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Sean Illing

Sean Illing

Interviews writer and host of The Gray Area

Sean Illing the host of The Gray Area podcast. Before publishing things on the Internet, he taught politics and philosophy at a university. Before that, he served in the United States Air Force.

Latest articles by Sean Illing

How the 1990s broke politicsHow the 1990s broke politics
The Gray Area

Inside the GOP’s transition from the party of Reagan to the party of Trump.

By Sean Illing
The existential struggle of being BlackThe existential struggle of being Black
The Gray Area

A conversation with author Nathalie Etoke on Black existentialism and the case for tragic optimism.

By Sean Illing
What nuclear annihilation could look likeWhat nuclear annihilation could look like
The Gray Area

“The survivors would envy the dead.”

By Sean Illing
This is your kid on smartphonesThis is your kid on smartphones
The Gray Area

A Q&A with Jonathan Haidt on smartphones, kids today, and what the skeptics get wrong about his argument.

By Sean Illing
The science of near-death experiencesThe science of near-death experiences
The Gray Area

What happens when we almost die?

By Sean Illing
The known unknowns about Ozempic, explainedThe known unknowns about Ozempic, explained
The Gray Area

Ozempic has become hugely popular. Researchers are racing to learn more about what it does to us.

By Sean Illing
UFOs, God, and the edge of understandingUFOs, God, and the edge of understanding
The Gray Area

The spiritual possibilities of alien encounters.

By Sean Illing
Everything’s a cult nowEverything’s a cult now
The Gray Area

Derek Thompson on what the end of monoculture could mean for American democracy.

By Sean Illing
Will AI mean the end of liberal democracy?Will AI mean the end of liberal democracy?
Future Perfect

Fareed Zakaria on the age of revolution.

By Sean Illing
Life is hard. Can philosophy help?Life is hard. Can philosophy help?
The Gray Area

What philosophy has to say about midlife crises.

By Sean Illing