#453 - The Allure of Charlatans: A Dialogue with Quico Toro
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. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe
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1:27:33
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1:27:33
#452 - Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War: A Dialogue with Robin Waterfield and Polly Low
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. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe
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52:49
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52:49
#451 - The Rise and Fall of Poland's Illiberal Revolution: A Dialogue with Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley
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. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe
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1:19:58
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1:19:58
#450 - Prague: The Heart of Europe: A Dialogue with Cynthia Paces
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. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe
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1:43:34
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1:43:34
#449 - Living for Seven Decades: A Dialogue with Michael Gurven
In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Michael Gurven about humans living for seven decades. They discuss our evolution for seven decades, post-reproductive life, healthspan vs. lifespan, subsistence populations, multigenerational cooperation, older age, seven decades in the future, and many more topics. Michael Gurven is an evolutionary anthropologist and professor at University of California-Santa Barbara. He has conducted fieldwork for two decades with South American indigenous populations, and his work takes an evolutionary perspective on behavior, health, physiology and psychology. Since 2002, he has co-directed the Tsimane’ Health and Life History Project to better understand how aspects of environment and lifestyle affect health and lifespan in subsistence-level societies. His research applies an evolutionary lens to help inform our understanding of today’s complex diseases. He is the author of the book, Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe
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
South Africa