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
1
Democrats need to do something
47 min
2
How to live in uncertain times
45 min
3
How to sink into silence
Pico Iyer on finding quiet in a noisy world
43 min
4
How to change your personality
35 min
5
Is ignorance truly bliss?
30 min
6
Is America broken?
46 min
7
The cost of spending time alone
Do Americans have too much 'me time?'
37 min
8
Attention pays (with Chris Hayes)
47 min
9
How to be happy
63 min
10
The screens between us
42 min
11
The importance of failure
42 min
12
What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief
53 min
13
What do animals feel?
44 min
14
Are men okay?
44 min
15
How to feel alive
49 min
16
The antidote to climate anxiety
47 min
17
America’s reactionary moment
70 min
18
Well this is awkward
54 min
19
What just happened, and what comes next
Your election questions answered
47 min
20
Does being "woke" do any good?
Musa al-Gharbi helps us untangle the concept of "wokeness"
49 min
21
Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?
42 min
22
The world according to Werner Herzog
53 min
23
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
24
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
25
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