Onora O'Neill: What we don't understand about trust

Summary

In this talk, the speaker challenges common assumptions about trust, highlighting three widespread views: that trust has declined, that we need more trust, and that we must rebuild trust. The speaker argues that trust should be placed intelligently, focusing on trustworthiness rather than blind trust. Trustworthiness is based on competency, honesty, and reliability. Rather than aiming for more trust, we should aim for more trustworthiness and provide clear evidence of it, through actions that demonstrate vulnerability and reliability. Ultimately, trust is earned, not simply rebuilt.

Takeaways

• 😀 Trust is often seen through three common views: a claim that trust has declined, an aim to have more trust, and a task to rebuild trust.
• 😀 The claim that trust has declined is widely believed, but opinion polls show little evidence for such a trend over the years.
• 😀 Opinion polls measure general attitudes but fail to capture the nuanced way trust is placed in specific individuals or situations.
• 😀 In daily life, trust is placed in a differentiated way, depending on the task or responsibility at hand, and not uniformly across all situations.
• 😀 More trust is not an intelligent aim; the goal should be to trust the trustworthy, and to avoid trusting the untrustworthy.
• 😀 Trustworthiness is more important than trust itself. It is essential to assess whether a person is competent, honest, and reliable.
• 😀 Good judgment in determining trustworthiness is key, as people may be competent in one area but unreliable or dishonest in others.
• 😀 Systems designed to ensure accountability often do the opposite, creating inefficiencies and distractions rather than helping people demonstrate trustworthiness.
• 😀 Rebuilding trust is a misnomer. Trust is given by others based on evidence, and people must be trustworthy to receive it.
• 😀 Demonstrating vulnerability is an effective way to show trustworthiness, as it signals confidence and integrity to others.
• 😀 The ultimate aim should be relationships where trustworthiness is mutual and where individuals can judge each other's reliability with evidence.

Q & A

What are the three common views about trust that the speaker addresses?

The speaker addresses three common views about trust: a claim that there has been a great decline in trust, an aim that we should have more trust, and a task to rebuild trust.

Why does the speaker think that the claim about the decline of trust may be misguided?

The speaker believes the claim may be misguided because, based on opinion polls, there's not much evidence that trust has significantly declined over time. Politicians and journalists, who were mistrusted 20 years ago, are still mistrusted, and those who were trusted, like judges and nurses, remain trusted.

What is the problem with opinion polls as evidence of trust levels?

The problem with opinion polls is that they record opinions about trust in a generalized manner, ignoring the nuance and differentiation in how people place trust in specific situations or individuals. People don't trust all individuals of a certain type equally, and polls overlook this complexity.

What does the speaker believe should be the aim regarding trust?

The speaker argues that the aim should not be to have more trust overall, but to have more trust in the trustworthy and less in the untrustworthy. It is about intelligently placed and refused trust based on careful judgment.

How does the speaker differentiate between trust and trustworthiness?

The speaker emphasizes that trust is a response to trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is based on competence, honesty, and reliability, while trust is a judgment that people make in response to those qualities.

Why does the speaker think the focus should be on trustworthiness rather than trust?

The speaker believes that focusing on trustworthiness is more effective because it is what we actually need to assess when deciding whether to trust someone. Trustworthiness includes evaluating whether someone is competent, honest, and reliable, and it is this judgment that guides our trust.

What criticism does the speaker offer regarding accountability systems in institutions?

The speaker criticizes accountability systems for often being counterproductive. They argue that such systems, while meant to secure trustworthiness, tend to distract people from actually performing their tasks, as they are overwhelmed with bureaucratic paperwork.

How does the speaker suggest we should rebuild trust?

The speaker suggests that rebuilding trust isn't solely our task; instead, we must focus on being trustworthy and providing clear evidence of our trustworthiness. It's about making ourselves vulnerable to others, showing that we can be trusted through our actions.

What example does the speaker use to illustrate the importance of trustworthiness?

The speaker uses a commercial example where a shop allows returns of socks without asking questions. This is seen as an example of trustworthiness because the shop makes itself vulnerable by offering a no-questions-asked return policy, which builds trust with customers.

What is the moral conclusion the speaker draws about trust?

The speaker concludes that we should focus less on abstract attitudes of trust and more on being trustworthy ourselves. This involves providing others with useful, simple, and clear evidence that we can be trusted, which leads to better, more authentic relationships.