Vox

Is free will an illusion? | The Gray Area - November 3, 2025 - Vox
We all think of ourselves as authors of our lives. The difference between our happy ending and someone else’s tragic one are the choices we each make. But what if none of that’s true?
Sean’s guest today is Robert Sapolsky, a biologist and neuroscientist at Stanford University and author of Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will. They dig into Sapolsky’s claim that free will is an illusion and discuss what the science says about genes, stress, culture, and how all this research might reframe the way we think about meritocracy, blame, punishment, and even hatred.
This episode originally aired in November of 2023.
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Robert Sapolsky, biologist and neuroscientist at Stanford University and author of Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will.
00:00 Intro
07:12 What is determinism?
24:47 Can you choose to change?
36:37 Are we just responding to stimuli?
46:22 Can we claim credit for our successes?
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The messy truth about free speech - October 29, 2025 - Vox
On September 15, Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show opening monologue included comments about the shooting of right-wing media figure Charlie Kirk, and how the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Soon after, Brendan Carr, the chair of the FCC and an appointee of President Donald Trump, appeared on a conservative podcast and threatened to act against ABC and its parent company, Disney, for Kimmel’s remarks. On September 17, ABC and Disney suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kimmel’s suspension launched a national debate and protest around freedom of speech and satire. From celebrities like Wanda Sykes to Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz, people from across the spectrum weighed in on the decision. The show returned days later on September 23, but the FCC’s actions left many questioning whether Kimmel’s First Amendment rights were violated.
This incident is just one of many instances of the gray areas of free speech making its way into the news cycle. In this video, we take a look at the origins of the “inalienable right” to free speech, how the Supreme Court has determined the boundaries of speech (including hate speech), and where free speech might be headed next with a six-justice majority of Republican appointees. As this issue continues to evolve, social media is one of the latest modes of communication adding new layers of complexity to this age-old debate.
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We’re not doomed by climate change. We’re just confused. | The Gray Area - October 27, 2025 - Vox
The story we tell about climate change is mostly a story about loss. But look to the data, and that story starts to fall apart. Emissions are peaking in key sectors. Clean energy is scaling faster than anyone predicted. Real progress is happening. It’s just not happening in the way we imagine it.
Sean’s guest today is Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and author of Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change. They discuss why our picture of the planet is so distorted, why despair can be as dangerous as denial, and what a truly energy-abundant, livable future could look like.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Hannah Ritchie, author of Clearing the Air
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262052740/clearing-the-air/
00:00 Intro
00:38 We know how to solve big problems
12:10 The cost of renewables has plummeted
28:58 Contested topics in the climate world
38:55 There's too much focus on plastic
45:09 What the future could look like
This episode was supported by a grant from Arnold Ventures. Vox had full discretion over the content of this reporting.
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Why everything on the internet is getting worse | The Gray Area - October 20, 2025 - Vox
Open a browser and you can feel it instantly: everything online just feels … worse.
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Search results that look like ads. Social feeds that you don’t control. Streaming platforms that are packed with ads. Services that used to be free, but are now behind paywalls. It’s not your imagination — it’s enshittification, the process by which good platforms turn bad … and it’s starting to happen outside the internet as well.
Sean’s guest today is Cory Doctorow, author of Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. They discuss how the web became enshittified, why monopolies are the true engine behind our digital decay, and what it would mean to build a freer, fairer, and more human internet.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Cory Doctorow (https://x.com/doctorow), author of Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.
00:00 Intro
00:45 What is enshittification?
11:48 Is this techno-feudalism?
25:53 You didn't shop wrong.
35:14 How to win a trade war.
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How close is America to civil conflict? | The Gray Area - October 13, 2025 - Vox
Is America at a tipping point?
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Sean Illing talks with Barbara Walter, one of the world’s leading experts on violent extremism and domestic terror. She’s the author of How Civil Wars Start, about how democracies unravel from within, and a professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Walter talks to Sean about the warning signs she’s seeing in the US, why polarization and party identity become combustible, and what lessons we can draw from other countries. They also discuss what an American civil war might look like in the 21st century, the social and informational dynamics that accelerate breakdown, and whether America still has a path away from the brink.
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Barbara Walter, professor at UC San Diego and author of How Civil Wars Start
00:00 Intro
01:23 Our political leaders are reacting differently to violence
11:05 Violence is no longer one-sided
17:54 Law enforcement leaders aren't what they used to be
22:12 Where are we on the violence continuum
33:03 The effect of violent rhetoric
38:35 Violence without ideology?
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
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