The Gray Area with Sean Illing
The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Episodes
The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Episodes of The Gray Area
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Philosophy often feels like a disconnected discipline, obsessed with tedious and abstract problems. But MIT professor Kieran Setiya believes philosophical inquiry has a practical purpose outside the classroom — to help guide us through life’s m
What exactly is the basis for democracy?Arguably Iiberalism, the belief that the government serves the people, is the stone on which modern democracy was founded. That notion is so ingrained in the US that we often forget that America could b
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There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to artificial intelligence. Technologists love to talk about all the good these tools can do in the world, all the problems they might solve. Yet, many of those same technologists are also warning us a
Why do we keep comparing AI to humans?Jaron Lanier — virtual reality pioneer, digital philosopher, and the author of several best-selling books on technology — thinks that we should stop. In his view, technology is only valuable if it has ben
American government has a speed issue. Both parties are slow to solve problems. Slow to build new things. Slow to make any change at all.Until now. The Trump administration is pushing through sweeping changes as fast as possible, completely c
Humans hate uncertainty. It makes us feel unsafe and uneasy. We often organize our lives to avoid it. When it's foisted upon us, we don’t always know how to act.But writer and journalist Maggie Jackson argues that uncertainty can actually be g
How often do you find silence? And do you know what to do with it when you do?Today’s guest is essayist and travel writer Pico Iyer. His latest book is Aflame: Learning From Silence, which recounts his experiences living at a Catholic monaster
If you could change anything about your personality, anything at all, what would it be?And why would you want to change it?Writer Olga Khazan spent a year trying to answer those questions, and documented the experience in her new book Me, But
Are you ever happier not knowing something?As Aristotle famously claimed, “All human beings want to know.” But denial and avoidance are also human impulses. Sometimes they’re even more powerful than our curiosity.In this episode Sean speaks
What do you think of America’s institutions?Alana Newhouse, founder and editor-in-chief of Tablet Magazine, says that may be the most important political question in America.In an essay published more than two years ago, Newhouse argued that
Americans are spending an historic amount of time alone, a phenomenon that is often referred to as an "epidemic of loneliness."But are we actually lonely? Or do we prefer being by ourselves? And if we do, what does that mean for us and our soc
Where is your attention right now? Where was it a minute ago? A second ago? Where will it be a minute from now?One of the primary features of this age — the age of the internet and smartphones and algorithmic feeds — is that our attention is e
What does it take to be happy? Professor of psychology Laurie Santos just might have the answer.This week The Gray Area takes a break from its regular programming to bring you an episode of another podcast that we love.In this episode of St
What is the first thing that you touch in the morning? What about the last thing you touch before you go to sleep? For many of us, it’s our phone. Digital devices are with us constantly, often putting a digital layer between us and the world. T
At the beginning of the new year, many of us make pledges to change ourselves. We want to work out more. Or read more. Or cook more. Within a few months, some of us will have succeeded but many of us will have failed. When we do, we’ll probably
How can we find happiness? That's an old question. Since the beginning of philosophy people have been wondering what makes us happy and how to get more of it. But if you're a real person living in the real world, you know already that it's not
Can you ever really know what’s going on inside the mind of another creature?In some cases, like other humans, or dogs and cats, we might be able to guess with a bit of confidence. But what about octopuses? Or insects? What about AI systems —
This week, host Sean Illing gets personal when he asks professor and podcast host Scott Galloway: What’s going on with men?There’s a growing body of evidence that men are falling behind in education, the labor market, and other areas. And when
The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many different forms. Maybe it’s going for a long run at night. Or free-climbing a mountain. Or an intense meditation practice. Or that sensation you get when you
In this episode, host Sean Illing speaks with marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures.Johnson approaches climate change with informed optimism, encouraging us to stop waiting
What just happened?It’s been almost two weeks since the presidential election, and many Americans are still grappling with the result. The political reckoning will probably last for months, if not years, and we may never know exactly why voter
Philosopher Alexandra Plakias says there are no awkward people, only awkward situations. In her book, Awkwardness: A Theory, Plakias explains the difference between embarrassment and awkwardness, how awkwardness can be used by people in power a
This has been an unusual week. Sean and the TGA team are still sifting through it all and figuring out what to think about the presidential election. In the meantime, our colleague Jonquilyn Hill has leapt into action. She and her team from the
What does it mean to be "woke"? It's become a catchall term to smear or dismiss anything that has any vague association with progressive politics. As a result, anytime you venture into an argument about “wokeness,” it becomes hopelessly entangl
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