After dazzling the audience with his jazz piano skills, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown shared advice on grappling with opposing meritorious arguments and options in legal practice and in life. Quoting F. Scott Fitzerald’s definition of intelligence as the ability to cope with two opposing ideas, Brown pointed to the importance of acknowledging paradox and navigating nuance in making decisions. “This is what leaving the Garden of Eden feels like,” he observed. Citing President Oaks’s remarks at UVA urging attorneys to resolve differences through negotiation and prioritize peace over victory, Brown acknowledged the human tendency to pick a side and dig in on positions. “In the political arena, you’re rewarded for being 100% certain all the time; I’m skeptical of certainty. Life is complicated.”
