Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren't echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages at http://www.ted.com/translate.

Follow TED on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED


If you have questions or comments about this or other TED videos, please go to http://support.ted.com

• Category

  Nonprofits & Activism

[Christopher ONeill]

20 people dared to disagree

[d4n4nable]

That's why advocatus diaboli is such a magnificent concept. Nobody should ever shun criticism.

[Claudia Jeldrez]

Beautiful!! and she`s wearing a Isaac Myaki gem!! :)

[Claudia Jeldrez]

Beautiful!! and she`s wearing a Isaac Myaki gem!! :)

[tomvld]

I disagree

[Grant Smith]

importance of quantity of life < value of quality of life (too bad there aren't any countries acting that way, except maybe china)

[captnhuffy]

I see your point, as that is what the Marketing arm of TED bills themselves as.... But MY point of the matter is that they are NOT that, in my opinion.

I'll judge TED by what they offer, not by what they SAY they are.

As a College grad, an Engineer, a Businessman / Marketing Manager, & a World traveler, I am VERY well rounded, & very much aware of the differences between what people/businesses say they are - and what they REALLY are.

CLEARLY: They are *firstly* a Political platform

[Simon Robert Lane]

For a rebuttal of the nih document you referred to type healtoronto nih into Google and read what you find. In all seriousness there is nothing out there that does not fall foul of the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Whatever these tests are detecting could simply correlate in some way with immune system problems. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent based on papers clearly shown to be fraudulent (Google "How the HIV Papers were fixed"); 'too big to fail' syndrome but it's flawed.

[Simon Robert Lane]

Of course the nih have a webpage claiming to present evidence for the 'HIV' hypothesis. We won't get far trying to discuss the merits and demerits 500 characters at a time. With respect to this and your next point I do seriously suggest you search for "House of Numbers" on here and watch it. In short it was no surprise that some living the fast track gay life style of the 70s and early 80s burnt out, of course IV drug users shooting street junk destroy their immune systems, and poverty kills.