The recovery of trust

Abstract

Much of the social life of many animals depends on cooperation. It is argued that humans are no less reliant on each other. The pseudo‐biological view that social conflict is inevitable under all circumstances is rejected. However, warfare undoubtedly occurs and people certainly risk their lives in attacking others. Explanations must be sought at many different levels. Most indicate an implicit weighing of possible costs against likely benefits which might be performed by individuals or might result from the historical processes of cultural selection and Darwinian evolution. Whatever the processes might have been, their outcomes make no sense in a nuclear age since the benefits of warfare are likely to be non‐existent. Since little can be done to change the way we think, it becomes important to understand the conditions in which we are prepared to risk our lives. It is argued that the key lies in the breakdown of mutual trust and that it is possible to create the conditions in which trust can once again be recovered.

Key Words:

• Evolution
• Cooperation
• Social behaviour
• Social conflict
• War

Notes

This article derives from a talk given at a symposium on The Human Factor in Today's Cold War held at Cambridge on 3 November 1984, jointly organized by Cambridge University Disarmament Seminar and the Cambridge branches of the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons and Psychologists for Peace.