Wise Trust

Karen Jones (University of Melbourne)

Abstract: According to one popular view, the wise economise on trust so as to avoid betrayal. But misplaced distrust can be every bit as costly as misplaced trust. How are we to tell wise trust from rash or foolish trust? To answer this question we must first understand what trust is. I argue that trust and distrust have an emotional component that shapes the ways in which we interpret the motives and actions of the other. Trust runs ahead of the evidence and seeks out evidence that would confirm it. Wise trust cannot be captured in a set of rules that would ensure we never trusted rashly, but we can identify those skills and virtues that make for wisdom in entering, maintaining, and exiting trust relations.