New Books Network Ethan A. Everett, "The Investment Philosophers: Financial Lessons from the Great Thinkers" (Columbia Business School, 2025)
Oct 13, 2025
In this fascinating discussion, Ethan A. Everett, an investment professional and author, blends finance with philosophy, revealing how figures like Nietzsche, Spinoza, and Hume provide timeless insights for modern investors. He explores the role of luck in success and emphasizes the need for flexibility in an uncertain market. Everett connects ethical investing to Buffett's moral framework and stresses the importance of purpose beyond profit, ultimately illustrating how philosophical concepts can illuminate the complexities of financial markets.
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Philosophy As An Investment Toolkit
- Philosophy offers lenses to navigate the growing complexity of markets and produce differentiated investment insights.
- Everett argues philosophical toolkits create novel variant perceptions that can potentially outperform consensus-driven markets.
Be Convicted But Stay Flexible
- Balance conviction with flexibility and avoid dogmatic adherence to a single framework.
- Adopt Bruce Lee's "style of no styles": switch paradigms when market realities change.
Luck Runs Deeper Than Single Trades
- Pascal emphasizes deep layers of luck beyond single outcomes, including birth time, place, and legal systems.
- Everett uses Pascal to caution investors against over-attributing success to skill alone.
