Everything is Everything

Amit Varma and Ajay Shah

A weekly show hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah, in which the hosts bring frames from across disciplines to examine our world.

  1. NOV 8

    Ep 124: Gig Work is AWESOME!

    Gig work gets a bad rap. Critics claim that workers are exploited, algorithmic bosses are creepy, it’s capitalism gone bad. But actually, Gig Work = Freedom + Empowerment. Welcome to Episode 124 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay tackle the arguments against gig work — and lay out the economic, ethical and social reasons for why it is so amazing. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: Bourbon Company01:19 Chapter 1: Defining Gig Work13:28 Chapter 2: Steelmanning the Anti-Gig-Work Position29:13 Chapter 3: Why Gig Work is Awesome!41:05 Chapter 4: Gig Work in India47:57 Chapter 5: Gig Work is the Urban NREGS For full show notes, please click here!

    55 min

  2. NOV 8

    Ep 123: Beware of the Crisis

    There are people who argue that real reforms can only happen in a crisis. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste, they say. They are wrong. Welcome to Episode 123 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay explains how crises, most of the time, lead to terrible outcomes. Chaos is a ladder. And to actually do reforms during a crisis, you need not just the circumstance but also a scaffolding of factors in policy and politics and culture that need to be in place already. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: Is a Crisis a Good Thing?01:21 Chapter 1: Steelmanning the Position07:44 Chapter 2: The Prerequisites18:54 Chapter 3: Chaos is a Ladder29:03 Chapter 4: Weak States and Crises35:11 Chapter 5: Progress Comes From Incrementalism40:24 Chapter 6: The Lessons to Learn

    50 min

  3. NOV 1

    Ep 122: Nationalism Is Bad for the Nation

    The term ‘nationalism’ sounds so benign, almost as if it refers to something that is good for a nation. But it is a deeply toxic concept that tears societies apart. Welcome to Episode 122 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit argues that nationalism is always bad for the nation, and we should think deeply before we are seduced by its charms. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: One of the biggest questions of our times04:32 Chapter 1: What is Nationalism?16:11 Chapter 2: How Nationalism Spread31:25 Chapter 3: The Good and the Bad of Nationalism46:06 Chapter 4: Nationalism Gone Wrong54:41 Chapter 5: India’s Journey With Nationalism1:07:44 Chapter 6: Tagore on Nationalism1:09:59 Chapter 7: How Nationalism Invades Our Everyday Lives1:22:42 Chapter 8: Closing Thoughts For full show notes, please click here!

    1h 26m

  4. OCT 22

    Ep 121: How to Fix Our GST

    The GST was conceptually superb, utterly necessary — and implemented poorly. There are still so many problems with it that it defeats the purpose. How do we think clearly about its problems? How do we fix it? Welcome to Episode 121 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay, one of the authors of the original paper of 2004 that proposed a GST in India, talks about what the GST is meant to do, why it fails in its current design and what we can do to make it better. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Edge-of-the-Seat Excitement01:59 Chapter 1: It All Comes Down to Economic Growth09:08 Chapter 2: The Disaster of Cascading Taxes18:59 Chapter 3: How the World Solved This With VAT28:13 Chapter 4: How to Get the VAT Right31:59 Chapter 5: The Indian Journey to a Flawed GST48:23 Chapter 6: The Fix For full show notes, please click here!

    50 min

  5. OCT 11

    Ep 120: The Art of Reading

    Everyone wants to read more — but how do we do it? As lifelong readers, our hosts get asked this all the time, and decided to do an exhaustive primer with three parts. 1. Why should we read? 2. How do we build a reading habit? 3. How should we actually read a book? Welcome to Episode 120 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit does his best to answer the three questions above — but please don’t stop watching this show if you do end up reading more! TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: The Hood and the Hoodie04:01 Chapter 1: Why You Should Read Books33:31 Chapter 2: How to Build a Reading Habit50:03 Chapter 3: How to Read a Book1:06:40 Chapter 4: Closing Thoughts1:20:23 Chapter 5: How Amit Takes Notes on a Book For full show notes, please click here!

    1h 27m

  6. OCT 3

    Ep 119: Financial Crises: Why They Happen, How They Unfold, What to Do

    Financial crises are an unavoidable part of modern economies — and all of us have skin in the game. Why do they happen, how do they unfold, what can we do? Welcome to Episode 119 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Ajay shares his learnings from a lifetime of studying and tackling financial crises — and Amit voices his strong dissent at the end. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: The Fate of the World is on the Line08:35 Chapter 1: Let’s Start With History36:43 Chapter 2: But Should the State Intervene?50:21 Chapter 3: Types of Financial Crises1:12:50 Chapter 4: Why Crises Happen1:22:26 Chapter 5: What Can We Do?1:32:48 Chapter 6: Tackling the Extreme Positions1:41:19 Chapter 7: Amit Attacks the Conventional View For the full show notes, please click here!

    1h 54m

  7. SEP 26

    Ep 118: Inside the Hearts of Men and Women

    Men and women have always struggled to understand each other — and never more so than in these complex, changing times. What can new forms of data reveal about what we really want? A lot! Welcome to Episode 118 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss what anonymised search results, dating apps and innovative surveys reveal about what our hearts contain. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: Energiser Bunny02:39 Chapter 1: Metrics of Empowerment09:40 Chapter 2: What Your Searches Reveal26:40 Chapter 3: What Dating Apps Tell Us47:41 Chapter 4: When Harry Met Sally53:20 Chapter 5: Over to YOU! For full show notes, please click here!

    56 min

  8. SEP 22

    Ep 117: What Our Genes and Phones Tell Us

    How do we understand the world? Over the last couple of decades, new sources of data have given us great insights into our deep past — and our deep present. Welcome to Episode 117 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah. In this episode, Amit and Ajay discuss what our genetic data tells us about our prehistory — and how phone battery life can reveal character! Also discussed: lipstick, underwear, diapers and parking lots. :) TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 Packaging00:13 Intro: The Importance of Measurement05:00 Chapter 1: The History38:57 Chapter 2: Getting Into the Details50:44 Chapter 3: Ajay’s Journey With the Data59:51 Chapter 4: The Russia-Ukraine War For full show notes, please click here!

    1h 13m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

A weekly show hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah, in which the hosts bring frames from across disciplines to examine our world.

Information

  • Creator
    Amit Varma and Ajay Shah
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Amit Varma and Ajay Shah
  • Show Website
    Everything is Everything

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