The Gray Area Podcast: An Intellectual Palate Cleanser

Vox Media is one of those media companies with a host of desirable properties. Its brands include Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater, and Vulture. Its podcasts, like NPR and The New York Times, have a distinctive footprint -- thoughtful, insightful, inquisitive, and embracing nuance, incongruity, and contradiction. Vox doesn't trade intellectual honesty for fealty to ideology like Fox News and its competitors, desperately trying to carve out space on the political right by "out-extreming" the Rupert Murdoch network. 

In podcasting, Vox doesn't do much to bring independent podcasts with similar DNA into its media fold. Indie shows like Undo, Preconceived, Vanishing Postcards, The Life Shift, and Why Wars Happened would be perfect, hand-in-glove fits for the Vox Media Network.

One of Vox's best podcasts has been around for nine years, and its longevity is a testament to its value for listeners.

 The Gray Area with Sean Illing takes a philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas. Each week, the show invites a guest to explore a question or topic that matters. From 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.

The show's host, Sean Illing, is an American journalist, author, philosopher, and public speaker, currently serving as a senior writer at Vox.  His work focuses on contemporary political philosophy, culture, and the intersection of ideas in modern society. Illing's career has spanned academia, journalism, and podcasting, showcasing his intellectual curiosity and commitment to exploring complex issues.

 Illing resides in Gulfport, Mississippi He is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served as a paramedic from 2002 to 2005. His experiences in both military service and academia have shaped his perspectives on politics and society. In addition to his journalistic work, Illing co-authored the book The Paradox of Democracy with Zac Gershberg. Published by the University of Chicago Press, the book examines the challenges facing democratic systems in an era dominated by misinformation and media fragmentation.

The Gray Area has a tone and a feel to it. Unlike the shouting and finger-pointing on some interview podcasts, The Gray Area goes for a more polished, professional, and professorial vibe. Unlike right-wing podcasts that consciously detonate anger and grievance in listeners, The Gray Area wants listeners to think, consider, assess, and review.

The show's theme is encapsulated in a famous quote by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who once said, "The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."

 I enjoy Sean Illig as an interviewer. He's thoughtful, not determined to show he's smart like Joe Rogan, and he ensures that his guests dispense their knowledge, views, research, and themes, so the interview flows effortlessly and seamlessly. Illig knows the value of time, keeping his interview in the 45-minute range.

Some of my favorite episodes include a recent one with Writer Olga Khazan whose new book Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change asks the question: If you could change anything about your personality, anything at all, what would it be?

In this episode, Sean Illig speaks with Olga Khazan about the science of personality change, the work it takes to change yourself, and what makes up a personality, anyway.

On a December 2024 show, Illig talks with professor and podcast host Scott Galloway about: "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 you look at the numbers on drug overdoses and deaths by suicide, it’s pretty bleak.

Illig and Galloway — both of whom are raising sons — talk about the struggles men are facing today, how parents can navigate the current moment, and the challenges they each faced as young men.

The show doesn't leap into the masculinity swamp to score culture warrior points like Senator Josh Hawley. Or like Joe Rogan, potentially reinforcing traditional notions of strength, competition, and dominance and indoctrinating young men into the manosphere.

Here are two snippets on Reddit of reviews of the show. "Hi all. Anyone here listen to The Gray Area with Sean Illing? He's not as popular as Ezra Klein, butt I find his podcast quite refreshing."

"Where Ezra has great discussions on politics and policy, Sean is more circling around societal issues, a little history and philosophy (he loves Albert Camus); a good variety of subjects."

Check out The Gray Area. You may not find a lot of concrete answers, but you will discover the right questions to ask.

Read more podcast reviews and recommendations on Ear Worthy.