By Claire Curry, GabelliConnect
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” was one of the most influential writings in American history. Its arguments and Enlightenment-era ideas at the start of the American Revolution helped pave the way for the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and shaped the foundations of the United States of America.
“Paine didn’t take the view of attacking unfair taxes or exploitation,” said New York Times best-selling author and legendary value investor Joel Greenblatt during a Gabelli School virtual lecture on Sept. 29. Instead, “he said, ‘Who is this king guy and who picked him?’ Questioning the king’s right to rule in the first place really goes back to looking at problems from the beginning and saying, ‘Is this right at all?’ ‘Does any of this make sense?’”
In his book, which, in part, shares the title of Paine’s famous work, Common Sense: The Investor’s Guide to Equality, Opportunity, and Growth, Greenblatt similarly looks at the roots of modern-day problems and proposes disruptive new approaches to solve them. Solutions that, in his opinion, simply make sense.
Greenblatt shared his thoughts with Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School, and David Cowen, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Museum of American Finance, which co-sponsored the Gabelli School Centennial Virtual Speaker Series’ event along with the CFA Society of New York.