A perfect episode for right now… Americans today don’t trust each other and their institutions as much as they once did. The collapse of social and political trust has arguably fueled our increasingly ferocious ideological conflicts and hardened partisanship. But is today’s decline in trust inevitable or avoidable? Are we caught in a downward spiral that must end in institutional decay or even civil war, or can we restore trust through our shared social institutions? Kevin Vallier offers a powerful counter-narrative to the prevailing sense of hopelessness that dogs the American political landscape. In an unapologetic defense of liberalism that synthesizes political philosophy and empirical trust research, Vallier restores faith in our power to reduce polarization and rebuild social and political trust. The solution is to strengthen liberal democratic political and economic institutions–high-quality governance, procedural fairness, markets, social welfare programs, freedom of association, and democracy. These institutions not only create trust, they do so justly, by recognizing and respecting our basic human rights. Liberal institutions have safeguarded trust through the most tumultuous periods of our history. If we heed the arguments and data in Vallier’s words, trust could return. Bio: Kevin Vallier is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University, where he directs the program in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law. His books include Liberal Politics and Public Faith: Beyond Separation and Must Politics Be War? Restoring Our Trust in the Open Society. In this episode of Trend Following Radio: Vietnam War Trust in the Police United States Presidents Presidential Corruption US Election 2020 The Left Problems of American Politics Freedom of Speech