The Gray Area with Sean Illing

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A scientist's case for "woo-woo" Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Sean Illing talks with David Hamilton, a scientist and former research chemist turned author, about his new book Why Woo-Woo Works, in which he offers a scientifically-grounded defense of alternative practices like meditation, crystals, and the law of attraction. They discuss the placebo effect and its far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the mind-body connection, the therapeutic potential of positive thinking, and why so much of what is called "woo-woo" still lies mostly outside the bounds of conventional Western medicine.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: Dr. David R. Hamilton (@DrDRHamilton), author

References:

Why Woo-Woo Works: The Surprising Science Behind Meditation, Reiki, Crystals, and Other Alternative Practices by David R. Hamilton, PhD (Hay House; 2021)
The Magic Power of Your Mind by Walter M. Germain (1940)
"The mechanism of placebo analgesia" by J.D. Levine, N.C. Gordon, H.L. Fields (Lancet; Sept. 1978)
How Your Mind Can Heal Your Bodyby David R. Hamilton, PhD (Hay House; 2018)
The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine
"Effects of Colorants and Flavorants on Identification, Perceived Flavor Intensity, and Hedonic Quality of Fruit-Flavored Beverages and Cake" by C.N. DuBose, A.V. Cardello, O. Maller (Journal of Food Science 45; 1980)
"Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process" by James W. Pennebaker (Psychological Science; 1997)
"Psychology's Replication Crisis Is Running Out of Excuses" by Ed Yong (Atlantic; Nov. 19, 2018)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Imagine a future with no police Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

Vox's Fabiola Cineas talks with author, lawyer, and organizer Derecka Purnell about her recent book Becoming Abolitionists. They discuss Derecka's journey to defending the idea of police abolition, and what that position really entails. They explore questions about the historical and social role of policing in society, how to imagine a future where we radically rethink our system of criminal justice, and how we can acknowledge and incorporate current data about crime—while still rethinking our inherited assumptions about police.

Host: Fabiola Cineas (@FabiolaCineas), reporter, Vox

Guests: Derecka Purnell (@dereckapurnell), author

References:

Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell (Astra House; 2021)
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C.L.R. James (Vintage; 1989)
Black Reconstruction in America 1860–1880 by W.E.B. Du Bois (1935)
"One American city's model of policing reform means building 'social currency'" by Nathan Layne (June 12, 2020; Reuters)
"The Camden Police Department is Not a Model for Policing in the Post-George Floyd Era" by Brendan McQuade (June 12, 2020; The Appeal)
"Murder Rose by Almost 30% in 2020. It's Rising at a Slower Rate in 2021" by Jeff Asher (Sept. 22, 2021; New York Times)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Novelist Lauren Groff on the other Matrix Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Vox's Constance Grady talks with novelist Lauren Groff about her latest book, the National Book Award finalist Matrix, before a virtual audience for the Vox Book Club. They discuss the enigmatic historical figure at the center of the novel, the politics of women-led power structures, and the pros and cons of writing a good sex scene.

Host: Constance Grady (@constancegrady), staff writer, Vox

Guests: Lauren Groff (@legroff), author

References:

Matrixby Lauren Groff (2021; Riverhead)
"In Lauren Groff's Matrix, medieval nuns build a feminist utopia" by Constance Grady (Oct. 15, 2021; Vox)
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (2016; Riverhead)
The Lays of Marie de France (tr. Eugene Mason)
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experimentsby Saidiya Hartman (2019; Norton)
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore (2014; Vintage)
Arcadiaby Lauren Groff (2012; Voice)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Are we living in a simulation? Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Sean Illing talks with philosopher David Chalmers about virtual worlds and the nature of reality, and other topics that stem from Chalmers's new book Reality+. In this far-reaching discussion, Sean and Prof. Chalmers get into the makeup of human consciousness, the question of whether we're living in a computer simulation, and — of course — The Matrix. Are digital worlds genuine realities, or will their proliferation lead to a troublesome turning away from the physical world?

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: David Chalmers, University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science, NYU; co-director, Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness

References:

Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophyby David J. Chalmers (Norton; 2022)
Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes (1641)
"Are You Living In a Computer Simulation?" by Nick Bostrom (Philosophical Quarterly vol. 53 (211); 2003)
The Matrix (1999), dir. by The Wachowskis; The Matrix Resurrections (2021), dir. by Lana Wachowski
Free Guy (2021), dir. by Shawn Levy
Snow Crashby Neal Stephenson (1992)
Anarchy, State, and Utopiaby Robert Nozick (1974)

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Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Rep. Jamie Raskin on living through the unthinkable, twice Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

Vox's Dylan Matthews talks with Congressman Jamie Raskin about the tragic loss of his son Tommy, who was twenty-five years old when he died at the end of 2020. Rep. Raskin also speaks about the insurrection on January 6th, 2021, and his role as floor manager for Trump's second impeachment trial. They discuss the passions that Tommy cultivated and shared with the world, the experience of being in the Capitol as it was stormed by rioters, and the ongoing work of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

Host: Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin), U.S. Representative (D-MD, 8th District); author

References:

Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy by Jamie Raskin (Harper; 2022)
“Politics as a Vocation,” Max Weber (1919)

Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Best of: Why fascism in America isn't going away Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Vox's Sean Illing talks to Yale professor and author Jason Stanley about why American democracy provides such fertile soil for fascism, how Donald Trump demonstrated how easy it was for our country to flirt with a fascist future and what we can do about it.

Correction (2/1/21): Professor Stanley suggested in this conversation that West Virginia declined to expand the Medicaid option in 2013. In fact, the state did expand the program and has gradually added enrollment since 2013.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: Jason Stanley (@jasonintrator), Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy, Yale University; author

References:

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Themby Jason Stanley (Random House; 2018)
How Propaganda Worksby Jason Stanley (Princeton; 2015)

Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall
Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez

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Best of: Clint Smith III on confronting the legacy of slavery Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

Vox's Jamil Smith talks with author Clint Smith III about his book How the Word Is Passed, which documents the writer's personal journey visiting sites that embody the legacy of American slavery. They discuss the power of this re-confrontation, how to bridge the gaps in education and awareness of America's past, and the experience of Black writers in a nation that is "a web of contradictions."

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Clint Smith III (@ClintSmithIII), Staff writer, The Atlantic

References:

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across Americaby Clint Smith (Little, Brown; 2021)
"Why Confederate Lies Live On" by Clint Smith (The Atlantic; May 10)
"The lost neighborhood under New York's Central Park" by Ranjani Chakraborty (Vox; Jan. 20, 2020)
"The Statue of Liberty was created to celebrate freed slaves, not immigrants, its new museum recounts" by Gillian Brockell (Washington Post; May 23, 2019)
"No, the Civil War didn't erase slavery's harm" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Houston Chronicle; July 12, 2019)
Nikole Hannah-Jones Issues Statement on Decision to Decline Tenure Offer at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and to Accept Knight Chair Appointment at Howard University (NAACP Legal Defense Fund; July 6)
Crash Course: Black American History, hosted by Clint Smith

Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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Best of: We need to talk about UFOs. Seriously. Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

Vox's Sean Illing talks with international politics professor and amateur ufologist Alex Wendt about why it's time to start thinking more seriously about the earth-shattering implications of discovering extraterrestrial life. They discuss the taboos against serious scientific inquiry into extraterrestrial existence, the US military's official UFO report and the inexplicable videos released by the Pentagon, and what the possible explanations might be for what's been seen.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: Alexander Wendt, Professor of International Security and Political Science, The Ohio State University

References:

"The Pentagon Released U.F.O. Videos. Don't Hold Your Breath for a Breakthrough" by Alan Yuhas (New York Times; June 3)
"Sovereignty and the UFO" by Alexander Wendt and Raymond Duvall (Political Theory; 2008)
"Wanted: A Science of UFOs" (TEDx Columbus; February 2020)
The Pentagon UFO Report: "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (June 25)
"Experts Weigh In on Pentagon UFO Report" by Leonard David (Scientific American; June 8)
"The Unexplained Phenomena of the U.F.O. Report" by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (The New Yorker; June 26)
"Those amazing Navy UFO videos may have down-to-earth explanations, skeptics contend" by Andrew Dyer (San Diego Union-Tribune; May 29)
Friedrich Nietzsche, Will to Power, Book One (1885-1886)
Update: "DoD Announces the Establishment of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG)" (Nov. 23)

Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall
Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez

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Chris Bosh on winning (and losing everything) Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with NBA legend Chris Bosh about his basketball career, his youth, and his legacy. They discuss Bosh’s transition to the NBA, his role on the controversial Miami Heat teams that won two championships (and lost two), and the psychological toll of the injuries that later sidelined him, leading to his retirement. Bosh reflects candidly on his hopes for post-basketball life, and his new book, Letters to a Young Athlete.

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh), two-time NBA champion, eleven-time NBA all-star, National Basketball Hall-of-Famer; author

References:

Letters to a Young Athleteby Chris Bosh (Penguin; 2021)
Chris Bosh's Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech (NBA; Sept. 11)
"Chris Bosh owned the Hall of Fame stage with a master class in closure" by Ben Golliver (Washington Post; Sept. 13)

Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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The cult of toughness Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

Sean Illing talks with political commentator and author David French about modern conservatism and masculinity. They discuss the divergence between the Right's view of masculinity and what they fear the Left's view is, how Trump and politicians in his image have changed the conception of manliness within the GOP, and what the continued glorification of these revised ideals will mean for our political future in America.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: David French (@DavidAFrench), senior editor, The Dispatch; contributing writer, The Atlantic

References: