talk about writing and performing music, the music industry, and his exposure of living abroad. They discuss his first encounter with a member of the KKK, his first interview with a KKK member, and subsequent meetings. They also talk about how race functions differently around the world, how people can be involved in combating extreme hate, and many other topics. Daryl Davis is a musician, actor, writer, author, and lecturer. As a musician and actor, he has performed with The Legendary Blues Band and Chuck Berry. He has also appeared in shows such as HBO's The Wire. As a race relations lecturer and speaker, he has appeared in many major outlets such as CNN, NBC, and The Washington Post. He is the author of Klan-Destine Relationships and the documentary Accidental Courtesy. You can find his work here. Twitter: @realdaryldavis Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this dialogue, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Antone Martinho-Truswell about parrots and some of their striking similarities with humans. They discuss the importance of the phylogenetic tree, ways in which birds are connected with humans, and the specifics of bird brains. They discuss animal intelligence, corvids' use of tools, and various bird categories. They mention songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds and how birds communicate. The also talk about the features of parrots and their parallel with humans and many other topics. Antone Martinho-Truswell is the Dean and Head of Graduate House at St. Paul's College at the University of Sydney. He is also a Research Associate in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on learning and cognition in birds and is interested in animal minds and animal cognition. He is the author of his latest book, The Parrot in the Mirror: How Evolving to be like birds made us human. You can find his research here and here. Twitter: @antonemartinho Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Steve Brusatte about the rise and fall of dinosaurs and the rise and reign of mammals. They discuss how his two books are connected and overlap, first dinosaurs, and how dinosaurs survived the great dying and diversified. They talk about the taxonomy of dinosaurs, the T. Rex, and dinosaurs connection with birds. They also discuss what makes a mammal a mammal, importance of the jaw, and how mammals coexisted with dinosaurs. They also mention how mammals survived the asteroid, their proliferation, humans, and the future of mammals. Steve Brusatte is a Palaeontologist who has a Bachelors in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago, a Masters in Palaeobiology from the University of Bristol, and a PhD in Earth and Environmental Studies from the Columbia University, New York. He has over 150 peer-reviewed studies published and has discovered over a dozen dinosaur and mammal species. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and his latest book, The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. He has also been a lead consultant on BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Planet, and Jurassic World: Dominion. You can find his work here. Twitter: @stevebrusatte Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jaimie Arona Krems about her research on friendship. They discuss the basic features and sex differences between how males and females have relationships. They talk about the different levels and dimensions of friendships and some of the stereotypes of friendships. They define friendship and talk about the dynamics of friends and family. They discuss jealousy and how it appears in friendships, status and trust, and opposite sex friendships. They talk about female competition in the workforce, attractiveness privilege, female cooperation, and many more topics.Jaimie Arona Krems is a Social Psychologist with a degree in Classical and Near Eastern Archeology, Masters of Liberal Arts in physiology, Masters in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, and a PhD in Social Psychology. Currently, she runs the Krems Social and Evolutionary Psychology Lab at The Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis (OCEAN) at Oklahoma State University. The research in her lab focuses on female cooperation and competition, friendship, stereotyping and prejudice, religion, reputation, ecological variable. Twitter: @jaimiekrems Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with John Milton Cooper about the life and presidency of Woodrow Wilson. They discuss the impact of the South, racism, and living in the North for Wilson. They talk about why the practice of law was not suited for Wilson and how he was more academic and cerebral in many ways. They talk about his book, Congressional Government, the infamous presidential election of 1912, and the first term domestic successes. They talk about Wilson's challenges with race while in office, why he kept the United States out of World War I, and the 14 points and League of Nations. They also mention his stroke, legacy, and many other topics. John Milton Cooper is a Historian and author who is a worldwide expert on Woodrow Wilson. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he taught history for 40 years. He the author of numerous books including the Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Woodrow Wilson: A Biography. 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 David Peña-Guzmán on dreams in animals. They discuss how we know animals dream, history of studying dreams, and how the sleep cycle works in animals. They talk about how animal dreaming is phenomenological and not necessarily computational, whether animals have consciousness, and the various models of consciousness. They discuss lucid dreaming, imagination, moral entitlements, and many more topics. David Peña Guzmán is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University. He teaches on history and the philosophy of science, animal studies, and social theory. He has his PhD in Philosophy from Emory University and his work has appeared in many journals. His newest book, When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness is now available. You can find his work here. Twitter: @drpenaguzman1 Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Steven Koonin about climate change and how to best engage with climate science. They discuss how people can trust the science on climate from institutions and published data. They mention the differences between weather and climate, radiative equilibrium, and greenhouse gases. They review the data on carbon, discuss various forms of energy such as fossil fuels, clean energy, and nuclear energy. They talk about rising temperatures, increased precipitation, and rising sea levels. They discuss how much responsibility humans have on the changing climate, balanced responses to tackle climate change, and many other topics. Steven Koonin is a theoretical physicist and Professor of Information, Operations, & Management Sciences and Director for Urban Science and Progress at Stern School of Business at New York University. From 2009-2011, he was the Undersecretary for science, Department of Energy during the Obama administration. Formerly, he was BP's Chief Scientist and Provost and Vice President of California Institute of Technology. He has his Bachelors in Physics from California Institute of Technology and PhD in theoretical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the member of numerous academies such as the American Physical Society, the American Association of the Advancement of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of the most recent book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesn't, and Why it Matters. You can find his work here and here. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

Elizabeth Popp Berman discusses the economic style's impact on US economics. She explores its history, institutionalization, and how it influenced public policy. The conversation includes examples from the Obama, Reagan, and Clinton administrations, along with alternatives to the economic style.

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Megan Kate Nelson on the western theater of the Civil War and the history of Yellowstone National Park. They discuss the reasoning for fighting in the western theater of the Civil War, location specifics, and various characters involved. They discuss the involvement of various Native American tribes, White Americans forcible removal of Native peoples, and how the Civil War was fought on various stages. They also talk about the difficult history of Yellowstone, President Grant's role in the reconstruction period, and how Yellowstone went from expedition to the first National Park. They discuss how one can have a well-rounded view of National Parks and many other topics. Megan Kate Nelson is a historian and writer. She has a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa and has previously taught at Texas Tech University, Harvard University, and Brown University. Her main interest areas are on the Civil War, US West, and has been published in many major publications. She is the author of numerous books including The Three Cornered War of which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Saving Yellowstone. You can find her here. Twitter: @megankatenelson Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe