319 episodes

Converging Dialogues is a podcast that is designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thoughts and opinions. Wide-ranging topics include philosophy, psychology, politics, and social commentary. A spirit of civility, respect, and open-mindedness is the guiding compass.

convergingdialogues.substack.com

Converging Dialogues Converging Dialogues

    • Science
    • 4.8 • 41 Ratings

Converging Dialogues is a podcast that is designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thoughts and opinions. Wide-ranging topics include philosophy, psychology, politics, and social commentary. A spirit of civility, respect, and open-mindedness is the guiding compass.

convergingdialogues.substack.com

    #319 - Somebody's Gotta Win the 2024 US Presidential Election: A Dialogue with Tara Palmeri

    #319 - Somebody's Gotta Win the 2024 US Presidential Election: A Dialogue with Tara Palmeri

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Tara Palmeri about the 2024 US Presidential election. They discuss why there is rematch of the 2020 US Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Biden’s challengers, Biden’s age, and the Democrats “bench.” They talk about feelings mattering more than policy, immigration, predictions, and many more topics.
    Tara Palmeri is a Senior political correspondent at Puck and host of the Ringer’s election podcast, “Somebody’s Gotta Win.” Previously, she has worked as a journalist for Politico and ABC News.
    Twitter: @tarapalmeri


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    • 35 min
    #318 - Virtues and the Founding Fathers: A Dialogue with Jeffrey Rosen

    #318 - Virtues and the Founding Fathers: A Dialogue with Jeffrey Rosen

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jeffrey Rosen about the impact of Classical Writers on the founding fathers. They discuss why studying the influences of the founding fathers is important, pursuit of happiness, Franklin and the impact of Pythagoras, Adams on humility, and Jefferson as a complicated figure. They discuss Washington’s self-mastery, Hamilton and Madison on moderation, and many more topics.
    Jeffrey Rosen is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, where he hosts We the People, a weekly podcast of constitutional debate. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor at The Atlantic. Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College, Oxford University, and Yale Law School. His essays and commentaries have appeared in The New York Times Magazine; on NPR; in The New Republic, where he was the legal affairs editor; and in The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer. He is the author of seven previous books, including the most recent book, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.



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    • 1 hr 3 min
    #317 - The Five-Year Presidency: A Dialogue with Christopher Liddell

    #317 - The Five-Year Presidency: A Dialogue with Christopher Liddell

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christopher Liddell about the five-year presidency. They discuss what is year zero and why presidential transitions are important, filling the government, and design, plan, and execution phases of year zero. They discuss the Romney transition, Trump transition, and Biden transition, standardization and flexibility with different presidents, Office of POTUS, first 200 days, the 2024 Presidential election, and many more topics.
    Christopher Liddell has held senior roles in politics, the private sector, and philanthropy. He was White House Deputy Chief of Staff during the Trump Administration, and has been involved in three presidential transition cycles, including the White House operational head of transition to the Biden Administration, where he played a key role. In the private sector, he has been Chief Financial Officer of several major companies, including Microsoft and General Motors. He is also active in philanthropic projects, having been Chairman of New Zealand’s largest foundation focused on environmental preservation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from Auckland University and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford. He is the author of the book, Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency.
    Website: https://chrisliddell.com/


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    • 1 hr 22 min
    #316 - The Brain From the Inside-Out: A Dialogue with György Buzsáki

    #316 - The Brain From the Inside-Out: A Dialogue with György Buzsáki

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with György Buzsaki about the inside out framework of the brain. They discuss the outside-in vs. inside-out framework for understanding the brain, causation as problematic for self-organizing systems, and perception and action on thought. They mention the Bayesian brain model, reinforcement and reward, brain systems and neural syntax, space and time within the hippocampus, the future of using the inside-out framework, and many more topics.
    György Buzsáki is a neuroscientist and Biggs Professor of Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine. He has his MD and PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pecs in Hungary. His main interest areas are on neural syntax and hippocampal networks. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent book, The Brain From Inside Out.
    Website: https://buzsakilab.com/wp/


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    • 1 hr 49 min
    #315 - Regulating AI Systems: A Dialogue with Robert Trager

    #315 - Regulating AI Systems: A Dialogue with Robert Trager

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robert Trager about international governance of AI systems. They discuss why questions of AI are important, defining intelligence and machine learning, and provide an overview of the current landscape of AI systems. They talked about the ethics and governance for AI systems, how other governance models have been used, controlling the creativity of AI, civilian AI, military AI, and enforcement rules with military AI. They also mention the alignment problem, how to discuss AI in public life, and many more topics.
    Robert Trager is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and International Governance Lead at the Centre for the Governance of AI. He is a recognized expert in the international governance of emerging technologies, diplomatic practice, and institutional design. His research also focuses on economic models of technology races, and regulation and industry cooperation for the public benefit in safety-critical industries. He has written two books and numerous articles in leading social science journals, including the American Political Science Review, International Organization, International Security, Foreign Affairs and many others.
    Website: https://robertftrager.com/


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    • 1 hr 43 min
    #314 - A Central American Exodus and the Reshaping of America: A Dialogue with Jonathan Blitzer

    #314 - A Central American Exodus and the Reshaping of America: A Dialogue with Jonathan Blitzer

    In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jonathan Blitzer about Central American immigrants coming to the United States and the evolving relationship in the region. They talk about the emphasis on Central America and, more specifically, El Salvador, when discussing immigration. They discuss the many narrative accounts of immigrants from El Salvador and some of the background information on El Salvador. They provide some of the history of El Salvador and the many brutal aspects of the 12+ years civil war. They also talk about the cyclical nature of US involvement with Central America, future goals, and many more topics.
    Jonathan Blitzer is a journalist and writer who currently is a staff writer at The New Yorker. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He is the recipient of the 2018 Immigration Journalism Prize from French-American foundation and the Media Leadership Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is the author of the new book, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of A Crisis.
    Twitter: @jonathanblitzer


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    • 1 hr 49 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
41 Ratings

41 Ratings

thepaleshadow ,

An beacon of reason in a sea of noise

In our ever-shifting landscape of current events hinged by sensationalis, Converging Dialogues provides a balanced voice of reason, intellect, and critical thinking — both through its host and diverse range of guests. There aren’t many podcasts equipped with the sense of curiosity and openness as this one does, especially when dealing with such heady and often dense subject matter. Converging Dialogues eschews bias in favor of seeking and spreading knowledge, packages a wide array of topics in an accessible fashion, and asks the questions I wish more individuals with public platforms sought. This is a crucial podcast.

Barrett W. ,

Just OK

I often find the topics and guests interesting but as enthusiastic as the host claims to be for the subject matter, he seems to have only a cursory understanding which makes for a dialogue that fails to be any more engaging or illuminating than if the guest were merely presenting their ideas uninterrupted.

LobePDX ,

Give credit where…

Give credit where credit is due.
Mr Bonilla is clearly a racist, and uses the term “white” to cruelly label the diaspora of humans of European, Asian and Middle Eastern decent who have Caucasian features. His personal opinions are quite vile.
With that said, he is willing to listen and give space to opinions which he disagrees with. This is admirable and freshening. Personally, I disagree with him, but I thought three stars were fair.

I would give a five star review if he would simply state that his “opinions” are just that, opinions. Unfortunately, when having conversations with radical Liberals he agrees with - he speaks as if what they are discussing are facts, when they are simply opinions.

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