Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jon Alexander about a citizens story for humanity. They begin by talking about the consumer's story, how reciprocity and interdependence work in a citizens story, and how one sees the subject, consumer, and citizen story in a our present society. They talk about Taiwan as a case study of the citizen model and where populism fits into the citizen story. They discuss whether institutional reform is possible, practical features, and many other topics. Jon Alexander is the Co-Founder of the New Citizenship project, a company design to shift individuals and companies from a consumer model to citizen model. He has an extensive background in advertising and three Masters degrees. He is also the former Chair of the Food Ethics Council. You can find his book, Citizens, and the project here. Twitter: @jonjalex Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christia Spears Brown about the various aspects of bias. They give a definition and overview of bias in our current society. They question whether bias can be positive and some of the human differences in the reception of bias. They talk about implicit vs. explicit bias and provide a history of institutional bias. They discuss how bias shows up in schools and Title IX expansion. They talk about girls in STEM programs, progress and needed work with children in the LGBTQIA+ community, culture change, and many other topics. Christia Spears Brown is a developmental psychologist who is a Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Kentucky. She is also the Director of the Center for Equality and Social Justice at the University of Kentucky. She has her PhD from the University of Texas, Austin. Her research focuses on how children develop gender and ethnic stereotypes and how they perceive individual and group level discrimination. She is the author of many books including the most recent, Undoing Bias: How Prejudice Has Shaped Children for Generations and Why It's Time to Break the Cycle. You can find her work here. Twitter: @christiabrown Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Riley Black about the last days of the dinosaurs. They discuss what life on earth was like with dinosaurs being very prominent and so successful in diversifying. They mention the importance of fossils for understanding dinosaurs. They discuss the asteroid and its impact on the earth. They talk about the animals that survived after the asteroid and how earth survived post-impact. They discuss how plants showed subsistence on the post-impact earth and how this was important for life to happen again. They talk about the similarities between how dinosaurs were prominent in their age and how humans are prominent now and many other topics. Riley Black is a freelance science writer with a background in paleontology. She has written for many publications such as Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, and National Geographic. She continues to do work in the field and is the author of numerous books, including the most recent, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. Twitter: @laelaps Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nancy Foner about immigration and some of the current data on immigration in the 21st century. They provide and overview of current immigration data, discuss the more recent waves of immigration and why the 1965 immigration bill was very important. They discuss the current racial composition of the United States, culture change, and immigrants positive influence on school, economy, and within communities. They also talk about the role of politics, mixed race relationships, and many other topics. Nancy Foner is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She has her Bachelors from Brandeis and her PhD from the University of Chicago. Her main interest is in studying various aspects of immigration in the United States. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  She is the author of numerous books including the most recent, One Quarter of The Nation: Immigration and the Transformation of America. 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 Steven Nadler about the philosophy of Spinoza. They discuss Spinoza's definition of god and the connection with nature. They talk about how humans are included within nature and the role of free will. They discuss Spinoza's moral philosophy, humans move towards preservation, and how Spinoza defines the free person. They also talk about how Spinoza views the emotions, honesty, and how to live the good life. Steven Nadler is the Vilas Research Professor and William H. Hay II Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the director of the UW-Madison's Institute for Research in the Humanities. His main research interests are on philosophy in the 17th century, specifically the philosophy of Spinoza. He has written numerous books, including his most recent, Think Least of Death: Spinoza On How to Live and How to Die. 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 Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff about a canine future without humans. They talk about how dogs could potentially survive and evolve in a post-human world. They mention the difference between breeds vs. individualized dogs, generations of dogs post-human, and how dogs have evolved with humans thus far. They also talk about features of dogs in a post-human world, skull morphology, ethics, and how people can treat dogs better in the present. Jessica Pierce is a bioethicist and serves on the faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. She has her PhD from the University of Virginia. Her main interests are on ethical issues in biomedical sciences, human-animal relationships, and animal welfare. She is the author of numerous books, including the most recent with Marc Bekoff, A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs In A World Without Humans. You can find her at her blog and her website. Marc Bekoff is a biologist and is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and past Guggenheim Fellow. His main interests are animal behavior, cognitive ethology, and behavioral ecology. He is well-published in the scientific literature and is the author of numerous books, including his most recent with Jessica Pierce. You can find all of his work at his website. Twitter: @marcbekoff Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Andrew Knoll about the geological history of the earth. They discuss how light, gravity, dark energy, and dark matter explain the early origins of the universe and earth. They also talk about the various layers of the earth, zircons, tectonic plates, and how one defines life. They also talk about how geology can assist in telling the time of earth, why the geologic timescale is important, and the early Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. They also talk about the impact of climate change, human involvement, and many other topics. Andrew Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University. He has a BA and PhD in Geology. He has been an Associate Professor of Biology at Harvard University since 1982. For the past decade, he has served on the science team for NASA’s MER mission to Mars. He is the author of the most recent book, A Brief History of Earth. 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 Jenara Nerenberg about the complexities of neurodiversity. They begin by defining neurodiversity and highly sensitive people. They also talk about Jenara's critiques of psychiatry and psychology, specifically the diagnostic process. They discuss the curious evolution of diagnoses and the grey areas where people have challenges but not a full diagnosis. They also talk about the difference between diagnosis and treatment and many other topics. Jenara Nerenberg is a journalist, author, and founder of The Neurodiversity Project. She has interdisciplinary training from Harvard in public health, business, and government. She is the author of the book Divergent Mind: Thriving In A World That Wasn't Designed For You. You can find her work and writing here. Twitter: @bopsource Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra about animal domestication. They define domestication and how it is a process. They talk about niche construction and the three pathways of domestication. They mention the impact of agriculture, wild and semi-domestication, hybridization and adaptive radiation, as well as the impact of globalization and urbanization. They discuss the ethics of domestication, evolutionary developmental biology, morphological variation and feralization. They also talk about fish and insect domestication, cultural evolution, and many other topics. Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra is a professor of paleobiology and is the director of the palaeontological Institute and Museum at the University of Zurich. He is well published in his field and is the author of many books. His most recent book, The Process of Animal Domestication, can be found here. You can find his published papers here.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David McPherson about the virtues of limits. They discuss the six limiting virtues and 4 limits. They discuss the origins of virtues and the two stances of these virtues. They talk about the difference between virtues and values and the importance of worldviews. They also discuss various opinions about Nietzsche's ideas on values and engage about authenticity, political and economic limits, healthy nationalism, and many other topics.David McPherson is a philosopher and Associate Professor at Creighton University. His main interest are in ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of two books, including the most recent, The Virtues of Limits. You can find his research publications here. Twitter: @davidlmcpherson Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe