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