Converging Dialogues

Latest Episodes:

#121 - Unifying the Bayesian Brain Model and Free Energy Principle: A Dialogue with Karl Friston Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a discussion with Karl Friston about the Free Energy Principle, Bayesian Brain, and many neurobiological principles. They give an overview of the history of the models of the brain and discuss the evolutionary components of the brain. They also mention how important executive functioning and abstraction are for various organisms. They give an overview of the Bayesian brain, discuss predictive coding, and the two classes of neurons for prediction and prediction error. They discuss the free energy principle, Markov blanket, and homeostasis. They discuss consciousness and the role of active inference, artificial intelligence, and various neuroimaging techniques. They mention how the free energy principle could be used pragmatically and many other topics.

Karl Friston is a theoretical neuroscientist at University College, London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society in Biology. He has been awarded numerous awards for his contributions to neuroimaging. Those contributions include the creation of Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM), Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM), and Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM). These contributions were heavily used in helping clinicians understand individuals with Schizophrenia and other disorders. You can find his published research here.

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#120 - Is Psychology A Failing Science?: A Dialogue with Patrick Lockwood Mar 19, 2022

Show notes

In this special episode, Xavier Bonilla has an extended and wide ranging discussion about emotions, current state of psychology, and sexuality. They discuss emotions and their function, expression of emotions, fear as a spectrum and instinctual vs. learned fear. They discuss the history of substance abuse and challenges with the American Psychological Association (APA) such as their reduction in scientific rigor and focus on activism. They discuss APA's recent guidelines and their shift to social justice work, their problems with supporting psychology students, along with fads and self-help in psychology. They also talk about the history of the LGBTQ+ population, bisexuality, culture wars, and many more topics.

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: @psychplockwood

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#119 - The Communication of Whales: A Dialogue with Mel Cosentino Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Mel Cosentino about whales, their behavior and their communication. They give an overview of the taxonomy of whales, interactions between porpoises and orcas, and how whales communicate. They talk about memory and executive functioning in whales, how humans can understand how they communicate, and the environment in which they reside. They also talk about the impact of climate change, science communication, and many other topics.

Mel Cosentino has degrees in biology and ecology. She obtained her PhD in electronic and electrical engineering. Her main interests are on porpoises and whale at large. She also has interests in conservation. She is the lead scientist at Breathing Andenes, which is located in Norway. You can find her work here. Twitter: @melanthropics

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#118 - The Origins of The East India Company: A Dialogue with William Dalrymple Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Dalrymple about the origins of the East India Company (EIC). They start by discussing his quartet of books on the EIC and his motivations for writing this history. They talk about the origins of the EIC, what was traded, and the large influence the company had in India. They discuss how the EIC went from trading to overthrowing the Mughal empire and ruling India. They also discuss how the EIC dealt with famine and became semi-nationalized, the demise of the EIC, and many other topics.

William Dalrymple is a Historian, Journalist, and Broadcaster. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and has held visiting fellowships at Princeton, Brown and Oxford. In 2018, he was the recipient of the prestigious President’s Medal by the British Academy for his outstanding literary achievement. He is the author of numerous award-winning books, including his most recent, The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire. You can find his work at his website. Twitter: @dalrymplewill

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#117 - Cooperation and The Social Lives of Animals: A Dialogue with Ashley Ward Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ashley Ward about cooperation and the social lives of various animals. They talk about the importance of krill and how they cooperate, locusts and their exchange of serotonin, and the social lives of roaches. They also talk about inclusive fitness with bees, ant colonies, social connection of birds, and the adaptive flexibility of rats. They also discuss animal domestication and the ethics of farmed animals. They talk about the social hierarchy of elephants, lions and hyenas, deception used by primates, and how all of these animals help inform elements in humans.

Ashley Ward is a biologist and professor of animal behavior in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Sydney. He studies a wide range of animals and researches learning, communication, and decision-making in many animals. He is the author of the book, The Social Lives of Animals, which can be found here. You can find his work here and here. Twitter: @ashleyjwward

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#116 - John F. Kennedy: The Formation of An American Dream: A Dialogue with Fredrik Logevall Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Fredrik Logevall about the early life of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. They discuss why JFK's story is important for telling America's story. They mention the Irish immigrants that came to the United States and how his family gravitated to politics shortly after their immigration from Ireland. They provide the familial, national, and global backdrop for Jack along with the major characteristics of his psychological profile. They discuss the importance of Jack's various relationships, his foreign affairs experience, serving as US Representative and US Senator, and many more topics.

Fredrik Logevall is the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Professor of History, Harvard University. He is a specialist in US foreign affairs and international history. He won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for History, 2013 Francis Parkman Prize, as well as the 2013 American Library in Paris Book Award and the 2013 Arthur Ross Book Award from the Council on Foreign Relations for his book, Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam. His latest book, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956, is the first of two volume biography on JFK.

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#115 - Should We Care About the Culture Wars?: A Dialogue with Meghan Daum Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Meghan Daum about various aspects of culture and society. They discuss how the focus in society is about many cultural challenges. They talk about generational and technological shifts and the impact of fear and loneliness. They mention the new thought leaders, the ethics of podcasting, and much more.

Meghan Daum is an author and podcaster who has previously been an op-ed columnist for the The Los Angeles Times. She is the recipient of the 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and 2016 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She is the author of five books including her most recent, The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars. She is also Host of The Unspeakable Podcast. You can find many of her pieces at her website. Twitter: @meghan_daum

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#114 - Bridging Divides Through Curiosity: A Dialogue with Monica Guzman Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Monica Guzman on the power of curiosity. They discuss the main theses of her book on seeing the humanity of others by using curiosity. They talk about the three challenges of human nature (sorting, othering, & siloing). They mention the challenge of scaling individual interactions to the group level, us vs. them, and whether people change their opinions. They discuss the assumptions of other groups, the intoit model, filling the knowledge gaps, and how not to make assumptions.

Monica Guzman is a journalist, writer, and Director of Digital and Storytelling at Braver Angels. She was a 2019 at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation and co-founder of The Evergrey. She is the author of her first book, I never Though of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. You can find her main website here and other work here. Twitter: @moniguzman

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#113 - Building Life Over Billions of Years: A Dialogue with Neil Shubin Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Neil Shubin about the building blocks of life over billions of years. They discuss why the fossil record is so essential for understanding the history of the earth and for understanding the history of past and present organisms. They talk about the importance of the discovery of Tiktaalik. They also talk about the four arches that make up all heads within embryology along with the continuity that is seen with eyes and ears. They discuss Darwin's concept of "by a change of function," and the importance of embryonic comparison. They have a discussion on how DNA and genes are important for change of function, the sonic hedgehog gene, and the future of the human body.

Neil Shubin is a Paleontologist and Evolutionary Biologist. He is the Robert Bensley Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and the Associate Dean for academic strategy of the Biological Sciences Division. His research focuses on the evolution of new organs and he and his team discovered the 375 million-year-old Tiktaalik fossil. He is the author of three popular science books: Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body, The Universe Within: The Deep History of the Human Body, and Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA. You can find his research and published works here. Twitter: @neilshubin

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#112 - Recalibrating Our Views on Anger and Shame: A Dialogue with Daniel Sznycer Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daniel Sznycer about the theoretical and empirical data on anger and shame. They discuss the recalibration theory of anger and the place of social valuation of anger. They also mention some of the recent cross-cultural finding of anger. They discuss the global self in how shame is defined. They talk about the other-dependent aspects of shame and the attributional theory of shame. They also explore how much pride impacts shame.

Daniel Sznycer is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and is principal Investigator of his own lab at OSU. His main research areas are on the evolutionary nature of emotions, morals, and value computation. You can find his research here and also here. Twitter: @dsznycer

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