Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Steven Koonin about climate change and how to best engage with climate science. They discuss how people can trust the science on climate from institutions and published data. They mention the differences between weather and climate, radiative equilibrium, and greenhouse gases. They review the data on carbon, discuss various forms of energy such as fossil fuels, clean energy, and nuclear energy. They talk about rising temperatures, increased precipitation, and rising sea levels. They discuss how much responsibility humans have on the changing climate, balanced responses to tackle climate change, and many other topics. 

Steven Koonin is a theoretical physicist and Professor of Information, Operations, & Management Sciences and Director for Urban Science and Progress at Stern School of Business at New York University. From 2009-2011, he was the Undersecretary for science, Department of Energy during the Obama administration. Formerly, he was BP's Chief Scientist and Provost and Vice President of California Institute of Technology. He has his Bachelors in Physics from California Institute of Technology and PhD in theoretical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the member of numerous academies such as the American Physical Society, the American Association of the Advancement of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of the most recent book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesn't, and Why it Matters. You can find his work here and here.

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla had a dialogue with Elizabeth Popp Berman about the economic style and how it has permeated American economics over the 20th Century. They start the conversation by giving an example of the economic style limiting the Obama Administration. They define and explain what the economic style is and how it will emphasize efficiency. They discuss the history of the economic style, how it became institutionalized, along with an overview of Macro and Micro economics. They also talk about the shift to public policy and how we got things like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). They discuss how the economic style was used in the Reagan and Clinton administrations and what are other alternatives besides the economic style. 

Elizabeth Popp Berman is a sociologist and Associate Professor of Organizational Studies at the University of Michigan. She has her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and studies economic sociology and the sociology of science and knowledge. She is the author of the most recent book, Thinking Like An Economist. You can find her work here and here. Twitter: @epopppp

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Megan Kate Nelson on the western theater of the Civil War and the history of Yellowstone National Park. They discuss the reasoning for fighting in the western theater of the Civil War, location specifics, and various characters involved. They discuss the involvement of various Native American tribes, White Americans forcible removal of Native peoples, and how the Civil War was fought on various stages. They also talk about the difficult history of Yellowstone, President Grant's role in the reconstruction period, and how Yellowstone went from expedition to the first National Park. They discuss how one can have a well-rounded view of National Parks and many other topics. 

Megan Kate Nelson is a historian and writer. She has a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa and has previously taught at Texas Tech University, Harvard University, and Brown University. Her main interest areas are on the Civil War, US West, and has been published in many major publications. She is the author of numerous books including The Three Cornered War of which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Saving Yellowstone. You can find her here. Twitter: @megankatenelson

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Zoe Chance about the power of influence. They discuss what influence is and why it is important for humans. They discuss some of the misconceptions of influence, her reframing of Daniel Kahneman's system 1 and system 1, and the necessity of saying no. They talk about the elements of negotiation, how to spot red flags, and many other topics. 

Zoe Chance is researcher and teacher with her main interests being in influence. She has her PhD from Harvard University and is currently a professor at the Yale School of Management. She is the author of Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen. Twitter: @zoebchance

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jomana Qaddour and Gissou Nia about many of the human rights atrocities in the Syrian conflict. They discuss the origins and data on the Syrian conflict, a chronology of events in the conflict, and allies of the Syrian government. They discuss the atrocities of human rights violations and why the international community has been on the sidelines.  They discuss the international law dynamics and pragmatic ways in which aid could be delivered to the Syrian people. 

Jomana Qaddour is a Senior Fellow of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. Currently, she is a doctorate student at Georgetown University Law Center where her work focuses on ethno-sectarianism in Syria, Iraq, and Bosnia. She has been a Senior Policy Analyst at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Senior Research Assistant and Publications Manager for the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. Twitter: @jomanaqaddour

Gissou Nia is the Director of the Strategic Litigation Project for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. She is a human rights lawyer and is the board chair of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. Her main interests focus on human rights advocacy, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Twitter: @gissounia

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with William Harris about the origins of the human brain. They discuss the evolutionary history of the brain, rise of the neuron, and genesis of the neural tube and neuroepithelium. They talk about the phylotypic stage, neural stem cells to neurons, and four cycles of the cell. They discuss the important neuron theory, contributions of Ramon y Cajal, and how neurons "wire up." They talk about growth cones, Sperry's theory of neural connections, cell death, neural plasticity, and many other topics. 

William A. Harris is professor emeritus of anatomy at the University of Cambridge. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society, Academy of Medical Sciences, and was awarded the Waddington Medal by the British Society for Developmental Biology for his specialization on the visual system in the human brain. He is widely published within the scientific literature and author of many books including his most recent book, Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain is Built. 

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kai Bird about Jimmy Carter. They discuss the context and environment of rural Georgia in the 1920s in which Carter was born. They talk about the impact of racism in his upbringing, importance of his Christian faith, and steady bond with his wife Rosalynn. They discuss his presidency and inflation and unemployment, Panama Canal, Camp David accords, and the Iran hostage situation. They also discuss why he did not get re-elected in 1980 and his enduring legacy. 

Kai Bird is a historian, journalist, and writer. He is executive director and distinguished lecturer at CUNY Graduate Center's Leon Levy Center for Biography in New York City. He is the author of numerous books and is the recipient (along with co-author Michael J. Sherwin) of the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award, the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, and the 2008 Duff Cooper Prize for American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is also the author of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter. You can find his work here. Twitter: @kaibird123

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Douglas Futuyma about the evolution of birds. They discuss how evolutionary biology can be a very helpful lens to understand birds. They talk about the importance of the phylogenetic tree for birds, their genetics, and why variation in birds is so important. They explain the three important questions for evolution, speciation, developmental life cycles, social lives of birds, and many more topics.

Douglas Futuyma is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Stonybrook University. He has a PhD in Zoology from the University of Michigan, Ann Harbor and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, Guggenheim Fellow, and Fulbright Fellow. He is the author of numerous books including the most recent, How Birds Evolve: What Science Reveals About Their Origin, Lives, and Diversity. 

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jon Alexander about a citizens story for humanity. They begin by talking about the consumer's story, how reciprocity and interdependence work in a citizens story, and how one sees the subject, consumer, and citizen story in a our present society. They talk about Taiwan as a case study of the citizen model and where populism fits into the citizen story. They discuss whether institutional reform is possible, practical features, and many other topics. 

Jon Alexander is the Co-Founder of the New Citizenship project, a company design to shift individuals and companies from a consumer model to citizen model. He has an extensive background in advertising and three Masters degrees. He is also the former Chair of the Food Ethics Council. You can find his book, Citizens, and the project here. Twitter: @jonjalex

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Christia Spears Brown about the various aspects of bias. They give a definition and overview of bias in our current society. They question whether bias can be positive and some of the human differences in the reception of bias. They talk about implicit vs. explicit bias and provide a history of institutional bias. They discuss how bias shows up in schools and Title IX expansion. They talk about girls in STEM programs, progress and needed work with children in the LGBTQIA+ community, culture change, and many other topics. 

Christia Spears Brown is a developmental psychologist who is a Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Kentucky. She is also the Director of the Center for Equality and Social Justice at the University of Kentucky. She has her PhD from the University of Texas, Austin. Her research focuses on how children develop gender and ethnic stereotypes and how they perceive individual and group level discrimination. She is the author of many books including the most recent, Undoing Bias: How Prejudice Has Shaped Children for Generations and Why It's Time to Break the Cycle. You can find her work here. Twitter: @christiabrown