The Gray Area with Sean Illing Vox

Sean Illing is joined by John Gray, political philosopher and author of the new book, The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism. They discuss Thomas Hobbes and the origins of liberalism, the current state of democracy, and the very uncertain future of the global liberal order.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: John Gray, author and political philosopher
References: 
The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism by John Gray (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023)
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651)
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This episode was made by: 


Engineer: Patrick Boyd


Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall


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Sean Illing speaks with Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the author of a new book called Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. They discuss the concept of free will, whether it actually exists in the way we think it does, and what it means for society if free will is indeed an illusion.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Robert Sapolsky, author, Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will
References: 
Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert M. Sapolsky (Penguin Random House, 2023)
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky (Penguin Random House, 2018)
“Robert Sapolsky Doesn’t Believe in Free Will. (But Feel Free to Disagree.)” by Hope Reese (New York Times, October 2023)
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This episode was made by: 


Engineer: Rob Byers


Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall


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Zack Beauchamp, a Vox senior correspondent who writes about democracy and Israel, speaks with Shadi Hamid, a columnist at The Washington Post, research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary, and author of The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. They discuss the October 7 attack, the subsequent war in Gaza, what it means for Israelis and Palestinians, and how Jews and Muslims in the United States can find common ground amidst their communities’ grief.
This conversation was recorded on November 2, 2023.
Host:  Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent at Vox 
Guest: Shadi Hamid, (@shadihamid), columnist and Editorial Board member at The Washington Post, research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary, and author of The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. 
References: 
“Reducing Hamas’s terrorism to a problem of ‘evil’ is a mistake” by Shadi Hamid (The Washington Post, Oct. 2023)
The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea by Shadi Hamid (Oxford University Press, 2022)
“Everything you need to know about Israel-Palestine: A comprehensive guide to the basics of the world’s most controversial conflict” by Zack Beauchamp (Vox)

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This episode was made by: 
Engineer: Rob Byers
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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Sean Illing is joined by Matt Gutman, the chief national correspondent for ABC News, to talk about his new book, No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety and Conquered a Lifetime of Panic Attacks. They discuss their personal experiences with panic, the evolutionary roots of it, and how Matt has gained control over his feelings of panic and anxiety.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC), author, No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety and Conquered a Lifetime of Panic Attacks.
References: 
No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety and Conquered a Lifetime of Panic Attacks by Matt Gutman (Penguin Random House, 2023)
“The brutal mirror: What the psychedelic drug ayahuasca showed me about my life” by Sean Illing (Vox, February 2018)
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This episode was made by: 


Engineer: Patrick Boyd


Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall


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Guest host Alissa Wilkinson speaks with Walt Hickey about his new book, You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything. They discuss how entertainment affects the physical and mental states of viewers — from blood coagulation during horror movie screenings to an increase in Dalmatian adoptions after 101 Dalmatians was released in theaters — and why our responses to what we watch are worth celebrating.
Host: Alissa Wilkinson (@alissamarie), senior culture writer, Vox
Guest: Walt Hickey, (@walterhickey) author, You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything
References: 
You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything by Walt Hickey (Workman Publishing Company, 2023)
“How to Use Math to Crush Your Friends at Monopoly Like You've Never Done Before” by Walt Hickey (Business Insider, Jun. 2013)
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This episode was made by: 


Engineer: Patrick Boyd


Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall


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Sean Illing speaks with one of his heroes: Werner Herzog. Herzog is a filmmaker, poet, and author of the new memoir Every Man for Himself and God Against All. They discuss "ecstatic truth," a term invented by Herzog to capture what he's really after in his work. Illing also asks him a range of big questions, such as why he is interested in Mars and whether he thinks humanity is destroying itself.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Werner Herzog, author, Every Man for Himself and God Against All
References: 
Every Man for Himself and God Against All by Werner Herzog (Penguin Random House, 2023) 
Of Walking in Ice by Werner Herzog
Last Whispers by Lena Herzog (2022)
“Werner Herzog Talks Virtual Reality” by Patrick House (The New Yorker, Jan. 2016)

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Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by: 


Producer: Katelyn Bogucki


Engineer: Patrick Boyd


Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall


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