Converging Dialogues

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 Cobb is a professor emeritus at the University of Manchester He earned his PhD in psychology and genetics from the University of Sheffield. He is the author of seven books including: As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age, The Idea of the Brain, Life’s Greatest Secret, and the most recent, Crick: A Mind In Motion.

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 Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books including, DSM: A History of Psychiatry’s Bible.

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 of the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is a regular contributor to Foreign Affairs and The Atlantic. He is the author of six books, including the most recent book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why.

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 2022 Carl Sagan Medal while director of astrobiology at Columbia University and is currently the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s Ames Research Center. He has written several previous trade books and is a frequent contributor to Scientific American and Nautilus magazine. He is the author of the book, The Giant Leap: Why space is the next frontier in the evolution of life.

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 Aurelius, succession and Constantine, along with Christianity and rise of Islam. They also discuss Charlemagne, Macedonia, collapse of the Roman Empire, and many more topics.

Edward Watts is an author and historian and holds the Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair and is professor of history at the University of California, San Diego He has BAs in Classics and Ancient and Medieval Culture at Brown University, and received his PhD in History from Yale University in 2002. His research interests center on the intellectual, political, and religious history of the Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire. He is the author of seven books, including the most recent, The Romans: A 2,000-Year History.

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.

Sven Beckert is Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. His research and teaching center on the history of the United States in the nineteenth century, with a particular emphasis on the history of capitalism, including its economic, social, political and global dimensions. He is co-chair of the Program on the Study of Capitalism at Harvard University , co-chair of the Weatherhead Initiative on Global History (WIGH) and co-editor of a series of books at Princeton University Press on “America in the World.” His work has been supported by the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Humboldt Foundation, the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies, and the New York Public Library’s Center for Scholars and Writers, among others. He is the author of the latest book, Capitalism: A Global History.

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. He is based in Tokyo, Japan. He is the co-author (with Moises Naim) of the book, Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses.

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 Greek to English, translation choices, and many more topics.

Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator, and editor, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy. He has written and/or translated many works, including the recent English translation of Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War.

Polly Low is a historian of ancient Greece, with particular interests in the political history of the Classical Greek World, and in the history (and ideology) of Greek interstate relations.

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 backlash, institutional challenges, Poland’s current economics, future of Poland, and many more topics.

Stanley Bill is Professor of Polish Studies, University of Cambridge. He is Chair of the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies (CamCREES).

Ben Stanley is Associate Professor at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, SWPS University. They are the authors of the book, Good Change: The Rise and Fall of Poland’s Illiberal Revolution.

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 many more topics.

Cynthia Paces is a historian and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. Her main interests are in East-Central Europe and an interdisciplinary approach to history, incorporating art, architecture, film, gender, religion, and medicine into her teaching and research. She is the author of the book, Prague: The Heart of Europe.