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Gurcharan Das & Milan Vaishnav: The Bhagavad Gita, War Ethics, Liberalism, and Global Power Shifts
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In this episode of Curiosity Entangled, author and philosopher Gurcharan Das joins political economist Milan Vaishnav for a wide-ranging conversation on the ethics of war, the future of liberalism, and the enduring tensions between statecraft and morality. What begins as a thought experiment—could the targeted assassination of a tyrant prevent a full-scale war?—unfolds into a rich dialogue spanning geopolitics, ancient Indian philosophy, and the fragile norms holding the global order together.
Gurcharan draws on the Bhagavad Gita, his utilitarian leanings, and his new AI-powered book project to explore modern warfare, drone ethics, and whether Gandhi and Himmler could really have drawn wisdom from the same sacred text. Milan weaves in contemporary case studies—from Gaza to Gujarat, from Tamil Nadu’s manufacturing boom to the shortcomings of India’s liberal opposition—offering sharp analysis on state capacity, democracy, and economic reform. Together, they examine what it means to wield power responsibly in an era of deep polarization and technological acceleration.
5 Questions This Episode Might Leave You With
1. Could targeted assassinations of wartime instigators reduce human suffering—or create dangerous moral precedents?
2. Can the Bhagavad Gita guide ethical decision-making in modern warfare and politics?
3. Is the liberal international order unraveling, or are we taking its historic gains for granted?
4. What lessons can India learn from Tamil Nadu’s manufacturing success and China’s bureaucratic incentives?
5. Can moral imagination and institutional reform revive democracy in an age of cynicism?
Learn More About the Guests
Gurcharan Das
Author, India Unbound and The Difficulty of Being GoodHarvard-Educated Philosopher | Former CEO, Procter & Gamble India
https://gurcharandas.org
https://x.com/gurcharandas
Milan Vaishnav
Director, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Author, When Crime Pays | Host, Grand Tamasha
https://carnegieendowment.org/people/milan-vaishnav
https://x.com/milanv
Timestamps
00:00:27 – Introducing the concept: AI book on the Bhagavad Gita and modern warfare
00:05:31 – Drone strikes, utilitarian ethics, and the seduction of surgical warfare00:11:49 – What if the Buddha had guided Arjuna instead of Krishna?
00:16:20 – Gandhi, Himmler, and the duality of interpreting the Gita
00:20:23 – The moral hazards of targeted assassinations
00:24:46 – Kant’s Perpetual Peace and the UN’s mixed legacy
00:30:11 – Why liberalism still matters—despite its critics
00:34:54 – The need for community: liberalism and the rise of nationalism
00:37:17 – India’s economic reforms: missing political champions?
00:41:29 – India’s missed industrial revolution—and hope in Tamil Nadu
00:45:17 – iPhones, incentives, and the future of Indian manufacturing
00:50:27 – Education reform and the politics of short-term thinking
00:54:10 – A silent education revolution underway?
00:58:16 – Institutions, norms, and fragile democracies
01:03:28 – When (if ever) is assassination justifiable?
01:07:32 – The need for global legitimacy in precision warfare
01:10:46 – Is this the best period in human history—and will we realize it too late?
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