Converging Dialogues

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Davis Samson on the evolution of sleep. They discuss various sleep misconceptions, why we need sleep, stages of sleep, and the physiological and social aspects of sleep. They also talk about the evolution of circadian rhythms, napping, evolutionary differences, dreams, paleo sleep, and many more topics. David R. Samson is associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Toronto and the author of Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good. His pioneering research has been featured in National Geographic, Time, and The New York Times and on NPR and the BBC. He is the author of the latest book, The Sleepless Ape: The story of sleep in human evolution. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Chloe Drulis & Carly Trissler about the neurobiology of executive functioning in therapy. They talk about the importance of understanding executive functioning, interpersonal neurobiology framework, three system model of executive functioning, clinical use of the model, the model with ADHD, Attachment theory and styles, Gottman’s four horsemen, social media, and many other topics. Chloe Drulis is an associate marriage and family therapist practicing in Santa Monica and a writer specializing in interpersonal neurobiology.Carly Trissler is a Phoenix—based writer with expertise in Interpersonal Neurobiology. She holds an MA in psychology from Pepperdine University. Both of them (along with Louis Cozolino) are co-authors of the book, Executive Functioning and Psychotherapy: The New Neuroscience of Adaptive Intelligence. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James Traub about education and democracy. They talk about the distinctness of American education, history evolving into social studies, the Classical model, and charter schools. They discuss the 1619 Project, “Wokeness” in schools, “Anti-wokeness” in schools, Hirsch’s core model, and many more topics. James Traub is a journalist and scholar specializing in international affairs. He is a columnist and contributor to the website foreignpolicy.com. He worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker from 1993 to 1998 and as a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine from 1998 to 2011. He has also written extensively about national politics, urban affairs, and education. He has written many books, such as, True Believer: Hubert Humphrey’s Quest For A More Just America and the most recent, The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools can help save our Democracy. He teaches classes on American foreign policy and on the history of liberalism at NYU Abu Dhabi and at NYU. He is a fellow of the Center on International Cooperation and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.Substack: James Traub Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Uğur Ümit Üngör about genocides and the recent Syrian Civil War. They define genocide, buildup to genocide, and the Armenian genocide. They also talk about the Syrian gulags, different types of Syrian intelligence agencies and prisons, Tadamon massacre, Syria’s transition government and future, and many more topics. Uğur Ümit Üngör is Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam and NIOD. His main areas of interest are the global history and sociology of genocide and mass violence, with a particular focus on the modern and contemporary Middle East. He has written many books including, Genocide: New Perspectives on its Causes, Courses, Consequences, Confiscation and Destruction: The Young Turk Seizure of Armenian Property, The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913-1950, and The Syrian Gulag. Website: https://www.ungor.nl/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

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. Kenneth Feder is professor emeritus of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University. His books include Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, The Past in Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory, Native American Archaeology in the Parks: A Guide to Native Heritage Sites in Our National Parks and Monuments, and the most recent, Native America: The Story of the First Peoples. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe