The Gray Area with Sean Illing

by Vox
287

The Gray Area with Sean Illing takes a philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas. Each week, we invite a guest to explore a question or topic that matters. From the the state of democracy, to the struggle with depression and anxiety, to the nature of identity in the digital age, each episode looks for nuance and honesty in the most important conversations of our time. New episodes drop every Monday.

Recent Episodes
  • What "near death" feels like
    Jun 2, 2025 – 56:26
  • Machiavelli on how democracies die
    May 26, 2025 – 51:30
  • Do you have moral ambition?
    May 12, 2025 – 01:00:40
  • The science of ideology
    May 5, 2025 – 55:41
  • A new analysis of the pandemic
    Apr 28, 2025 – 51:14
  • Halfway there: a philosopher’s guide to midlife crises
    Apr 21, 2025 – 54:49
  • Whatever this is, it isn’t liberalism
    Apr 14, 2025 – 57:40
  • A new way to listen
    Apr 11, 2025 – 01:09
  • The beliefs AI is built on
    Apr 7, 2025 – 50:22
  • Stop comparing yourself to AI
    Mar 31, 2025 – 55:51
  • Democrats need to do something
    Mar 24, 2025 – 54:45
  • How to live in uncertain times
    Mar 17, 2025 – 52:40
  • How to sink into silence
    Mar 10, 2025 – 50:45
  • How to change your personality
    Mar 3, 2025 – 43:11
  • Is ignorance truly bliss?
    Feb 17, 2025 – 38:15
  • Is America broken?
    Feb 10, 2025 – 53:43
  • The cost of spending time alone
    Feb 3, 2025 – 45:07
  • Attention pays (with Chris Hayes)
    Jan 27, 2025 – 54:42
  • How to be happy
    Jan 20, 2025 – 01:10:38
  • The screens between us
    Jan 13, 2025 – 49:53
  • The importance of failure
    Jan 6, 2025 – 50:28
  • What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief
    Dec 23, 2024 – 01:00:48
  • What do animals feel?
    Dec 16, 2024 – 52:14
  • Are men okay?
    Dec 9, 2024 – 52:00
  • How to feel alive
    Dec 2, 2024 – 57:18
  • The antidote to climate anxiety
    Nov 25, 2024 – 55:03
  • America’s reactionary moment
    Nov 18, 2024 – 01:18:03
  • Well this is awkward
    Nov 11, 2024 – 01:01:48
  • What just happened, and what comes next
    Nov 8, 2024 – 54:04
  • Does being "woke" do any good?
    Nov 4, 2024 – 56:43
  • Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?
    Oct 28, 2024 – 49:55
  • The world according to Werner Herzog
    Oct 21, 2024 – 01:00:49
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates on complexity, clarity, and truth.
    Oct 14, 2024 – 01:13:51
  • Your mind needs chaos
    Oct 9, 2024 – 51:48
  • Musician Laraaji on the origin of creativity
    Oct 8, 2024 – 47:06
  • Is AI creative?
    Oct 7, 2024 – 41:35
  • Happiness isn’t the goal
    Sep 30, 2024 – 53:58
  • A message from Sean
    Sep 27, 2024 – 01:05
  • What if we get climate change right?
    Sep 23, 2024 – 48:24
  • Yuval Noah Harari on the eclipsing of human intelligence
    Sep 16, 2024 – 01:27:13
  • Why cynicism is bad for you
    Sep 9, 2024 – 58:23
  • Poetry as religion
    Sep 2, 2024 – 59:10
  • The jazz musician’s guide to the universe
    Aug 26, 2024 – 57:28
  • Revisiting the "father of capitalism"
    Aug 19, 2024 – 55:03
  • Breaking our family patterns
    Aug 12, 2024 – 01:06:17
  • Why Orwell matters
    Aug 5, 2024 – 56:24
  • The timebomb the founding fathers left us
    Jul 29, 2024 – 55:40
  • Swear like a philosopher
    Jul 22, 2024 – 44:39
  • Taking Nietzsche seriously
    Jul 15, 2024 – 01:02:28
  • What India teaches us about liberalism — and its decline
    Jul 8, 2024 – 46:48
Recent Reviews
Reviews loading...
Similar Podcasts
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.