658 episodes
The Gray Area with Sean Illing Vox Media Podcast Network
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
4.5 • 10.2K Ratings
-
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.
-
Life after death?
Sebastian Junger came as close as you possibly can to dying. While his doctors struggled to revive him, the veteran reporter and avowed rationalist experienced things that shocked and shook him, leaving him with profound questions and unexpected revelations. In his new book, In My Time of Dying, Junger explores the mysteries and commonalities of people’s near death experiences. He joins Sean to talk about what it’s like to die and what quantum physics can tell us about living that countless religions can’t.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Sebastian Junger. His new book is In My Time of Dying.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The world after Ozempic
Ozempic and other new weight loss drugs are being touted as potential miracle cures for diabetes and obesity. Journalist Johann Hari experimented with the drug and dropped 40 pounds. In his new book, Magic Pill, Hari discusses his experience with Ozempic and speaks to many of the leading scientists to better understand how the drug works. He joins Sean to talk about what he’s learned and the complicated trade-offs involved in the decision to take these drugs.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Johann Hari (@johannhari101). His new book is Magic Pill.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Cristian Ayala
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
UFOs, God, and the edge of understanding
Religious studies professor Diana Pasulka was a total nonbeliever in alien life, but she began to question this after speaking with many people who claim to have had otherworldly encounters. She also noticed how these accounts parallel the foundational texts of many religions. She has since written two books on the topic, the most recent of which is Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences. She joins Sean to talk about extraterrestrial life, God, angels, and the renewed interest in UFOs.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Diana Pasulka (@dwpasulka). Her new book is Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
How to listen
Most of us don’t know how to truly listen, and it’s causing all sorts of problems. Sean Illing is joined by journalist Kate Murphy, the author of You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, to discuss what it means to be a good listener, the problems that are caused when we don’t listen to each other, and the positive impacts on our health when we do.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Kate Murphy, author of You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
This episode was made by:
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Everything's a cult now
The internet has fractured our world into a million little subcultures catering to the specific identities and habits of everyone online. Writer Derek Thompson believes this has led to a widespread cult-like mentality that has crept into all facets of modern life — pop culture, media, politics, and religion itself. He joins Sean to explain this theory, and why it’s maybe not such a bad thing.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Derek Thompson (@dkthomp). His podcast is Plain English, and he writes for The Atlantic.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Fareed Zakaria on our revolutionary moment
Is it possible that we are living through one of the most revolutionary periods in human history? CNN’s Fareed Zakaria believes that we are and argues that the convergence of AI and the global backlash against liberal democracy are upending political orders around the world. He joins Sean to talk about how this period relates to history’s most impactful revolutions, both political and technological.
Click here to take the Vox podcast survey
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Fareed Zakaria (@fareedzakaria). His new book is Age of Revolutions.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Very Thought Provoking
I just finished the episode with Sebastian Junger. I have been a listener for a long time. I would recommend this show to people who enjoy The Ezra Klein show. The episodes tackle topics that can be difficult to pin down.
The most recent episode discussed the topic of the afterlife or lack there of, and as a secular Buddhist, I had chills a few times during the episode.
The first was when Sebastian described an episode of “communication” that happened while he was dreaming. His dad was experiencing a medical crisis as I recall and he had a dream about it as it was happening.
This happened to me with my cousin. He had a PTSD episode and rolled out of a moving vehicle. As this happened, I had a dream that I was in the desert being shot at. In the dream, I rolled out of a vehicle. I can still hear the voice in my head yelling that we were under fire. I woke up in a cold sweat, and I almost never have dreams that vivid. My mom described something similar with my aunt. She had a dream that my aunt was in trouble. It turns out my aunt had been mugged and left for dead by a river. I never have found a good explanation for these events, but it seems strange that events this specific could happen to multiple people, and it does suggest that we are missing at least part of the picture.
Anyway, I love these conversations. I always feel more enlightened after each episode.
Thank you for all you do!
My favorite podcast!
Always thoughtful- such a wonderful way to start my day.
Top Rate
Interesting and high quality listening