Two oft-conflicting notions of authority contend within the contemporary public health paradigm. Optimizing the public's health in a world of expanding threats requires increased amounts of state intervention. However, in part because of the prospect of this increasing state intervention, and to side-step the challenge to the power of private interests associated with the creation of dangers to the public's health, some would shift the ground for responsibility for health to individuals, who would be required to take on new responsibilities to calibrate their social behaviors (where to go, where not to go, what to eat, what not to eat) to promote their own health.