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
526
Can Raj Chetty save the American dream?
Ezra chats with Raj Chetty about the fading American dream.
77 min
527
Astra Taylor will change how you think about de...
Is democracy even possible? A conversation with Astra Taylor
76 min
528
Is big tech addictive? Nir Eyal and I debate.
Is big tech addictive? Nir Eyal and Ezra debate.
73 min
529
Generation Climate Change
Ezra sits down with Varshini Prakash of Sunrise Movement
91 min
530
Is the media amplifying Trump’s racism? (with W...
Ezra interviews Whitney Phillips
82 min
531
Rutger Bregman’s utopias, and mine
Ezra interviews Rutger Bregman
86 min
532
How white identity politics won the Republican ...
83 min
533
George Will makes the conservative case against...
70 min
534
What deliberative democracy can, and can’t, do ...
Ezra interviews Jane Mansbridge
51 min
535
Rod Dreher on America’s post-Christian culture ...
110 min
536
White threat in a browning America (Jennifer Ri...
73 min
537
Behind the panic in white, Christian America
91 min
538
An enlightening, frustrating conversation on li...
105 min
539
The cognitive cost of poverty (with Sendhil Mul...
93 min
540
Failing towards Utopia
20 min
541
Why liberals and conservatives create such diff...
90 min
542
Stacey Abrams and Lauren Groh-Wargo (Live!)
59 min
543
This changed how I think about love (with Aliso...
93 min
544
The plan behind Elizabeth Warren’s plans
49 min
545
Michael Lewis reads my mind
101 min
546
How Mitch McConnell convinced Michael Bennet to...
73 min
547
How the brains of master meditators change
68 min
548
Why good people are easily corrupted (with Lawr...
79 min
549
The art of attention (with Jenny Odell)
85 min
550
Matt Yglesias and Jenny Schuetz solve the housi...
Matt Yglesias and Jenny Schuetz solve the housing crisis
59 min