Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Gregg Caruso about free will, moral responsibility, and retributive justice. They begin with discussing the motivation and process for writing his new book with Daniel Dennett. They provide a definition of free will and the term, desert. They talk about the interaction of free will with retributive justice and punishment. They also discuss the no...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lindsay M. Chervinsky about George Washington's creation of the cabinet. They discuss how Washington created the cabinet and constructed the framework for future presidents. They talk about the initial makeup of the cabinet and some of the individuals within the cabinet. They discuss the four major principles that Washington used as general and t...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Allie Choate about the statistical aspects of measuring personality. They start the conversation by giving a general definition of psychopathology and p-factor. They discuss some internalizing and externalizing factors of p-factor and how it operates laterally with the g-factor of intelligence. They talk about which disorders the p-factor correla...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Camilo Ortiz about evidence-based treatments and elimination disorders within clinical psychology. They discuss the differences in degrees and programs between PhD's and PsyD's in clinical psychology. They talk about the three waves of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) along with the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT for many disorders. They men...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Talia Welsh about the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty. Talia provides her background in philosophy and with Merleau-Ponty specifically. She also discusses her work in gender and feminine studies. They discuss the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty and how one understands the experience of their own being. They provide an overview of phenomenology and Mer...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicole Barbaro about evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and challenges with higher education. They give an overview of evolutionary psychology and some of the changes over the years. They also talk about how evolutionary psychology has become more integrated and multidisciplinary. They discuss sexual selection and, specifically, about ma...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Wilfred Reilly about the complex data around race in the United States. Wilfred provides some of the current statistics on racial groups and how this can be received in a mixed way in the media. They discuss some of the differences between equality and equity and the importance of both quantitative and qualitative data. They also talk about the c...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Iona Italia about her personal memoirs, mixed-race identity, and current social issues. Iona discusses her various experiences around the world and how they have shaped her identity. Specifically, she mentions her time in Argentina, India, and Great Britain. She also discusses her background in English literature and the impact that had on her de...

In this special episode, Xavier Bonilla moderates a dialogue between Bo Winegard and Nicholas Wolfinger about the similarities and differences between conservatism and liberalism. They discuss immigration and the varying narratives on mass migrations along with conservative nationalism's perspective on immigration. They discuss the current conservative party and whether they can or cannot distance...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicholas Wolfinger about marriage, divorce, and single motherhood. They start the conversation with an overview of sociology today and some of the differences between quantitative and qualitative methods. They discuss the history of marriage in American Society in the 20th century and some of the societal norms and changes in the 1960's. Nicholas...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a in-depth dialogue with Tyler VanOstrand on his recently finished thesis discussing the divergence between the ideas of Nietzsche and Freud. At the start of this dialogue, Tyler provides a summary of the juxtaposition of Nietzsche and Freud's ideas. There is a discussion about Nietzsche's main concept of will to power and how this is an active idea along with t...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sanjana Rajagopal about her experience in philosophy, the ideas of Martin Heidegger and Hannah Arendt, and philosophy in general. Sanjana talks about what led her into studying philosophy as a woman and as a Hindu and the roles they play in her life and studying philosophy. They discuss the general differences between continental and analytic phi...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Simona Efanov about the neurophysiology of stress, clinical psychology, and the dangers of self-help psychology. They discuss the various definitions of stress and talk about the aspects of positive stressors. They provide a review of neuroanatomy and discuss the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and the cycle of stress. They define emoti...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Stephen Clouse about political theory, philosophy, and Aristotelian concepts in general and for current day application. They talk about the differences between political philosophy and political science and also the ways in which they intersect. They have a discussion about political theory using various examples. They talk about the importance...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Angel Eduardo about the need to focus on ideas and also about viewpoint diversity with the Latino community.  They discuss the distinctions between words and ideas and the value of intentions along with context. They also talk about revisionist history with society and how individuals should be patient and more sanguine in their reactions. They a...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ashley King about the various components of psychotherapy and some of its challenges currently. They provide an overview of the major therapies and talk about the practice of "circling." The practice of circling is discussed in terms of its application for individual and group therapies. There is a discussion about the philosophical and theoretic...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Cory Clark about bias within the social sciences, the replication crisis, and the concepts of free will and determinism. They start by defining the social sciences and discussing the challenges and problems with the social sciences. There is a discussion about publication and research bias. An example of unconscious/ implicit bias and the controv...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Colin Wright on topics of evolution, biological sex, and gender identity. They provide an overview of evolution and understanding it as fact and theoretical mechanism. They explore how Darwin outlined evolution and published his findings. They discuss the function and process of natural selection as well as the controversy and polarization within...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Rod Graham about sex work, Critical Race Theory (CRT), and the social sciences in general. They discuss Rod's research on cyber security and criminology. They talk about his research in sex work, particularly online sex work. They discuss the stigma and pushback received about sex work. The definition, origins, and criticisms of Critical Race The...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jonah Paquette about the emotion of awe. They talk about the positive and negative aspects of awe. They discuss the taxonomy of awe and subsequent emotions. They talk about moving awe from a state to a trait. They also discuss the current state of positive psychology, the role of political involvement for psychologists and clinicians, and many ot...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Brittany Talissa King about race and the wide diversity within this topic. We discuss Brittany's background within the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and her evolution with various thinkers. We discuss her collegial experience with Ta-Nehisi Coates and her journey into exploring other black writers. We talk about why some black writers are emb...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ben Winegard about centrism, pragmatic institutionalism, and how these impact society. They discuss experts and their use and limits. They talk about epistemic humility, the working class, and transforming liberalism. They also engage on moderate centrism being more vocal within their own parties and many other topics.  Ben Winegard is an assista...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Bo Winegard about Conservatism and some of its implications for today's society. They talk about Bo's past academic history, academic integrity, and intellectual honesty. They discuss Trump, the 2020 US Presidential election, and wokeism. They also touch on immigration and some of the implications immigration has on national identity.  Bo Winegar...

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Tyler VanOstrand about various philosophical and psychological theories and themes. They talk about Freud and the power of his theory, Freud's model derived from Plato's model of the psyche, differences in psychodynamic framework with more mainstream models, and the lasting power of the Freudian model for modern-day therapy. Also, discussed is th...