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
476
The disillusionment of David Brooks
93 min
477
Emily Oster schools me on parenthood
51 min
478
Lessons from Vox’s first 5 years
90 min
479
Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle
79 min
480
How social democrats won Europe — then lost it
64 min
481
In defense of white-backlash politics
96 min
482
Identity, nationalism, and fatherhood
103 min
483
An ex-libertarian’s quest to rebuild the center...
81 min
484
How whiteness distorts our democracy, with Eddi...
86 min
485
Pete Buttigieg’s theory of political change
56 min
486
Meet the policy architect behind the Green New ...
79 min
487
The somewhat fractured state of American conser...
58 min
488
American politics after Christianity, with Ross...
74 min
489
Why Gov. Jay Inslee is running for president on...
62 min
490
ICYMI: Julia Galef
88 min
491
The roots of extremism, with Deeyah Khan
79 min
492
ICYMI: Paul Krugman
94 min
493
Pop music can make you smarter
21 min
494
Life after climate change, with David Wallace-W...
69 min
495
Pramila Jayapal thinks we can get to Medicare-f...
54 min
496
Noah Rothman on the "unjustice" of social justi...
67 min
497
Why should we care about deficits?
62 min
498
Anniversary special: Rachel Maddow
98 min
499
Andrew Sullivan and I work out our differences
121 min
500
The core contradiction of American politics
63 min