The Gray Area with Sean Illing

What counts as progress?


Listen Later

We’ve never had more wealth, more data, or more ways to be entertained. So why doesn’t it feel like progress? 


Sean’s guest today is Brad DeLong, an economic historian at UC Berkeley and author of Slouching Towards Utopia. They talk about the difference between getting richer and living well, and why the real hinge of the 21st century might be attention rather than growth. DeLong explains how AI could make life easier or simply make us more distracted, why the world’s progress continues even as American politics falters, and what smart policy could do for the people left behind by technological change.


Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)

Guest: J. Bradford DeLong, economic historian and author of Slouching Towards Utopia


We would love to hear from you. To tell us what we thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.


And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.


Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members


This episode was supported by a grant from Arnold Ventures. Vox had full discretion over the content of this reporting.

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

10,604 ratings


More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

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

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,818 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,245 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

4,065 Listeners

Explain It to Me by Vox

Explain It to Me

7,866 Listeners

Switched on Pop by Vulture

Switched on Pop

2,689 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,571 Listeners

Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

Gastropod

3,642 Listeners

Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

Decoder with Nilay Patel

3,137 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

87,453 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,843 Listeners

Good One by Vulture

Good One

1,486 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,351 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,263 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,214 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,379 Listeners

Land of the Giants by Vulture

Land of the Giants

2,164 Listeners

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by Vox Media Podcast Network

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

42 Listeners

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

23,598 Listeners

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

A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

729 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,538 Listeners

Good Noticings by Vox Media Podcast Network

Good Noticings

6,484 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,223 Listeners

Unexplainable by Vox

Unexplainable

2,309 Listeners

Cover Story by New York Magazine

Cover Story

1,217 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,583 Listeners

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

151 Listeners

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

1,758 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,446 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

608 Listeners

Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird by Sue Bird

Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

432 Listeners

Solutions with Henry Blodget by Vox Media Podcast Network

Solutions with Henry Blodget

27 Listeners