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.

Philosophy
Politics
News Commentary
301
Introducing Unexplainable
A new podcast from Vox about everything we don’t know.
26 min
302
The border, explained by someone who knows it i...
51 min
303
"Wintering," wisdom, and weathering life's dark...
62 min
304
Reframing America's race problem
49 min
305
Who owns the Western?
45 min
306
A Watchmen writer on race, TV, and tech giants
52 min
307
Uncovering the history of psychedelics in Chris...
48 min
308
Biden's immigration architect on racism, reform...
58 min
309
The Capitol Siege and American Revolution
41 min
310
Why fascism in Post-Trump America isn't going away
Vox's Sean Illing and Yale professor Jason Stanley discuss why American democracy provides such fertile soil for fascism
40 min
311
The Joe Biden experience
Ezra Klein and Evan Osnos discuss our new president
61 min
312
What it means to be a "good" rich person
Exploring the anxieties of wealthy people and their desire to be seen as "middle class."
46 min
313
Peter Kafka and Kevin Roose on big tech's power...
26 min
314
Sam Sanders and Olivia Nuzzi on President Trump...
41 min
315
Best of: We don’t just feel emotions. We make t...
A mind-blowing conversation with Lisa Feldman Barrett on how emotion is made
90 min
316
Best of: Ending the age of animal cruelty, with...
75 min
317
Best of: The moral philosophy of The Good Place
98 min
318
Best of: Michael Lewis reads my mind
101 min
319
Best of: Tracy K. Smith changed how I read poetry
85 min
320
What I’ve learned, and what comes next.
Ezra reflects on his time with Vox, what he's learned, and what comes next.
38 min
321
Best of: An inspiring conversation about democr...
67 min
322
Michael Pollan on the psychedelic society
70 min
323
Best of: Robert Sapolsky on the toxic intersect...
75 min
324
Joe Biden and "the new progressivism"
58 min
325
Best of: Frances Lee on why bipartisanship is i...
57 min