Converging Dialogues

Ini this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Daniel Neep about a modern history of Syria. They discuss internal and external divisions in Syria, various ethnic and religious communities in Syria, Bilad al-Sham, Tanzimat reforms, Kingdom of Syria, and French rule. They discuss military rule, Ba’ath Party, Nasser and United Arab Republic, 30 years of Hafez al-Assad, 24 years of Bashar al-Ass...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ken Feder about Native America and First Peoples. They talk about the various labels for Native Americans, land acknowledgements and Columbus Day. They discuss the earliest origin date for First Peoples coming to America, White Sands, human adaptations, diverse nation groups, infighting among nations, genocide and schools, and many more topics. K...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christof Koch on the nature of consciousness. They talk about why consciousness is important to study, differences with subjective experiences and phenomenology, selfhood, thinking beyond interoceptive perceptions, and Cartesian dualism. They discuss panpsychism, neural correlates of consciousness, vision, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), psy...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Hugo Drochon about elites and democracy. They discuss how elites always rule in democracies, why we need elites, dynamic democracy, social movements, distrust of elites, Nietzsche’s eternal return and circulation of elites, elites in non-democratic societies, and many more topics. Hugo Drochon is a political theorist and historian. He has his PhD...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Shadi Hamid about why American power is still needed. They discuss American power, American success globally, American idealism, democracy in the world, benevolent authoritarianism, future of American power, and many more topics. Shadi Hamid is a columnist at The Washington Post and a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Chr...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Dear about the history of modern science from natural philosophy. They discuss natural philosophy and modern science, Newton and theology, different ways of doing science, pure and mixed mathematics, Linnaeus and taxonomy, German pedagogy for modern science, physics research, Lapace and the bell curve, Faraday, Darwin, Einstein, and many mo...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Carl Benedikt Frey about technology and economics throughout history. They discuss why decentralized systems create an environment for innovation, Ancient China’s centralized efforts, Europe’s competitive state during the enlightenment, U.S. and decentralization, modern regulations, AI and our future, and many more topics. Carl-Benedikt Frey is t...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Taubman about the complex life and career of Robert McNamara. They provide an overview of McNamara, his upbringing, temperament, and evolution. They discuss his work with the Ford Motor Company, how he organized the Defense Department, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, World Bank, breaking his silence on Vietnam, and many more topics. William Taubman...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James McDougall about a global history of Islam. They discuss the global spread and diversity of Islam, Arabia before Muhammad, succession after Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, emphasis on law and doctrine within Islam, Hadiths, the Ottoman Empire and spread of Islam, Islamists, Islam in the 21st century, and many more topics. James McDougal...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Inger Kuin about the philosopher Diogenes. They discuss the impact of Diogenes, his personal development, embodied philosophy, human reason, interactions with Plato, suffering, pleasure, desire, and how we apply his philosophy in the modern world. Inger N. I. Kuin is an associate professor of classics at the University of Virginia. Born in the Ne...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with David Edmonds about thought experiments and effective altruism. They talk about the shallow pond, why thought experiments are important, the trolley problem, critiques of the shallow pond, effective altruism, charities, and many more topics. David Edmonds is a philosopher and author. He is Distinguished Research Fellow at Oxford University. His m...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Akhil Reed Amar about the history of the U.S. Constitution from 1840-1920. They discuss America as an idea, Madison’s notes on the constitution, 3/5s rule, electoral college, slavery, Taney and Dred Scott ruling, Emancipation Proclamation, 13, 14, 15, and 19th amendments, and many more topics. Akhil Reed Amar is the Sterling Professor of Law and...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Richard Bell about the American Revolution on the international stage. They discuss the American Revolution in a global context, Boston Tea Party, East India Tea Company, British citizens opinions of the American Revolution, and the Irish perspective of the American Revolution. They also talk about the Hessians, Native peoples during the American...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jochen Hellbeck about Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the Jews. They discuss Soviet communism and anti-semitism as unified opposition for the Nazis, anti-communism fueling public agreement, western views of anti-communism and anti-semitism, and how this was given to the German public. They also talk about Hitler invading Poland, pivot to genocid...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Alex Zakaras about liberalism. They discuss aiming for liberal values, defining liberalism, radical liberalism, libertarianism, freedom and choice, tyranny and autocracy, liberal pluralism, wage and labor exploitation, and many other topics. Alex Zakaras is professor of political science at the University of Vermont. He is the author of many book...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Matthew Cobb about the life and work of Francis Crick. They discuss his upbringing, influences, x-ray crystallography, discovering the double helix of DNA with Watson, reception of his discovery in academia and public, personal misadventures in the 1960s, pivot to brain and consciousness research, legacy of Crick, and many other topics. Matthew C...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Allan Horwitz about a history of the DSM. They discuss the origins of the DSM, DSM I & II, DSM III and its big changes, DSM-V and its massive overhaul, the future of the DSM, and many other topics. Allan Horwitz is the Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and the Institute for Health, Health Care...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla. has a dialogue with Phillips O’Brien about war, peace, and power. They discuss the idea of great powers, why short, clinical wars do not really happen, size and population of countries, economics and materials, societal and structural elements for power, leadership, allies, and many more topics. Phillips Payson O’Brien   is a professor of strategic studies and head...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Caleb Scharf about the past and future dynamics of space exploration. They discuss astrobiology, why look for life in space, dispersal, how we got to the moon (and why we haven’t gone back?!), major obstacles for space travel, going to Mars, Jupiter, Venus, the Sun, the future of space exploration, and many more topics. Caleb Scharf received the...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Edward Watts about the 2,000 years of the Roman Empire. They provide an overview of the Roman Empire and the origins of the Romans, Greek influence and building institutions, Roman citizenship and identity, and the transition from Roman monarchy to Republic. They also talk about Cincinnatus, Carthage, transition from Republic to Empire, Marcus Au...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sven Beckert about a global history of capitalism. They discuss how capitalism has always been global, positive and negative aspects of capitalism, origins and trading from a distance, capitalism within the state and in the countryside, slavery, working class, wealth and income inequality, capitalism in the 21st century, and many more topics. Sve...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Quico Toro about the current trends with modern charlatans. They talk about how charlatans have become more mainstream in present society, who is their audience, infamous charlatans, astrology, belief, social media, Trump, and many more topics. Quico Toro is a writer and editor who serves as the global opinion columnist for the Washington Post ....

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robin Waterfield and Polly Low about the new translation of Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War. They talk about the various plot points of the history, historical writing, inspiration from Herodotus, Polis city-states, and ethnicities and people groups. They also talk about authorship, oral vs. written history, translating from Attic G...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley about the modern political themes of Poland. They discuss the rise of the Law and Justice party (PiS) and neoliberalism, Poland post-1989 and liberalism, and the impact of globalization and Western influence on Poland. They also talk about “Poland A” and “Poland B” and the rural and urban regions, cultural issues and...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Cynthia Paces about the history of Prague. They talk about Prague as the heart of Europe, cultural diversity, and origins of Prague. They discuss Charles IV, Rudolph II, Maria Theresa, and Frantisek Palacky as major figures in developing Prague as a modern and cosmopolitan city. They talk about Prague throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, and m...