The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

Venezuela is a country blessed by nature but cursed by politics. Journalist Alexandra Ulmer joins Amit Varma in episode 110 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her insights from her years as a reporter there. Also check out: - Alexandra Ulmer's homepage  Alexandra Ulmer for Reuters Crude Nation: How Oil Riches Ruined Venezuela -- Raúl Gallegos Hugo Chávez: The Definitive Biography  -- Cristina Marcano & Alberto Barrera Tyszka Comandante: Inside Hugo Chavez's Venezuela -- Rory Carroll Hell of a Fiesta  -- Enrique Krauze. non-gated version here How to End Venezuela’s Nightmare  -- Ricardo Hausmann You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Should we care about philosophy in these modern times? Philosopher Rebecca Goldstein joins Amit Varma in episode 109 of The Seen and the Unseen to argue that we should -- and Plato's Dialogues illustrate why. Also check out: Plato at the Googleplex  -- Rebecca Goldstein You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

India is rapidly urbanizing – and the Indian state seems to be in denial about it. Reuben Abraham and Pritika Hingorani join Amit Varma in episode 108 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss what India needs to do to prepare for its urban future. Also check out: India’s a Land of Cities, Not Villages -- Reuben Abraham and Pritika Hingorani How cities, not states, can solve the world's biggest problems -- Robert Muggah and Reuben Abraham Reclaim the Sky  -- Episode 11 of The Seen and the Unseen, on FSI Why Are Our Cities So Messed Up?  -- Episode 31 of The Seen and the Unseen, on Urban Governance The Gateway to Our Cities  -- Episode 21 of The Seen and the Unseen, on Slums The World is Getting Better  -- Episode 101 of The Seen and the Unseen, on Human Progress Order Without Design  -- Alain Bertaud Triumph of the City  -- Edward Glaeser Young Rural Women in India Chase Big-City Dreams -- Ellen Barry You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

Host Amit Varma is joined by Vivek Kaul and Kumar Anand in episode 107 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the economic landscape of the day. Subjects discussed include the interim budget, the minimum income guarantee, the jobs crisis and how good politics leads to bad economics. Also check out: -Here Is Why the Indian Voter Is Saddled With Bad Economics -- Amit Varma -Politics = Bribery -- Amit Varma and Kumar Anand -Show us the money: Will Rahul Gandhi’s MIG-19 fly? -- Vivek Kaul Budget or Fudget?: Read This and Decide -- Vivek Kaul -India budget: Will India buy Narendra Modi's story of hope again? -- Vivek Kaul -The Indian State Is the Greatest Enemy of the Indian Farmer -- Amit Varma -The Business of Doing Business -- Reshu Natani and Kumar Anand -DeMon, Morality and the Predatory Indian State -- ep 85 of The Seen and the Unseen -Rajesh Jain's Journey to Dhan Vapasi -- ep 94 of The Seen and the Unseen -The State of Our Farmers  -- ep 86 of The Seen and the Unseen You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

In his latest book, Stubborn Attachments, Tyler Cower lays out a moral vision for the future. He joins Amit Varma in episode 106 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain why future lives matter as much as present ones, and why our priorities should be centered around sustainable economic growth constrained by negative rights. Also check out: Stubborn Attachments by Tyler Cowen. Marginal Revolution. The Marginal Revolution University Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit. The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios

In the second of a two-part series, historian Ramachandra Guha joins Amit Varma in episode 105 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about Mohandas Gandhi's transformation into Mahatma Gandhi -- and how that changed the world. Among the subjects discussed: caste, misogyny and Gandhi's personal obsessions Also check out: Ramachandra Guha's books on Gandhi, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the new and improved IVM Podcast App on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios  

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most fascinating characters in history: complex, misunderstood, deeply impactful. Ramachandra Guha, author of two acclaimed biographies of the man, joins Amit Varma in episode 104 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the first 45 years of Gandhi's life, before he returned to India to catalyse the Indian freedom struggle. Do check out: Ramachandra Guha's books on Gandhi, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World . You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com

The Emergency of 1975 was not an aberration, but was written into the DNA of the Indian state. Historian Gyan Prakash joins Amit Varma in episode 103 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on why the framers of the constitution gave such draconian powers to the state -- and why we may not have become so free in 1947 after all. Also read: Emergency Chronicles  by Gyan Prakash on Amazon. Shruti Rajagopalan on our constantly changing constitution. (Aug 2015) The Evil of Family Planning  (Dec 2014) -- Amit Varma Lessons From 1975 (Sep 2015) -- Amit Varma You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com

Shashi Tharoor, author of The Paradoxical Prime Minister, discusses the various faces of Narendra Modi, the nature of politics, the idea of India, and his own political journey in an insightful and thought-provoking conversation with Amit Varma.

We tend to take progress for granted, and are wired to focus on bad news instead of good. Steven Pinker joins Amit Varma in episode 101 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about why the world is getting better, and why Enlightenment values are essential for ensuring that the trend continues Also check out: Enlightenment Now and The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. It is Daft to Worry About Inequality --Amit Varma You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com