The Gray Area with Sean Illing

A new philosophy of love

Listen Later

Sean Illing talks with Carrie Jenkins about her new book Sad Love, and her call to rethink the shape and boundaries of romantic love. In this far-ranging discussion about the meaning of romantic love, Sean and Carrie discuss the connection between love and happiness, what we should expect (and not expect) from our romantic partners, and whether or not loving a person must entail that we love only that person.

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

Guest: Carrie Jenkins (@carriejenkins), writer; professor of philosophy, University of British Columbia

References: 

  • Sad Love: Romance and the Search for Meaning by Carrie Jenkins (Polity; 2022)
  • "A philosopher makes the case for polyamory" by Sean Illing (Vox; Feb. 16, 2018)
  • What Love Is: And What It Could Be by Carrie Jenkins (Basic; 2017)
  • Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre (1949)
  • Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (see Book I, or Book X.6-8 for robust discussion of eudaimonia)
  • Marina Adshade, economist
  • Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (1946; tr. Ilse Lasch)


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

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      10,517 ratings

      More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

      View all
      Fresh Air by NPR

      Fresh Air

      38,189 Listeners

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker

      3,954 Listeners

      Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

      Gastropod

      3,620 Listeners

      Switched on Pop by Vulture

      Switched on Pop

      2,642 Listeners

      Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

      Decoder with Nilay Patel

      3,148 Listeners

      Explain It to Me by Vox

      Explain It to Me

      7,836 Listeners

      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,691 Listeners

      Pivot by New York Magazine

      Pivot

      9,272 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      111,917 Listeners

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes by Vulture

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes

      1,457 Listeners

      Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

      Radio Atlantic

      2,327 Listeners

      Today, Explained by Vox

      Today, Explained

      10,141 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      6,880 Listeners

      Throughline by NPR

      Throughline

      16,072 Listeners

      Land of the Giants by Vulture

      Land of the Giants

      2,154 Listeners

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

      23,606 Listeners

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

      5,414 Listeners

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

      674 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,462 Listeners

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club

      6,327 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      15,335 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,215 Listeners

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

      5,926 Listeners

      Cover Story by New York Magazine

      Cover Story

      1,218 Listeners

      The Interview by The New York Times

      The Interview

      1,475 Listeners

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

      140 Listeners

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

      1,716 Listeners

      Served with Andy Roddick by Served with Andy Roddick

      Served with Andy Roddick

      1,024 Listeners

      Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Prof G Markets

      1,175 Listeners

      Good on Paper by The Atlantic

      Good on Paper

      360 Listeners

      The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

      The Opinions

      459 Listeners

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird by Sue Bird

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

      281 Listeners