With which historical figure’s worldview does Smith most strongly disagree?

Speaking to the graduating class of the New School in 2014, Zadie Smith opens by recounting where she was at when she graduated college. Smith self-describes as coming from a solipsistic generation, one that was taught to chase individuality, and in pursuit of that lost touch with the communal. The generation just graduating, however, has many tough collective tasks ahead—things her generation left undone and things that can be tackled only by working together. Smith thinks their generation is up to the challenge, because even their slogans, like the “99 Percent,” encompass the many. Smith echoes the importance of embracing one’s place within the many, because it is a potential source of life’s joy. While Smith does also believe in the importance of individuality, she reminds the graduates that it is being part of the collective that gives true meaning to our lives.