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
451
The disillusionment of David Brooks
93 min
452
Emily Oster schools me on parenthood
51 min
453
Lessons from Vox’s first 5 years
90 min
454
Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle
79 min
455
How social democrats won Europe — then lost it
64 min
456
In defense of white-backlash politics
96 min
457
Identity, nationalism, and fatherhood
103 min
458
An ex-libertarian’s quest to rebuild the center...
81 min
459
How whiteness distorts our democracy, with Eddi...
86 min
460
Pete Buttigieg’s theory of political change
56 min
461
Meet the policy architect behind the Green New ...
79 min
462
The somewhat fractured state of American conser...
58 min
463
American politics after Christianity, with Ross...
74 min
464
Why Gov. Jay Inslee is running for president on...
62 min
465
ICYMI: Julia Galef
88 min
466
The roots of extremism, with Deeyah Khan
79 min
467
ICYMI: Paul Krugman
94 min
468
Pop music can make you smarter
21 min
469
Life after climate change, with David Wallace-W...
69 min
470
Pramila Jayapal thinks we can get to Medicare-f...
54 min
471
Noah Rothman on the "unjustice" of social justi...
67 min
472
Why should we care about deficits?
62 min
473
Anniversary special: Rachel Maddow
98 min
474
Andrew Sullivan and I work out our differences
121 min
475
The core contradiction of American politics
63 min