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
201
Does China control Hollywood?
58 min
202
Steve Bannon is still at war
45 min
203
The Fortress of Solitude saw it all coming
Constance Grady talks with author Jonathan Lethem about his prescient 2003 novel
34 min
204
The Philosophers: Stoic revival
59 min
205
Station Eleven's creator on the end of the world
Showrunner Patrick Somerville on why hope is necessary for survival
47 min
206
The racist origins of fat phobia
49 min
207
The fight for Ukraine — and democracy
49 min
208
The war on trans people
49 min
209
Michael Ian Black on being a better man
50 min
210
Carmen Maria Machado's haunted feminine
36 min
211
The rise and fall of America's monuments
45 min
212
The Philosophers: America's philosophy, with Co...
55 min
213
Why accidents aren't accidental
47 min
214
Rethinking the "end of history"
56 min
215
Anita Hill finally gets even
55 min
216
Elites have captured identity politics
52 min
217
The moral dangers of dirty work
54 min
218
Did the sexual revolution go wrong?
53 min
219
Who decides how to conserve nature?
55 min
220
The Philosophers: Loneliness and totalitarianism
58 min
221
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 4: The fut...
59 min
222
Michael Lewis on why Americans distrust experts
52 min
223
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 3: The nuc...
51 min
224
The case for regret
45 min
225
The War in Ukraine, Explained — Part 2: Sanctions
56 min