

Keen On America
Andrew Keen
Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 24, 2023 • 36min
From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic: Simon Winchester about the magical way in which knowledge is now transmitted
EPISODE 1455: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW, Simon Winchester, about the magical way in which contemporary knowledge is transmittedSIMON WINCHESTER is the New York Times best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman. His recent titles include The Perfectionists and Land. Winchester was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to journalism and literature. He lives in Massachusetts and New York City. His latest book is Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 24, 2023 • 27min
The Poetry of End Times:" Rishi Dastidar offers a post-apocalyptic jig and reel to dance around our climate crisis
EPISODE 1454: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of NEPTUNE'S PROJECTS, Rishi Dastidar, about how to write poetry about the impending environmental catastropheRishi Dastidar’s poetry has been published by the Financial Times and BBC amongst many others. He is a fellow of The Complete Works, and a consulting editor at The Rialto magazine. A poem from his debut collection Ticker-tape was included in The Forward Book of Poetry 2018, and his second collection, Saffron Jack, was published in the UK by Nine Arches Press in 2020. He is also editor of The Craft: A Guide to Making Poetry Happen in the 21st Century (Nine Arches Press), and co-editor of Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different: Poems from Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (Corsair).Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 24, 2023 • 33min
If You Don't Adapt, You Fail: Peter Frankopan on what we can learn from history about today's environmental crisis
EPISODE 1453: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Oxford Professor of Global History and author of THE EARTH TRANSFORMED, Peter Frankopan, about what we can learn from history about today's environmental crisisPeter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University, where he is Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford. He is also Professor of Silk Roads Studies and a Bye-Fellow at King's College, Cambridge. He works on the history and politics of the Mediterranean, Russia, the Middle East, Persia/Iran, Central Asia, China and beyond - as well as on the histories of climate, natural resources and connectivities. Peter often writes for the international press, including The Sunday Times, New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian, and the Evening Standard. He has been called 'the first great historian of the 21st century' by Brazil's DCM magazine; 'the history rock star du jour by The New Statesman, and simply 'a rock-star historian' (VLT - Sweden; Helsingin Sanomat - Finland). The Times has called him 'a literary star.' Silk Roads was named The Daily Telegraph's History Book of the Year 2015. it went to Number One in the Sunday Times Non-Fiction charts, remaining in the Top 10 for nine months in a row, as well as being #1 in China, India and many other countries around the world, selling more than 2m copies. It is one of 'ten books that change how you see the world' (The Times). It was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-20 by the Sunday Times. His follow-up, The New Silk Roads, is a 'masterly-mapping out of anew world order', according to the Evening Standard, and 'a brilliant guide to terra incognita' (Sunday Times) that is reminiscent of Tolstoy (Daily Telegraph). It won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation in 2019. In his latest book, The Earth Transformed: An Untold History, Peter looks at environmental history, at climate and the ways it has shaped the human and natural past. 'This is an endlessly fascinating book', says Gerard DeGroot in The Times, 'an easy read on an important subject. It has the intellectual weight and dramatic force of a tsunami.' According to Walter Scheidel in The Financial Times: 'Humanity has transformed the Earth: Frankopan transforms our understanding of history.' In December 2018, The Silk Roads was named one of the 25 most influential books translated into Chinese in the last 40 years, alongside One Hundred Years of Solitude, Pride and Prejudice, Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby. In 2019, he won the prestigious Calliope Prize of the German Emigration Center, one of the richest prizes for the Humanities in Germany. In 2016-18, Peter's Songlines audio channel in which he chose his favourite pieces of world music was part of British Airways' In-Flight Entertainment system. In 2018, The Silk Roads was chosen as part of the Government of Pakistan's Read to Lead program to encourage literacy in the country. It was

Apr 23, 2023 • 38min
From Saddam to the Iraqi heavy metal scene: Faisal Saeed Al Mutar on resisting Al Qaeda, reading John Stuart Mill and eating a good kebab
EPISODE 1452: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Iraqi-American human-rights activist and founder of IDEAS BEYOND BORDERS, Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, about resisting Al Qaeda in post Saddam Iraq, reading John Stuart Mill and where to get a good kebabBorn in Babylon, Raised in Baghdad, Faisal Saeed Al Mutar experienced the villainy of extremism and authoritarian regimes firsthand. He survived the Iraq Civil War, the murder of his brother, and several kidnapping attempts before becoming a refugee in the United States in 2013. A practitioner of countering extremism and misinformation on an international scale, he’s traveled to conferences and spoken on campuses across the globe on his experiences working to create an alternative positive change in the region. He founded the organization Ideas Beyond Borders, a non-profit dedicated to empowering people across the globe with access to new ideas and fresh perspectives. Faisal received the “President’s Volunteer Service Award” from President Barack Obama and is a Fellow at the Elevate Prize Foundation.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 22, 2023 • 28min
An Uneducated Memoir: Christopher Zara on flunking out, falling apart and finding his worth in spite of not being "educated"
EPISODE 1451: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of the new memoir UNEDUCATED, Christopher Zara, about flunking out, falling apart and finding his worth in spite of not being "educated"Daniel Chandler is an economist and philosopher based at LSE. His first book, Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like?, makes the case for a new progressive liberalism grounded in the ideas of the philosopher John Rawls, and will be published by Penguin/Allen Lane in Spring 2023. Daniel has degrees in economics, philosophy and history from Cambridge and the LSE, and was awarded a Henry Fellowship at Harvard where he studied under Amartya Sen. He has worked in the British Government as a policy advisor in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and Deputy Prime Minister's Office, and as a researcher at think tanks including the Resolution Foundation and Institute for Fiscal Studies.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 21, 2023 • 31min
No, We Are Not Alone: Daniel Siegel explains how we must expand our idea of the "self" to include other people, other species and the earth itself
EPISODE 1450: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of INTRACONNECTED, Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., about the science of our social brains and why we are miserable being cut off from other people, other species and the earth.Noted neuropsychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel, MD, is clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California–Los Angeles School of Medicine, and executive director of the Mindsight Institute in LA. He is founding editor of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology.http://www.mindsightinstitute.com/http://www.drdansiegel.com/https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/sop-4-dan-siegel-and-the-science-that-underpins-his-work/https://www.facebook.com/drdansiegel?fref=tsNamed as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 21, 2023 • 28min
Halloween Comes Early to Silicon Valley This Year: The death of magazines, DVDs & Buzzfeed News as well as the near-death of Twitter
Episode 1449: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Andrew and Keith discuss the death of magazines, DVDs and Buzzfeed News as well the imminent demise of TwitterKeith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was also previously founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon valley startups including InFarm, Miles, Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); chat.center; Loop Surveys; DownTown and Sunshine. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 21, 2023 • 33min
I Kick and I Fly: Ruchira Gupta on empowering girls to fight against child prostitution and sex trafficking
EPISODE 1448: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of I KICK AND I FLY, Ruchira Gupta about how to empower girls to fight against child prostitution and sex traffickingRuchira Gupta has pioneered laws, policies, protocols, conventions and Best Practice approaches in the Feminist Abolitionist struggle against sex-trafficking in the UN, globally and India. Her work will be archived at Stanford Library and will be open access for students across the world to study. Her journey began as a journalist, when she made the Emmy-winning documentary, The Selling of Innocents. With the help of the documentary, she testified to the US Senate for the passage of the first Trafficking Victim Protection Act and to the UN for the passage of the UN Protocol to End Trafficking in Persons. She founded the Indian anti-sex trafficking organization, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, that supports thousands of prostituted and at risk girls in India. You can learn more about her organization here: apneaap.org. She is a visiting professor at New York University, and Distinguished Scholar at University of California, Berkley. She is the editor of a feminist journal for SAGE, Antyajaa: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change and two anthologies- River of Flesh & Other Stories and The Essential Gloria Steinem Reader. She has been presented the French Légion honneur, an Emmy, and the Clinton Global Citizen, UN NGO CSW Woman of Distinction award. She dreams of a world in which no human being is bought or sold. Her latest book is I KICK AND I FLY (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 21, 2023 • 32min
On God, Goodness & the Value of Persistence: Sam Adeyemi on why evangelicals should be encouraging their followers to think like "leaders"
EPISODE 1447: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of DEAR LEADER, Sam Adeyemi, about God, Goodness & the Value of Persistence and why evangelicals like himself should be encouraging their following to think like leadersSAM ADEYEMI is senior pastor of Daystar Chri-stian Centre, Lagos, Nigeria. His broadcast, "Excellent Leadership," airs on Daystar Network Television and Word Network in the United States and on more than 25 channels in Europe and Africa. He is also the president of Success Power International and hosts the radio and television program "Success Power," which is heard and seen in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He and his wife, Nike, reside in Lagos with their three children.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Apr 21, 2023 • 34min
The World and All That It Holds: Aleksandar Hemon on Sarajevo, Jerusalem and the political significance of "macaronic" language
EPISODE 1446: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to author of THE WORLD AND ALL THAT IT HOLDS, Aleksandar Hemon, about Sarajevo, Jerusalem and the political power of "macaronic" languageAleksandar Hemon is the author of The Lazarus Project, which was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and three books of short stories: The Question of Bruno; Nowhere Man, which was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; and Love and Obstacles. He was the recipient of a 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship and a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, and the 2020 Dos Passos Prize. He lives in Chicago.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.


