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
501
What deliberative democracy can, and can’t, do ...
Ezra interviews Jane Mansbridge
51 min
502
Rod Dreher on America’s post-Christian culture ...
110 min
503
White threat in a browning America (Jennifer Ri...
73 min
504
Behind the panic in white, Christian America
91 min
505
An enlightening, frustrating conversation on li...
105 min
506
The cognitive cost of poverty (with Sendhil Mul...
93 min
507
Failing towards Utopia
20 min
508
Why liberals and conservatives create such diff...
90 min
509
Stacey Abrams and Lauren Groh-Wargo (Live!)
59 min
510
This changed how I think about love (with Aliso...
93 min
511
The plan behind Elizabeth Warren’s plans
49 min
512
Michael Lewis reads my mind
101 min
513
How Mitch McConnell convinced Michael Bennet to...
73 min
514
How the brains of master meditators change
68 min
515
Why good people are easily corrupted (with Lawr...
79 min
516
The art of attention (with Jenny Odell)
85 min
517
Matt Yglesias and Jenny Schuetz solve the housi...
Matt Yglesias and Jenny Schuetz solve the housing crisis
59 min
518
What kind of news is cable news? (With Brian St...
82 min
519
Contrapoints on taking the trolls seriously
75 min
520
The purpose of political violence
75 min
521
Ask Ezra Anything 3: Endgame
Ezra answers listener questions
90 min
522
The disillusionment of David Brooks
93 min
523
Emily Oster schools me on parenthood
51 min
524
Lessons from Vox’s first 5 years
90 min
525
Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle
79 min