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
276
The Philosophers: Stoic revival
59 min
277
Station Eleven's creator on the end of the world
Showrunner Patrick Somerville on why hope is necessary for survival
47 min
278
The racist origins of fat phobia
49 min
279
The fight for Ukraine — and democracy
49 min
280
The war on trans people
49 min
281
Michael Ian Black on being a better man
50 min
282
Carmen Maria Machado's haunted feminine
36 min
283
The rise and fall of America's monuments
45 min
284
The Philosophers: America's philosophy, with Co...
55 min
285
Why accidents aren't accidental
47 min
286
Rethinking the "end of history"
56 min
287
Anita Hill finally gets even
55 min
288
Elites have captured identity politics
52 min
289
The moral dangers of dirty work
54 min
290
Did the sexual revolution go wrong?
53 min
291
Who decides how to conserve nature?
55 min
292
The Philosophers: Loneliness and totalitarianism
58 min
293
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 4: The fut...
59 min
294
Michael Lewis on why Americans distrust experts
52 min
295
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 3: The nuc...
51 min
296
The case for regret
45 min
297
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 2: Sanctions
56 min
298
The spirituality of parenting
43 min
299
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 1: Why did...
55 min
300
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