Marks on Nostr: Continuing your thought about high-trust. Seems like that would only exist in a ...

Continuing your thought about high-trust. Seems like that would only exist in a society where work is rewarded. In the Wild West there likely weren’t many people getting a free ride through life. People are incentivized to do their best work, so you are able to trust people more. There will obviously those who committed crimes or tried to cheat, but overall high trust is built within a system that follows strong natural rules.

In history when we’ve seen societies that depend on the community to provide all for everyone, they are paradoxically untrusting. In that society you don’t get your survival through work but through permission. So you are incentivized to police your neighbors to assure they don’t cheat the system. No trust.