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
101
Democrats need to do something
47 min
102
How to live in uncertain times
45 min
103
How to sink into silence
Pico Iyer on finding quiet in a noisy world
43 min
104
How to change your personality
35 min
105
Is ignorance truly bliss?
30 min
106
Is America broken?
46 min
107
The cost of spending time alone
Do Americans have too much 'me time?'
37 min
108
Attention pays (with Chris Hayes)
47 min
109
How to be happy
63 min
110
The screens between us
42 min
111
The importance of failure
42 min
112
What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief
53 min
113
What do animals feel?
44 min
114
Are men okay?
44 min
115
How to feel alive
49 min
116
The antidote to climate anxiety
47 min
117
America’s reactionary moment
70 min
118
Well this is awkward
54 min
119
What just happened, and what comes next
Your election questions answered
47 min
120
Does being "woke" do any good?
Musa al-Gharbi helps us untangle the concept of "wokeness"
49 min
121
Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?
42 min
122
The world according to Werner Herzog
53 min
123
Ta-Nehisi Coates on complexity, clarity, and tr...
We revel in complexity. But does our desire to understand that complexity sometimes over-complicate an issue?
66 min
124
Your mind needs chaos
Oshan Jarow speaks with philosopher of neuroscience Mark Miller about how our minds actually work and why we thrive on creativity and chaos.
49 min
125
Musician Laraaji on the origin of creativity
Sean revisits his interview with musician Laraaji, a pioneer of new age music who has recorded more than 50 albums since he was discovered busking in a park by Brian Eno.
44 min