Converging Dialogues

Latest Episodes:

#241 - States of Being: A Dialogue with Frank Putnam Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Frank Putnam about our various states of being. They discuss states of being, the continuous self, and states of being in development. They also talk about different states of being in rapid cycling with those that have Bipolar Disorders, importance of memory, and how critical is personality and the Big-5. They discuss mental disorders within a state model, the fragmented self and therapy, trauma and PTSD, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), psychedelics, and many more topics.

Frank Putnam is a Physician and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He was formerly a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He is an esteemed research on topics of violence, abuse, DID, and trauma. He is the author numerous books including, The Way We Are: How States of Mind Influence Our Identities, Personality, and Potential for Change.

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#240 - The Life and Presidency of James Garfield: A Dialogue with C.W. Goodyear Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with C.W. Goodyear about the life and presidency of James Garfield. They provide an overview of Garfield and talk about the background context and temperament of Garfield. They discuss how he rose to being a General in the Civil War very quickly, his tenure in the US House of Representatives, and his emphasis on Civil Service reform and a Department of Education. They discuss the moderate platform he ran on for President, his assassination, his legacy, and many more topics.

C.W. Goodyear is a historian and author who has a degree in Global Affairs from Yale University. He has worked as a ghostwriter for various projects. He is the author of the new book, President Garfield: From Radical To Unifier.

Website: https://www.cwgoodyearbooks.com/

Instagram: @cwgoodyear

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#239 - On Being Moderately Undefined: A Dialogue with Salomé Sibonex Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Salomé Sibonex about identity, creation, and embracing the ambiguity of life. They share immigration stories, shifting political sides, and being incentivized for being “anti.” They discuss why people believe in their belief systems so hard, being undefined, broad spectrum of opinions, and many more topics.

Salomé Sibonex is an artist, writer, and critic. She has written numerous articles on the self, identity, and spans topics in psychology and philosophy. She is also the Content Manager at the Foundation for Economic Education.

Substack: Salomé Sibonex

Website: https://www.salomesibonex.com/

Twitter: @salomesibonex

Instagram: @salomesibonex

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#238 - The Dark Side of Martin Heidegger: A Dialogue with Richard Wolin Jun 25, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Wolin about the dark side of Martin Heidegger. They discuss the black notebooks of Heidegger and what are the nature and intentions of these black notebooks. They dialogue about reading the antisemitic and Nazi themes in these notebooks with Heidegger’s philosophy. They talk about Heidegger being a member of the Nazi party, editing and re-editing his works, his views on race, and the impact these views have on his philosophy. They also talk about the New Right, Dugin, reading Heidegger in the 21st century, and many more topics.

Richard Wolin is a Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature, History, & Political Science at The City University of New York. He has a PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University. His main interests are on 20th century French and German political thought. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent, Heidegger In Ruins: Between Philosophy and Ideology.

Website: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/people/richard-wolin

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#237 - Evolutionary Psychiatry: A Dialogue with Randy Nesse Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Randy Nesse about evolutionary psychiatry. They define evolutionary psychiatry, critics of evolutionary psychiatry, and how we define disorders. They also discuss emotions mood regulation, disease model of addiction, and many more topics.

Randy Nesse is Research Professor of Life Sciences, and Founding Director of The Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University. He is also Professor Emeritus, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, and Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. He is the founding President of The International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. He is the author of many books including, Good Reasons for Bad Feelings.

Website: https://www.randolphnesse.com/homepage

Twitter: @randynesse

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#236 - Being Human On Earth: A Dialogue with Lewis Dartnell Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lewis Dartnell about his triptych of books on the earth and humanity. They talked about how he came to write his trilogy of books, our essentials for survival, and diversification of hominids. They also discuss plate tectonics, fertile crescent, and East African rift. They talk about the differences and similarities of different human species, importance of the oceans through time, and different materials for different civilizations. They also discuss the impact of wind on colonization and exploration, cooperation for humans, pair bonding, royal families, disease, war, and many more topics.

Lewis Dartnell is a research scientist, presenter, and author. He has a degree in Biological Sciences from Oxford University and PhD from University College London. Currently, he is a professor of science communication at the University of Westminster. His current research is on astrobiology. He has written numerous books including, The Knowledge, Origins, and his latest book, Being Human.

Website: lewisdartnell.com/en-gb/

Twitter: @lewis_dartnell

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#235 - Syria, Identity, and Activism: A Dialogue with Celine Kasem Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Celine Kasem about the various ways she culturally identifies, her work in Syria, and activism in our current age. They begin by discussing how she became involved in activism and political work in Syria, and Gen Z’s use of digital media tools to spread awareness about issues. They also talk about the various places she has lived, concept of home, ethnic and cultural identities, Circassians, and the various ethnic groups in Syria. They discuss the history of the Syrian conflict and the Arab Spring, how the conflict escalated and failed attempts at peace, the recent Assad Anti-normalization bill, and refugees. They mention the recent Turkish election, activism in the 21st century, and many more topics.

Celine Kasem is a human rights activist and public speaker. Currently, she is the Director of media at the Syrian Emergency Task Force. She has her Bachelors in Political Science and will continue her education in Qatar for her Masters in Intercultural Communication. She has Syrian, Circassian, Canadian, and Armenian backgrounds and has a deep passion for Syrians around the world.

Website: https://setf.ngo/

Twitter: @celinekasem

Instagram: @celinekasem

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#234 - The Making and Re-making of Sunnism and Shiism: A Dialogue with Toby Matthiesen Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Toby Matthiesen about Sunni and Shiism within the Islamic religion. They talk about the “divide” between Sunni and Shia Muslims and how this is not an accurate framing of these groups. They discuss the origins of Islam with the prophet Mohammad and the role of succession, school of jurisprudence, and the Shia century and interactions with the crusades. They also talk about the role of the Ottoman Empire and impact of the Safavids with the Ottomans. They talk about the rise of Wahaabism, British rule in India, modernization of the Ottoman Empire, pan-Islam and nationalism in the 20th century, and Turkey becoming more modern in the 20th century. They discuss Baathism, Muslim brotherhood, US involvement in the Middle East, the Arab Spring, Syrian conflict, and many more topics.

Toby Matthiesen is a historian and political scientist on Middle East studies and Global Islam. He is the Marie Curie Global Fellow at Stanford University and Ca’Foscari University in Venice, Italy. Starting in Fall 2023, he is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies/Global Islam at the University of Bristol. He remains an Associate Member of Oxford University’s Department of Politics and International Relations. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent, The Caliph and The Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism.

Website: tobymatthiesen.com/wp/

Twitter: @tobymatthiesen

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#233 - Psychiatry and Anti-Depressants: A Dialogue with Peter Kramer Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Kramer about psychiatry and the role of anti-depressants. They discuss the inspiration for his new book and some of the major themes, the Goldwater rule and role of diagnosis, and the importance of truth. They discuss whether therapy is always valued for everyone, past and current depression research, anti-depressants, and many more topics.

Peter Kramer is a psychiatrist who practiced and taught psychiatry for over 40 years. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Brown University. He has done extensive research on depression and anti-depressants. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent novel, Death of the Great Man.

Website: https://www.peterdkramer.com/

Twitter: @peterdkramer

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#232 - Radical and Revolutionary: Alfred Russel Wallace: A Dialogue with James Costa Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James Costa about the life of Alfred Russel Wallace. They discuss the radical and revolutionary nature of Wallace, his inquisitiveness about nature since an early age, apprenticeship, trip to the Amazon, and scientific publications. They also talk about his trip to Asia, the interactions with Darwin, spiritualism, social justice, his legacy, and many more topics.

James Costa is an entomologist and evolutionary biologist who is professor of biology and executive director Western Carolina University-Highlands Biological Station. He has co-taught in Harvard’s summer Darwin program at the University of Oxford and has been a long-time Research Associate in entomology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. His main interests and research are on Darwin, Wallace, and the history of evolutionary thinking. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent book, Radical By Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace.

Website: https://jamestcosta.com/

Twitter: @jimcostahbs

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