Navigating Vagueness: Rule-Following and The Scope of Trust

Philosophical Quarterly (forthcoming)
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Abstract

In this paper, I address a fundamental challenge in the philosophy of trust: how to account for trustee discretion in scenarios that fall outside explicitly defined expectations. I argue that this challenge reveals vagueness as an inherent feature of trusting relationships, often leading to disagreements between trustors and trustees. To resolve this, I propose a novel account of trust grounded in rule-following, shifting the object of trust from particular actions to adherence to rules constitutive of relationships. By focusing on relationships and their constitutive rules, I provide here a framework for understanding and minimizing disagreements through communication and engaged practice. Furthermore, I argue this framework sheds light on the dynamics of trust-related reactive attitudes, in particular, distinguishing between betrayal and mere disappointment.

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Eli Benjamin Israel
Temple University

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References found in this work

Freedom and Resentment.Peter Strawson - 1962 - Proceedings of the British Academy 48:187-211.
Trust and antitrust.Annette Baier - 1986 - Ethics 96 (2):231-260.
Knowledge on Trust.Paul Faulkner - 2011 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Trust as an affective attitude.Karen Jones - 1996 - Ethics 107 (1):4-25.

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