Social Glue

Trust is essential to an advanced civilised society. Even if we had the time and ability to personally check up on the expert opinions and professional advice we recieved we would have time for nothing else. Trust makes society more productive. At a basic level it makes society itself possible.

We trust strangers all the time. We trust that they will not cave in our skulls our snatch our possessions away. We trust them to behave sociably. (Interesting aside - this trust does not come naturally to people with a disorder on the autistic spectrum perhaps that gives a partial insight into what a Hobbesian state of nature might enatil psychologically).

That is why fraud and professional misconduct are so serious and so damaging to society. That is why a winner takes it all high rolling economic system is so dangerous. Any of us is likely to cheat - if the stakes are high enough.