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
501
The disillusionment of David Brooks
93 min
502
Emily Oster schools me on parenthood
51 min
503
Lessons from Vox’s first 5 years
90 min
504
Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle
79 min
505
How social democrats won Europe — then lost it
64 min
506
In defense of white-backlash politics
96 min
507
Identity, nationalism, and fatherhood
103 min
508
An ex-libertarian’s quest to rebuild the center...
81 min
509
How whiteness distorts our democracy, with Eddi...
86 min
510
Pete Buttigieg’s theory of political change
56 min
511
Meet the policy architect behind the Green New ...
79 min
512
The somewhat fractured state of American conser...
58 min
513
American politics after Christianity, with Ross...
74 min
514
Why Gov. Jay Inslee is running for president on...
62 min
515
ICYMI: Julia Galef
88 min
516
The roots of extremism, with Deeyah Khan
79 min
517
ICYMI: Paul Krugman
94 min
518
Pop music can make you smarter
21 min
519
Life after climate change, with David Wallace-W...
69 min
520
Pramila Jayapal thinks we can get to Medicare-f...
54 min
521
Noah Rothman on the "unjustice" of social justi...
67 min
522
Why should we care about deficits?
62 min
523
Anniversary special: Rachel Maddow
98 min
524
Andrew Sullivan and I work out our differences
121 min
525
The core contradiction of American politics
63 min