Converging Dialogues

Latest Episodes:

#41 - Source Bias, Trustworthiness, and Persuasion: A Dialogue with Laura Wallace Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Laura Wallace about source bias, trustworthiness, attitudes, and persuasion. They discuss what sources are and how bias is defined. They talk about perceived bias and its importance along with the spillover effect into other areas for a person. They mention the difference between biases and opinions. They discuss trustworthiness and some of the differences between perceived bias and perceived trustworthiness. They discuss the key component of perception as implicated in these concepts. They also talk about attitudes and attitude strength. They engage about attitudes being synonymous with opinions and how they impact certainty and persuasion along with many other topics.

Laura Wallace has her PhD in Social Psychology from Ohio State University and is currently conducting research on source bias and persuasion at George Mason University. Her main research questions are how people change their minds, motivations for change, how people act on their beliefs, and how institutions promote progress. You can find her various scientific publications and other resources at her website. Twitter: @lauraewallace

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#40 - Applied Phenomenology: Hegel, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty: A Dialogue with John Russon Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with John Russon about the major thinkers in phenomenology and how their ideas can be applied in everyday life. They begin the conversation with an overview of Hegel's philosophy and discuss sexual intimacy as an example of Hegel's ideas on recognition. They also discuss the impact of Hegel's philosophy on Marxism and some of the lessons from the French revolution. They question whether it is individuals or institutions that can be oppressive and malevolent. They discuss Heidegger's main concepts of Dasein and worldhood. They talk about the authenticity and inauthenticity of Dasein and the four different types of world. They also dialogue about the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty and his major concepts on perception and embodiment and the phenomenology of space.

John Russon is a philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of three books on G.W.F. Hegel and has written four books of his own that deal with personal identity and the structures of everyday life. He has many recorded talks on philosophy at his youtube page. He also can be found at his website.

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#39 - The Impact of Parenthood and Divorce: A Dialogue with Manon Van Scheppingen Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Manon Van Scheppingen about the most current research on marriage, divorce, and parenthood. They start with an overview of life transitions in young adulthood and what those transitions look like in a shared vs. a non-shared environment. They define personality and how various life transitions could possibly change personality. They provide an overview of Manon's self-esteem/motherhood paper and some of the data within this paper. They give an overview of Manon's divorce paper and some of the specifics of the results from that paper. They also talk about what life satisfaction looks like post-divorce and what the practical implications are of these studies.

Manon Van Scheppingen holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Tilburg University in Tilburg, Netherlands. She is an Associate Professor at Tilburg University where she conducts research on personality. Specifically, she examines life transitions and major life events such as marriage, divorce, and parenthood. You can find the articles discussed in this episode here. Find her on Twitter: @mavscheppingen

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#38 - Education: A School Psychology Perspective: A Dialogue with Jessica Koehler Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jessica Koehler about education, school choice, and school psychology. Jessica discusses her background and how she became involved with school psychology and how it led to her current work. They discuss the 5 different sub-domains of psychology and how school psychology fits within psychology. They talk about the heavy emphasis on diagnosing within a reactionary way for much of school psychology. They discuss the elements of school psychology and pressures to care for children. They also lay out the need and focus for preventive measures within schools as opposed to reactionary measures. They talk about the element of school choice and various alternative forms of learning. They also discuss homeschooling and some of the criticism it has received in previous years along with explaining psychology to the general public.

Jessica Koehler holds a PhD in school psychology from the University of Maryland. She has research experience with school-based prevention, school teams, and teacher efficacy. She has been a school psychologist at various public school in various states. Currently, she has a variety of projects aimed at training and educating a wide-range of students of various ages. She is the founder of Koehler Academy and has a very active youtube channel that promotes continuing education. She also is a writer for Psychology Today. Twitter: @drjessica17

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#37 - Cognition, Consciousness, and Cephalopods: A Dialogue with Alex Schnell Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alex Schnell about cognition, intelligence, and consciousness in cephalopods. They briefly discuss comparative psychology and its use alongside other fields. They discuss the evolutionary basics of cephalopods and some of the similarities and differences between the various species. They talk about the mating strategies of cuttlefish such as male fighting and female receptivity and the implications of the behaviors of cuttlefish on intelligence and cognition. They discuss her recent paper on cuttlefish passing a version of the marshmallow test and the importance of understanding self-gratification and self-control in cuttlefish. They also talk about consciousness in animal minds (specifically cephalopods) and implications of studying intelligence and cognition in other animals and many other topics.

Alex Schnell holds a PhD in Behavioral Ecology and currently conducts research for the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. She has research experience in comparative psychology, marine biology, and evolutionary biology. Most of her research on various cephalopods can be found here and here. Twitter: @dr_alexschnell

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#36 - The Evolution of Modern-Day Conservatism: A Dialogue with Rick Perlstein Apr 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Rick Perlstein about conservatism, politics in the United States, and past and present social-cultural issues. They discuss his motivations for writing his four books on modern Conservatism in the United States. They discuss the rise of Barry Goldwater and the splintering of the New Deal coalition. They also discuss the shifting cultural voting bloc from the middle class to elites and how Nixon’s rise worked with these shifting social and cultural changes. They talked about how suburbanization influenced a push towards Goldwater and Nixon and the new brand of Conservatism. They discuss the ever-present role of Reagan always in the background and some of the biographical aspects of the image he created for himself. They talk about the conservative shift from economic to social-cultural elements, the Reagan Democrats, and building of the modern Conservative coalition. They also talk about the Conservative party over the past 40 years leading up to the current platform and the potential future directions.

Rick Perlstein is a writer, journalist, and historian who has written four books on the social and political Conservative waves during the 1960s and 1970s. He is the author of Before The Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus, Nixonland: The Rise of A President and the Fracturing of America, The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and The Rise of Reagan, and Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980. You can find all of the links to his books, essays, and other publications at his website. Twitter: @rickperlstein

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#35 - Understanding Moral Extremism: A Dialogue With Spencer Case Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Spencer Case about extremism and morality. They discuss his background, how he got into philosophy, and leaving Mormonism. They define moral extremism and discuss it as a vice and detriment of character. They discuss the role of moral emotions with extremism and the differences between absolute and relative morals. They engage on character and intention as important to moral extremism and provide examples from the prohibition era and from past historical figures. They also stress the need for compassion in correcting moral extremism and many other topics.

Spencer Case holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Currently, he is an international research fellow at Wuhan University in Wuhan, China. His main research interesting are in meta ethics, normative theory, and moral realism. You can find links to his published papers and popular articles at his website. Twitter: @spencerjaycase

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#34 - A More Person-Centered Journalism: A Dialogue With Monica Guzman Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Monica Guzman about journalism, culture, and Latinos in the United States. They discuss how she became involved in journalism and how the current state of journalism is at both the national and local levels. They discussed how she co-founded the Seattle digital newsletter, The Evergrey, and how people within cities create culture. They also discussed her work with Braver Angels and some of the dynamics of race and multiculturalism. They discussed her upcoming book and some of the main concepts such as curiosity. They also talked about Latinos in the United States and some of the political, social, and cultural themes along with many other topics.

Monica Guzman is a Seattle-based journalist and writer who co-founded the digital newsletter, The Evergrey and is currently the senior media advisor for the Braver Angels organization. She is on track to release her book, I Never Thought of it That Way, in 2022. Join her newsletter here. Twitter: @moniguzman

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#33 - Leaving Race Behind: A Dialogue with Thomas Chatterton Williams Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Thomas Chatterton Williams about race and our current social challenges. They talk about Thomas' reasoning for writing his memoirs and the major theme of race. They talk about the one drop rule for Black Americans and what Thomas means by leaving race. They also discuss his perspective living outside the United States and the lens of seeing race from a biracial viewpoint. They also talk about some of the major themes in culture today and developing a better compass for discussing race relations.

Thomas Chatterton Williams is a cultural critic and writer. He is the author of two memoirs, Losing My Cool and Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is also a writer for the New York Times Magazine and Harper's. He has had pieces published in the New Yorker, London Review of Books, and many other publications. You can find links to these articles and his books here. Find him on Twitter: @thomaschattwill

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#32 - COVID-19: The Malady of Our Time: A Dialogue with Nicholas Christakis Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Christakis about the COVID-19 global pandemic. They discuss how he wrote his latest book, Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live, while the pandemic was happening in real time. They discuss the basic facts about the COVID-19 virus along with the lethality and infectious rates. They briefly consider if there is any validity that the virus is the result of a lab leak. They also present an overview of vaccine history and how the current mRNA vaccines work. They stress the importance of everyone getting a vaccine sooner than later and how the current vaccines appear to defend well against the virus variants. They also discuss herd immunity and what the timeline towards a return to normal looks like.

Nicholas Christakis is a physician and sociologist who conducts research at his Human Nature Lab at Yale University on social networks. Currently, he is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Internal Medicine, & Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. He has his MPH and MD from Harvard University along with his PhD in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is the author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of A Good Society, and Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. You can find his lab here. You can find the app mentioned in this episode here. Twitter: @nachristakis

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