The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The case for thinking like a child

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Show Notes

Sean talks with psychologist Alison Gopnik about how children think, learn, experience the world, and why their minds may be more powerful than ours in some crucial ways. They explore the idea that kids are the “research and development” wing of the human species, built for exploration, curiosity, and discovery, while adults are optimized for focus, efficiency, and getting things done. Along the way, they discuss why children notice things we’ve stopped seeing, what we lose when we grow up, and what parenting reveals about love, care, and the nature of intelligence itself.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)

Guest: Alison Gopnik (@AlisonGopnik)

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