VII. A Web of Interconnections ↑
58. We develop general trust in fellow group members to follow common norms.
Trust within cooperative groups decreases social friction and allows groups to function more effectively and efficiently.
Group members trust each other to follow the group’s norms, as defined by its culture.
For example, it is this sort of trust that allows drivers to continue at speed through an intersection when facing a green traffic signal, trusting that drivers in the other direction will be seeing a red light, and that they will therefore stop and wait for the light to change.
Words from Others on this Topic
Adam Smith, the great theorist of free trade economics, is revered for his The Wealth of Nations. His companion work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, is mostly forgotten. Yet it is the more important of the two. In it, Smith sets out why capitalism works best in societies where there are high levels of trust between its participants. When social trust falls, the cost of doing business rises.
Edward Luce, 2017, from the book The Retreat of Western Liberalism
Relevant Reference Models
Preference for one’s group - SS
- An element of The Social Suite
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