Philosopher Alexandra Plakias says there are no awkward people, only awkward situations. In her book, Awkwardness: A Theory, Plakias explains the... more

This has been an unusual week. Sean and the TGA team are still sifting through it all and figuring out... more

What does it mean to be "woke"? It's become a catchall term to smear or dismiss anything that has any... more

What can ancient Rome teach us about American democracy? The Roman Republic fell for a lot of reasons: The state became... more

Sean Illing speaks with one of his heroes: Werner Herzog. Herzog is a filmmaker, poet, and author of the memoir Every... more

How important is complexity? At The Gray Area, we value understanding the details. We revel in complexity. But does our desire... more

In part three of our series on creativity, guest host Oshan Jarow speaks with philosopher of neuroscience Mark Miller about how our minds actually... more

Sean revisits his interview with musician Laraaji, a pioneer of new age music who has recorded more than 50 albums since... more

What is the relationship between creativity and artificial intelligence? Creativity feels innately human, but is it? Can a machine be... more

Children live with a beginner’s mind. Every day is full of new discoveries, powerful emotions, and often unrealistically positive assumptions... more