The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The paradox of American freedom

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Sean Illing talks with Sebastian Junger, journalist, filmmaker, and author of the recent book Freedom. Informed by his experience hiking (and trespassing) along America's rail lines, Junger discusses the paradoxes of a "free" society, his recent near-death experience, and how the definition of freedom can change over the course of a life.

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

Guest: Sebastian Junger (@sebastianjunger), author & filmmaker

References: 

  • Freedom by Sebastian Junger (Simon & Schuster; 2021)
  • The Last Patrol dir. Sebastian Junger (HBO Films; 2014)
  • Our Political Nature: Two Evolutionary Origins of What Divides Us by Avi Tuschman (Rowman & Littlefield; 2013)
  • Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger (Twelve; 2016)


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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
    • Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez

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