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.
1
How to be happy
63 min
2
The screens between us
42 min
3
The importance of failure
42 min
4
What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief
53 min
5
What do animals feel?
44 min
6
Are men okay?
44 min
7
How to feel alive
49 min
8
The antidote to climate anxiety
47 min
9
America’s reactionary moment
70 min
10
Well this is awkward
54 min
11
What just happened, and what comes next
Your election questions answered
47 min
12
Does being "woke" do any good?
Musa al-Gharbi helps us untangle the concept of "wokeness"
49 min
13
Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?
42 min
14
The world according to Werner Herzog
53 min
15
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
16
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
17
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
18
Is AI creative?
The first conversation in our three-part series about creativity
38 min
19
Happiness isn’t the goal
Are we wired to worry?
51 min
20
A message from Sean
Sean Illing has a special message for all you listeners: Look at me!
1 min
21
What if we get climate change right?
A marine biologist tells Sean why he shouldn't be a "climate sad boy"
45 min
22
Yuval Noah Harari on the eclipsing of human int...
79 min
23
Why cynicism is bad for you
Psychologist Jamil Zaki explains why cynicism is a trap, and how to avoid it
55 min
24
Poetry as religion
The paradoxes of living a meaningful life are worth exploring... even if there's no God
51 min
25
The jazz musician’s guide to the universe
A cosmologist uses jazz to help make sense of the multiverse
49 min