Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gabriel Gottlieb about German idealism and the philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Johann Gottlieb Fichte. They define German idealism and where this period sits within the history of philosophy. They discuss the interaction between subject and object and how intersubjectivity plays a role. They mention the impact of Hume on German idealism and define Kant's terms of Apriori and Aposteriori. They talk about how one could understand experience from reason and why Kant was hyperfocused on the rational functions of humans. They also mention Kant's arguments for the existence of god and how German idealism evolved after Kant. A background of Fichte is provided and what his beliefs were about the self as activity. They discuss Fichte's moral system and how that lends towards a moral psychology. They mention Fichte's ideas about drives and how his ideas are juxtaposed with Freud's ideas concerning drives. They mention Fichte's nationalism and Fichte's complications with Judaism. They also talk about the philosophy of Schelling and the impact of German idealism on 20th Century philosophy. Gabriel Gottlieb is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Xavier University. His primary interests are on German idealism, specifically the philosophy of Fichte. He is the editor of Fichte's Foundations of Natural Right: A Critical Guide. You can find some of his writing here. Twitter: @xgabegottliebx Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Russell about Sovereignty. They discuss a definition of sovereignty and the historical arc on the claim of sovereignty. They discuss the idea of a deity giving sovereignty and the importance of Westphalia shifting from deity to state. They talk about what perfecting sovereignty is and the importance of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau on Sovereignty. They discuss popular sovereignty with the American and French revolutions along with the tragic history of sovereignty with indigenous peoples. They talk about federalism and the future of sovereignty. Peter Russell is a Canadian Political Scientist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, where he taught political science from 1958-1997. a Rhodes Scholar and Officer of the Order of Canada, he has served as the Director of Research for the McDonald Commission on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was also a member of the Federal Task Force on Comprehensive Land Claims, President of the Canadian Political Science Association, and Chair of the Research Advisory Committee for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. He is the author of numerous books, including his most recent, Sovereignty: The Biography of A Claim, which can be purchased here.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Coltan Scrivner about morbid curiosity. They define curiosity and morbid curiosity along with the origins of morbid curiosity with critiques on terror management theory and negative trait bias. They discuss state vs. trait morbid curiosity and how morbid curiosity correlates with personality. They talk about his measure of morbid curiosity, what factors he found, and why he used factor analysis. They engage on horror films and why many people are invested in this genre. They also talk about the potential clinical implications and challenges that horror could have on disorders such as anxiety and many other topics.Coltan Scrivner is a PhD Candidate and researcher at the University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Human Development and a Fellow at the Institute for Mind and Biology. His research areas are on horror, and morbid curiosity and why people find enjoyment in fictionally dangerous scenarios. You can find all of his articles and popular writing at his website. Twitter: @morbidpsych Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Laura Galloway about her memoir where she details her experience of living in the Arctic Tundra. They discuss her professional background and reasoning for writing a memoir. They talk about the psychological impact of the death of her mother and how the  relationship with her father evolved. They discuss her time in Los Angeles and New York City and how she decided to move to the Arctic Tundra in Norway. They talk about what the Arctic was like and how the Sami people lived. They talk about her motivation for staying there for six years along with her themes of loss, abandonment, and belonging.Laura Galloway is a writer and communications strategist. She has a Bachelors in Political Science and Masters in Indigenous Journalism. She has worked for the Los Angeles Times and many other outlets. Her memoir, Dalvi: Six Years in the Arctic Tundra is available here. You can visit her at her website which can be found here. Twitter: @lauragalloway Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with George Bonanno on the many aspects of trauma. They discuss the many pitfalls of trauma and a working definition of trauma. They explain what potentially traumatic events (PTE) and acute stress reactions are and some of their differences. They describe the difference between PTSD and clinical trauma and trauma stressors. They also discuss risk factors and environmental variables along with complex and multi-generational trauma. They discuss resilience and the pros and cons of coping skills and emotional regulation strategies. They explain the flexibility sequence and mindset, goal directed self-talk, the challenges of pop psychology using trauma, and many other topics. George Bonanno is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is the Lab Director of the Loss, Trauma, and Emotion Lab at Columbia University. He is an expert on bereavement, loss, and trauma. He is well-published and cited within the scientific literature and is the recipient of the lifetime achievement awards from both the Association of Psychological Science (APS) and the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). His most recent book, The End of Trauma, is available here. You can find his research and lab work here. Twitter: @giorgiobee Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sarah Richardson about the history of maternal-fetal effects. They discuss why human developmental plasticity is important for intrauterine growth and how this impacts the evolution of post-natal growth. The talk about the importance of Weismann's philosophy of science for maternal health. They mention maternal impressions theories and the complicated history of eugenics with maternal health. They discuss the importance of animal studies to understand maternal-fetal effects and the ongoing emphasis on birth weight. They discuss the unfinished story on epigenetics and many of its challenges along with some pragmatic considerations on maternal-fetal effects. Sarah Richardson is Professor of the History of Science and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. She directs the Harvard GenderSci Lab and her interests are in gender, sexuality, and reproduction. She has been published in many scientific journals and in popular media outlets. Her latest book, The Maternal Imprint: The Contested Science of Maternal-Fetal Effects can be published here. You can also find her work here.  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Henry Gee about the history of the earth. They start by discussing Henry's background and reasons for writing the book. They discuss the big bang and origins of the earth along with how the sun and planets formed in our solar system. They talk about the importance of gravity and how early life started in the oceans. They explain how life went from unicellular to multicellular and the formation of sponges. They discuss how life formed the anus to forming a digestive tract to teeth to protective shells. They talk about the Cambrian explosion that was monumental for many lifeforms. They discuss how fish evolved into vertebrates and moved from water to land. They explain the importance of tetrapods and how plants began on the earth. They mention the importance of the Triassic and Jurassic periods on the anatomy of dinosaurs and the evolution of mammals. They talk about the importance of Homo Erectus, different human species on the earth, the future of the planet, and many other topics. Henry Gee is a Paleontologist and is the Senior Editor for the scientific journal Nature. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge. Along with many articles, he is the author of numerous books including his most recent book, A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters, which you can purchase here. You can find his blog here. Twitter: @endofthepier  Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Samantha Rose Hill about the life and philosophy of Hannah Arendt. They begin by mapping out some of Arendt's early childhood and life experiences, specifically the death of her father. They discuss her various romantic relationships including the very complicated relationship with Martin Heidegger. They explore the differences between loneliness and isolation and talk about Arendt's work on totalitarianism. They also discuss Arendt's work on private and public realms, the banality of evil, race, feminism, and many other topics. Samantha Rose Hill is a senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and associate faculty at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. Her writing has been in Aeon, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Public Seminar, among other places. She is the author of Hannah Arendt and is currently working on Hannah Arendt's Poems, a book on loneliness, and a memoir. You can find her writing and much of work at her website. Twitter: @samantharhill Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paul Bloom concerning suffering, pleasure, and meaning. They discuss the reasoning for Paul writing his new book on the darker side of pleasure and make the distinction between chosen and unchosen suffering. They question whether one should always finding meaning in suffering and talk about some of the illusions of reality. They talk about the notion of contrast and discuss the importance of aversive fictions and the role of imagination. They define meaning and how people aim to seek meaning and value from different types of suffering. They also discuss Paul's previous book on empathy and provide distinctions between cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and compassion. They talk about how one can view empathy in different aspects of clinical therapeutic practice. They also discuss having more balanced ways of seeing the complexities of humanity and many other topics. Paul Bloom is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. Paul's interests are on morality, pleasure, and development. He is the past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and co-editor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. He is the author of numerous books such as Against Empathy and his latest book, The Sweet Spot, which you can purchase here. You can find much of his research and writing at his website. Twitter: @paulbloomatyale Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Arvid Ågren about the genetic implications of evolution. The discuss his background and reasons for writing his book. They explain the gene's-eye view of natural selection and how one can still understand evolution without genetics. They also discuss how genes are "immortal"  and "selfish" and still cooperate together. They talk about adaptation and this concept's history along with the challenges of creationism and intelligent design. They also provide some ideas about group selection and its merits. Genes, chromosomes, DNA, and proteins are introduced and discussed. They engage about "types" and "tokens" along with "replicators" and "vehicles." They talk about "memes" and how they impact cultural evolution. They spend time discussing the five difficulties of the selfish gene, Hamilton's rule, and inclusive fitness. They also mention the interaction of Hamilton's rule with cooperation, kin selection, and interdependence and many other topics.Arvid Ågren is an Evolutionary Biologist who studies the causes and consequences of genomic conflicts. He has a Bachelors in Biology from the University of Edinburgh and his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Toronto. He completed his Postdoc in Andy Clark's lab for Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University. He also did a fellowship at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University hosted by David Haig. Currently, he conducts research at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University in Sweden. His new book, The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution can be purchased here. You can find his research at his website. Twitter: @arvidagren Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe