Kevin Kelly on Futurist Visions and How To Take Advantage Of The Inevitable

Author: Dane Sanders
Published: Fri 08 Jul 2016
Episode Link: https://convergepodcast.com/episodes/s2-ep-001-futurist-visions-of-the-inevitable-with-kevin-kelly-bZ61RMzp

If you could speak with a person who sees the future clearly, mindful of the ways technological advances we re making today will impact what is to come, what questions would you ask that person?

This conversation with Kevin Kelly is EXACTLY that for Dane, his opportunity to speak with a person who many have called visionary and who has long impacted the way he thinks and works in the new digital economy. Kevin is co-founder of Wired Magazine and many notable organizations and online communities as well as author of several bestselling books. He s also the man Tim Ferriss refers to as possibly the most interesting man in the world.

Kevin sees himself as one of many stewards of a long line of creative and innovative thought.

His humble perspective is refreshing. As Dane and Kevin chat you get the distinct feeling that Kevin doesn t think he s all that important, but rather that it s important that he handles the responsibility of what he s been given, well. What has he been given? He describes it as a long legacy of innovative ideas and perspectives about what s happening in the world and how things work. Combine that with his feeling that he s been at the right place at the right time and you have as an outcome, his very prolific life and body of work.

Are the accomplishments of any productive life luck, or is it destiny?

Kevin Kelly and Dane Sanders take a deep dive into the issue of fortune, luck, and destiny in this interesting conversation as Kevin unpacks his beliefs about the opportunities and situations in our lives that we could not have arranged, yet come to us all the same. His belief is that much of what happens is luck, but that you are responsible to be ready when that lucky moment arrives. Whether you believe in luck or a greater sense of destiny, you re going to be challenged by the way Kevin thinks about the subject.

It was inevitable that Kevin Kelly would write this book…

And with a sense of irony he s titled it Inevitable. It s a compilation of Kevin s thoughts on how we got to this point in human history and where our current technological abilities and experiments are leading us into a future that cannot be avoided. What remains to be seen is how humanity will steward what we create and the opportunities that rise from it. He addresses the challenges technology faces (everything from Artificial Intelligence to mass collaboration) and the types of turning points humanity will face in deciding how to use those technologies. Will we turn the corner toward a greater society or allow ourselves to go the way of immediate profit but eventual destruction?