Perspectives on Trust in the History of Philosophy

This edited volume examines the topic of trust and its place in the thought of several key figures from the history of philosophy. Drawing on thinkers and philosophical traditions from across the globe, the chapters focus especially on trust’s moral and social dimensions. What is the importance of trust for human social life? What role does trust play in morality, in political arrangements, and in our attempts to gain knowledge and understand the world? When should we trust others, and when is withholding trust or mistrusting others warranted? While philosophers have recently turned their attention to such questions, they have generally overlooked what important thinkers throughout the history of philosophy have said on the topic of trust. Edited by David Collins, Iris Vidmar Jovanovic, and Mark Alfano, Perspectives on Trust in the History of Philosophy brings together examinations of the views on trust that can be found in several major philosophers, from the ancient world up to the twentieth century and from across the globe. With a focus on the moral and social dimensions of trust, this collection includes perspectives from Chinese, Indian, and African philosophies, and the contributors examine how thinkers such as Confucius, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Smith, Kant, Nietzsche, Løgstrup, and Murdoch have thought about trust and trustworthiness. This book demonstrates that good philosophical work on trust must be historically informed.