Ideas worth spreading

In praise of conflict

1,443,302 views |

Jonathan Marks |

TEDxPSU

• February 2017

Conflict is bad; compromise, consensus and collaboration are good -- or so we're told. Lawyer and bioethicist Jonathan Marks challenges this conventional wisdom, showing how governments can jeopardize public health, human rights and the environment when they partner with industry. An important, timely reminder that common good and common ground are not the same thing.

Conflict is bad; compromise, consensus and collaboration are good -- or so we're told. Lawyer and bioethicist Jonathan Marks challenges this conventional wisdom, showing how governments can jeopardize public health, human rights and the environment when they partner with industry. An important, timely reminder that common good and common ground are not the same thing.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxPSU, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Remind your representative that governments should be the guardians of public health and the environment. Ask your representative what he or she is doing to protect your government — and its policies — from industry influence.

About the speaker

Jonathan Marks

Bioethicist, lawyer

See speaker profile

Jonathan Marks works at the intersections of ethics, law and policy -- writing and speaking about torture, obesity, fracking, health care and other pressing issues of our time.

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Serious reading

For "serious" reading, see this working paper series launched by Lawrence Lessig.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxPSU, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Remind your representative that governments should be the guardians of public health and the environment. Ask your representative what he or she is doing to protect your government — and its policies — from industry influence.