Everything is Everything

India did not become completely free in 1947. For decades after that, a group of people worked behind the scenes to reform our oppressive state and expand our freedoms -- especially our economic liberty. Welcome to Episode 28 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. This week, carrying on from episode 23's dream of presenting stories that should be film...

Vaccines are a modern miracle. Individual freedom is a value we shoud cherish. We love both! Welcome to Episode 27 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay and Amit rave about how beautiful vaccines are -- and ask the thorny question, should the state step in to produce vaccines, & coerce people into getting them? They use the tool...

What is the duty of the state? It's limited. When should it intervene? Only at specific times. In this episode, we lays out a framework for looking at this question, with freedom as a default. Welcome to Episode 26 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. This episode was first published on YouTube on December 22, 2023. For magnificent, detailed, juicy...

What do we mean when we use the words 'the state'? Why did it evolve? What should its limits be? What have we normalized about it that should terrify us? Are we all part-time slaves? Welcome to Episode 25 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay talk about how the existence of the state is itself an act of violence --...

Our universities are broken. The academy is a circlejerk. Our intellectuals have failed us. To nurture a Knowledge Society, we need to rethink how we make knowledge, how we diffuse it, and how we use it to make the world a better place. Welcome to Episode 24 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. This episode was first published on YouTube on December 8,...

The nonviolent resistance of a supposedly warrior tribe. The fat frogs who played a pivotal role in World War 2. The fierce will of a child widow who remakes herself and her world. The crucible of democracy, the soldiers who had to kill their own, the author whose book was lost, the young man who went missing. Welcome to Episode 23 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma...

Firms tend to grow, and even innovate, along predictable paths. But sometimes a firm does something truly audacious, involving a leap of imagination that seems to come out of thin air. Today's episode is about three such great leaps. Welcome to Episode 22 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay discusses three great leaps by three...

Human progress is enabled by the world of finance -- a world that seems dreadfully complicated from the outside. But once you understand its historical context, and how it evolved, everything about finance makes sense. Welcome to Episode 21 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay demystifies finance by giving us a guided tour of its h...

We've been taught for generations that India's biggest problem is its population. This is a lie. Our population is our greatest strength. People are brains, not stomachs. Welcome to Episode 20 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit discusses the origin of the flawed belief that population is a problem -- and states his case f...

To truly understand cricket, or life for that matter, we need to learn from poker. We need to understand the concept of Expected Value. We also need to learn from economics, and understand Opportunity Cost. Welcome to Episode 19 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit shares what he learnt about cricket from being a professional poker...

India's farmers are suffering. Indian agriculture has been in crisis since we gained Independence. Why? What can we do about it? Welcome to Episode 18 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss the many complicated problems of Indian agriculture, breaking them down one by one. Spoiler alert: the oppressive hand of th...

Humanity should not be divided. Globalization is a powerful force for good. But it is has ebbed and flowed. Are we retreating to a more insular world -- or does globalization continue, but in a modified form? Welcome to Episode 17 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay talks about the first two waves of globalisation -- and then expl...

The Soviet Union functioned under the delusion that you don't need freedom of any sort to grow as a society. The China model functions under the delusion that economic properity is all you need, and it can be directed from above. The Soviet model broke. The China model is breaking. Freedom matters. Welcome to Episode 16 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Aja...

One of the giants of 20th century statistics died a few weeks ago. He was Indian. His name was CR Rao, and he was the finest product of the Bengal Renaissance. Welcome to Episode 15 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay tells us the story of his great hero, CR Rao. The love for statistics is infectious, and so is the storytelling, a...

How is the Ukraine counteroffensive going? Some are disappointed at not seeing the tactical blows they expected -- but Ukraine might just be playing a positional masterpiece. Welcome to Episode 14 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay follows up his cult masterclass on The Seen and the Unseen with an update on where the war stands t...

He is not just a Rock and Roll star, he is a great artist -- and his work is literature. Happy 74th Birthday, Bruce Springsteen! Welcome to Episode 13 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay describes what Bruce Springsteen's music means to him at a personal level. And Amit talks about the different aspects of Springsteen's wo...

Most of what we think of as quintessentially Indian originated elsewhere. So what? Culture is a khichdi -- and that's delightful! Welcome to Episode 12 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay talk about the amazing khichdi called culture -- and how food, clothes, language, architecture all evolve in a giant melting pot of...

The road from desire to action is long & painful. How can we make it a smooth journey? Welcome to Episode 11 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit shares his learnings on productivity, beginning with the inspiring story of a young Goan boy, speechless in a grand hall in Lisbon in the 18th century, finding his wits when his fathe...

Humanity progresses when people are free. India still hasn't learnt that lesson. Welcome to Episode 10 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay talk about how freedom is the only route to prosperity -- and India has suffered for decades from its lack of freedoms of all kinds. They trace India's economic history from be...

Everything that we were taught about nutrition and diabetes back in the day was wrong. Today we know that sugar is poison and fat is fine. And that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed. Welcome to Episode 9 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit talks about how he reversed his Type 2 Diabetes -- and along the way, he tells us the history...

To make the most of your talent, you often need to be in the right place with the right people. Welcome to Episode 8 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit talks about what the Challenger explosion of 1986 teaches us about Bollywood and Silicon Valley. Ajay talks about how a government is exile cannot learn to act like a state by mer...

Isaac Newton was not just a great scientist, but the last of the magicians. Mohandas Gandhi was a black swan event: a flawed, complex man who shaped history. Welcome to Episode 7 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay talks about Isaac Newton, and why he was a product of historical forces. Amit cites Mohandas Gandhi as an example of...

Frédéric Bastiat taught us to seen the Unseen effects of our actions. Friedrich Hayek showed us how economies and societies really function. Welcome to Episode 6 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss the powerul ideas of two great Freddies. We learn how our government, like most goverments, redistributes FROM THE PO...

J Robert Oppenheimer was an extraordinary man who dedicated himself to his field and his country -- and faced persecution from the mediocre and the venal. Welcome to Episode 5 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay tells us the moving story of his hero, Oppenheimer -- and why that resonates with him. Amit talks about building cities...

Is OPEC an evil cartel? What mistakes has the Indian state made both in Kashmir and in our Naxal areas? What book should you read this week? What film should you see? Welcome to Episode 4 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay discusses why fears of OPEC manipulating oil prices as a cartel were always overblown. Amit speaks about how...