The Gray Area with Sean Illing

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The world after nuclear war Jun 17, 2024

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A mile of pure fire. A flash that melts everything — titanium, steel, lead, people. A blast that mows down every structure in its path, 3 miles out in every direction. Journalist Annie Jacobsen spent years interviewing scientists, high-ranking military officials, politicians, and other experts to find out how a nuclear attack would be triggered, the devastation it would cause, the ruptures it would create in the social fabric, and how likely it is to happen today. She wrote about all of this in her new book Nuclear War: A Scenario. Jacobsen spends the hour clearly laying out the horrifying yet captivating specifics for Sean, and the prospects for avoiding catastrophe.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Annie Jacobsen. Her book is Nuclear War: A Scenario

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Gaza, Camus, and the logic of violence Jun 10, 2024

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Albert Camus was a Nobel-winning French writer and public intellectual. During Algeria’s bloody war for independence in the 1950s, Camus took a measured stance, calling for an end to the atrocities on each side. He was criticized widely for his so-called “moderation.” Philosophy professor Robert Zaretsky joins Sean to discuss Camus’s thoughts on that conflict and the parallels with the present moment.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Robert Zaretsky

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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This is your kid on smartphones Jun 03, 2024

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Old people have always worried about young people. But psychologist Jonathan Haidt believes something genuinely different and troubling is happening right now. He argues that smartphones and social media have had disastrous effects on the mental health of young people, and derailed childhood from real world play to touchscreens. He joins Sean to talk about his research and some of the criticisms of it.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Jonathan Haidt (@jonhaidt). His book is The Anxious Generation.

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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Life after death? May 20, 2024

Show notes

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.

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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The world after Ozempic May 13, 2024

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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.

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Cristian Ayala

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UFOs, God, and the edge of understanding May 06, 2024

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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.

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Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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How to listen Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

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

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This episode was made by:

Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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Everything's a cult now Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

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.

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens

Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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Fareed Zakaria on our revolutionary moment Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Fareed Zakaria (@fareedzakaria). His new book is Age of Revolutions.

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Patrick Boyd

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Life is hard. Can philosophy help? Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Philosophy may seem like a theoretical or abstract discipline in which unanswerable questions are debated to the point of tedium. But MIT professor Kieran Setiya believes that philosophical inquiry has a very practical and applicable purpose outside of the classroom — to help guide us through life’s most challenging circumstances. He joins Sean to talk about self-help, FOMO, and midlife crises.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Kieran Setiya. His book is called Life is Hard.

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