Trust: Self-Interest and the Common Good

Trust lies at the very heart of our relationship, our society and our everyday lives. Much of the time we take it for granted, and yet trust, or the lake of it, has become a critical issue in public and private life: Politicians say they want to rebuild trust in politics; people look for new ways to trust each other in a world where relationship are easy to start and harder than ever to sustain; and we are no longer sure how much we trust the experts on issues ranging from Food and Medicine to the environment. This though-provoking essay considers the central role of trust in our society, and its connections to a wider complex of factors including equality, social capital, community, democracy, and health, It argues for the vital importance of building trust at every level in the modern world.