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
201
Pod Save the Democrats
55 min
202
A Yellowjackets creator spills his guts
39 min
203
A scientist's case for "woo-woo"
55 min
204
Imagine a future with no police
59 min
205
Novelist Lauren Groff on the other Matrix
42 min
206
Are we living in a simulation?
Philosopher David Chalmers on the question: what is reality, anyway?
63 min
207
Rep. Jamie Raskin on living through the unthink...
52 min
208
Best of: Why fascism in America isn't going away
44 min
209
Best of: Clint Smith III on confronting the leg...
56 min
210
Best of: We need to talk about UFOs. Seriously.
Professor Alex Wendt tells Sean Illing why he thinks the aliens might already be here
57 min
211
Chris Bosh on winning (and losing everything)
53 min
212
The cult of toughness
61 min
213
Is ethical investing a scam?
52 min
214
The good life is painful
49 min
215
The father of environmental justice
45 min
216
Jill Lepore on Elon Musk's imaginary world
57 min
217
E.O. Wilson's plan to save the world
51 min
218
Workers of the world, stay home!
57 min
219
How progressives get back in the game
57 min
220
The highs and lows of the "creator economy"
44 min
221
Why Chris Hayes thinks we're all famous now
55 min
222
The stories soul food tells
45 min
223
The paradox of American freedom
51 min
224
Nonbinary parenthood
55 min
225
John McWhorter, the anti-antiracist
61 min