The Gray Area with Sean Illing

What exactly is the basis for democracy? Arguably Iiberalism, the belief that the governme... more

We have an exciting announcement! Vox Members now get access to ad-free podcasts. If you s... more

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to artificial intelligence. Technologists love ... more

Why do we keep comparing AI to humans? Jaron Lanier — virtual reality pioneer, digital phi... more

American government has a speed issue. Both parties are slow to solve problems. Slow to bu... more

Humans hate uncertainty. It makes us feel unsafe and uneasy. We often organize our lives t... more

How often do you find silence? And do you know what to do with it when you do? Today’s gue... more

If you could change anything about your personality, anything at all, what would it be? An... more

Are you ever happier not knowing something? As Aristotle famously claimed, “All human bein... more

What do you think of America’s institutions? Alana Newhouse, founder and editor-in-chief o... more

Americans are spending an historic amount of time alone, a phenomenon that is often referr... more

Where is your attention right now? Where was it a minute ago? A second ago? Where will it ... more

What does it take to be happy? Professor of psychology Laurie Santos just might have the a... more

What is the first thing that you touch in the morning? What about the last thing you touch... more

At the beginning of the new year, many of us make pledges to change ourselves. We want to ... more

How can we find happiness? That's an old question. Since the beginning of philosophy peopl... more

Can you ever really know what’s going on inside the mind of another creature? In some case... more

This week, host Sean Illing gets personal when he asks professor and podcast host Scott Ga... more

The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many dif... more

In this episode, host Sean Illing speaks with marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson abo... more

What just happened? It’s been almost two weeks since the presidential election, and many A... more

Philosopher Alexandra Plakias says there are no awkward people, only awkward situations. I... more

This has been an unusual week. Sean and the TGA team are still sifting through it all and ... more

What does it mean to be "woke"? It's become a catchall term to smear or dismiss anything t... more

What can ancient Rome teach us about American democracy? The Roman Republic fell for a lot... more

Sean Illing speaks with one of his heroes: Werner Herzog. Herzog is a filmmaker, poet, and... more

How important is complexity? At The Gray Area, we value understanding the details. We reve... more