The Gray Area with Sean Illing

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. From the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Philosophy
Politics
News Commentary
251
Station Eleven's creator on the end of the world
Showrunner Patrick Somerville on why hope is necessary for survival
47 min
252
The racist origins of fat phobia
49 min
253
The fight for Ukraine — and democracy
49 min
254
The war on trans people
49 min
255
Michael Ian Black on being a better man
50 min
256
Carmen Maria Machado's haunted feminine
36 min
257
The rise and fall of America's monuments
45 min
258
The Philosophers: America's philosophy, with Co...
55 min
259
Why accidents aren't accidental
47 min
260
Rethinking the "end of history"
56 min
261
Anita Hill finally gets even
55 min
262
Elites have captured identity politics
52 min
263
The moral dangers of dirty work
54 min
264
Did the sexual revolution go wrong?
53 min
265
Who decides how to conserve nature?
55 min
266
The Philosophers: Loneliness and totalitarianism
58 min
267
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 4: The fut...
59 min
268
Michael Lewis on why Americans distrust experts
52 min
269
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 3: The nuc...
51 min
270
The case for regret
45 min
271
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 2: Sanctions
56 min
272
The spirituality of parenting
43 min
273
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 1: Why did...
55 min
274
The Philosophers: Resisting despair
How can Albert Camus help us understand the war in Ukraine, post-pandemic life, and the absurdity of our modern world?
51 min
275
What happened to American conservatism?
55 min