The Gray Area: The science of ideology

Stay Tuned with Preet

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, Politics, Government, News

4.8 • 32.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Preet's out this week, so we're excited to share an episode of The Gray Area with Sean Illing, which we think listeners of Stay Tuned will enjoy. We'll be back next week! What do you do when you’re faced with evidence that challenges your ideology? Do you engage with that new information? Are you willing to change your mind about your most deeply held beliefs? Are you pre-disposed to be more rigid or more flexible in your thinking? That’s what political psychologist and neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod wants to know. In her new book, The Ideological Brain, she examines the connection between our biology, our psychology, and our political beliefs. In this episode, Leor speaks with Sean about rigid vs. flexible thinking, how our biology and ideology influence each other, and the conditions under which our ideology is more likely to become extreme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:03.0	Hey folks, Preet here. I'm out this week with my family for my son's college graduation,
1:08.3	so I'm excited to share a podcast I think you'll really like.
1:11.6	It's called The Gray Area with Sean Iling, a journalist and former professor.
1:17.1	He takes a philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas.
1:22.6	This is a recent episode. Check it out.
1:35.3	A word you hear a lot these days is ideology.
1:41.3	In fact, you could argue this is the political term of the moment.
	...

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