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.
251
Dying with dignity
Sean Illing talks with journalist Katie Engelhart about the morality and legality of physician-assisted dying — asking what a death with dignity really looks like
54 min
252
Finding hope in a world on the brink
Sean talks with philosopher and psychoanalyst Jonathan Lear about how to keep flourishing as human beings in a world that feels like it's falling apart all around us
53 min
253
The new American Reconstruction
Sean Illing talks with author and historian Peniel Joseph about whether we're living in a new era of reconstruction, and the two warring ideas shaping American history
61 min
254
Is America losing its religion?
Sean is joined by religious scholar and bestselling author Reza Aslan to discuss the state of religion in America today
48 min
255
How we got to January 6th
Sean talks with reporter Luke Mogelson, who was amongst the rioters as they broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, about how it happened, what led up to it, and what comes next
53 min
256
Neil deGrasse Tyson gets political
America's personal astrophysicist takes on our most vexing societal problems. But can science really make political struggles disappear?
53 min
257
Introducing The Gray Area
Embrace uncertainty
1 min
258
Best of: Why America's obsession with rights is...
54 min
259
A GOP insider on why the party went Trump
56 min
260
How do we fix the harm we cause?
45 min
261
A new philosophy of love
55 min
262
The politics of 'Yellowstone'
25 min
263
How society sexualizes us
51 min
264
The Parent Trap
How society is failing parents and children
55 min
265
40 Acres: Reaching reconciliation
28 min
266
40 Acres: The old Jim Crow
43 min
267
40 Acres: $14 trillion and no mules
44 min
268
40 Acres: The original promise
49 min
269
What Clarence Thomas really thinks
And why he's the most misunderstood Supreme Court Justice, according to the author of The Enigma of Clarence Thomas
59 min
270
Even Better: Don't call it a budget
45 min
271
The quest for authenticity
Better living through the existentialism of Simone de Beauvoir
46 min
272
Even Better: Setting your boundaries
43 min
273
Your gut instinct is usually wrong
A data scientist on how to make decisions
49 min
274
Even Better: Workplace equality 2.0
51 min
275
Why we're still postmodern (whatever that means)
53 min