#045 - Arjun Khemani on Education, Knowledge Creation, & The Internet
Dec 6, 2023
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Arjun Khemani, HS drop out and part of Airchat, talks about education, knowledge creation, Airchat, the power of the internet, reimagining learning, living with uncertainty, protecting means of knowledge creation, arbitraging zip code & credentials, big quests: education & longevity, and future plans.
The power of the internet lies in its ability to connect people and facilitate open and authentic conversations.
Voluntary learning and the active process of conjecture and criticism are essential for knowledge creation and personal growth.
Deep dives
Arbitraging Opportunities in the Digital Age
In this podcast episode, Arjun Kimani, a high school dropout and employee at AirChat, discusses the endless possibilities offered by the internet. He emphasizes the importance of being authentic and vocal about one's ideas, while also actively engaging with people through direct messages. Arjun shares his experience of how he got connected to Naval Ravikant and Brian Norgard, the founders of AirChat, and highlights the value of learning from experienced individuals. He also discusses the unique aspects of AirChat as a platform, such as asynchronous communication and the active participation of users in conversations. Arjun expresses optimism about the future of AirChat and the power of the internet to facilitate civil conversations.
Reimagining Education and Knowledge Creation
Arjun Kimani explores his views on education and knowledge creation. He advocates for a non-compulsory education system, where children have the choice to attend conventional school or pursue alternative forms of learning. Arjun emphasizes the importance of voluntary learning and the active process of conjecture and criticism in creating knowledge. He criticizes the traditional school system for its focus on obedience and fixed curricula, arguing that it hampers freedom and inhibits the true potential of individuals. Arjun also discusses the growing trend of homeschooling and the emergence of personalized education through ed tech startups.
Embracing Uncertainty and Progress through Error Correction
Arjun Kimani delves into the concept of uncertainty and its relationship to progress and error correction. He highlights the fallacy of seeking certainty and emphasizes the need to embrace our fallibility. Arjun draws inspiration from the works of philosopher David Deutsch and his ideas about improving knowledge. He emphasizes the importance of creative criticism and the rejection of dogmatism, relativism, and foundationalism. Arjun encourages individuals to recognize that knowledge is never final and to actively seek better explanations as a means of progress.
Arjun Khemani is a HS drop out and works at Airchat, an audio messaging network founded by Naval Ravikant and Brian Norgard. Arjun and I talk about education, knowledge creation, Airchat, the power of the internet, and more.
Given that Arjun is located in India on a completely opposite time zone, we thought we’d use Airchat to make a unique, experimental episode. So, this is a collection of a bunch of asynchronously recorded audio messages on the platform. It’ll probably feel different in a couple of ways, and it’s shorter than normal, but it was a blast to record. Please enjoy.
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(00:55) Connecting with Naval & Brian
(02:45) Airchat & audio
(04:30) HS drop out
(06:01) Reimagining learning
(10:56) How to make progress & organize
(11:37) Living with uncertainty
(12:42) Protecting means of knowledge creation
(14:00) Truth vs knowledge
(16:37) Arbitraging zip code & credentials
(18:46) Big quests: education & longevity
(22:16) What plans is your past self still working on