Keagan Stokoe is a South African writer and technologist. After studying law & finance, he decided to follow his passion for exploring the intersection of ideas related to technology, education & philosophy.
Keagan has ambitions of changing the world. In pursuit, he looks for ways to use technology to create better thinkers & problem solvers in the future.
I wouldn’t bet against him.
Keagan is one of the clearest young thinkers I read regularly. He writes daily—a habit he says completely changes your perspective of the world, the way you approach problems, and the way you perceive information.
He believes technology is our best hope for improving the world we inhabit. Living in Sub-Saharan Africa, he is constantly astounded by the power of the Internet.
I’ve followed Keagan on Twitter for a while. His insightful commentary frequently has me hitting the “like” button. And I couldn’t wait to get him on the podcast.
Topics we discuss:
- The future of education
- What prompted him to write The Modern-Day Mind-Killer
- Should you travel for a year after school or not?
- Digging deeper once you read something on the Internet
- Musings about Twitter
- Benefits of writing regularly
- How culture influences educated people
- How the Internet has changed the world in short order
- “Colored” people in South Africa
- Shark cage diving off coast of SA
- Happiness in poor communities vs. rich communities
- Discussion on The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
- New York Yankee Great, Joe Dimaggio
- Compound interest should be emphasized in school
- Being grateful for the world we’re living in right now
- Starting your education after getting a college degree
- What Michael Jackson taught us about changing the world
- Traveling: A Strategy or Escape?
Questions asked:
- How do you think the Internet changed the lives of South Africans?
- Are you aware of the racial hysteria that is going on in America right now?
- Are there many townships where you live?
- Have things gotten better [in South Africa] since 2015?
- What is your rebuttal to Jordan Peterson who says to young people, “Stop trying to change the world?”
- If somebody you respected recommended five books, what would keep you from buying all those books?
Fun questions:
- Apple or Android?
- What is your favorite sport?
- Do you have American football? Basketball?
- Who is the most famous South African soccer player?
- Have you ever had a moment where you thought you were going to die?
- If someone dropped $1 million in your lap tomorrow, what would you do with it?
- What do you hope to be doing when you are my age?
Listen here:
Books mentioned:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- I Will Never See the World Again: The Memoir of an Imprisoned Writer by Ahmet Altan
- Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky
- The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Connect with Keagan:
- Twitter: @KeaganStokoe
- Website: KeaganStokoe.com
- Timeless Tuesday Newsletter
