PHI 440U TRUST - AND MISTRUST

The topic of trust begins in paradox. On the one hand, we must build trust on the basis of its absence. On the other hand, trust is best built when a measure of it already exists between those who are trying to strengthen it. What is trust, such that violations of it yield a sense of betrayal rather than mere disappointment? What is the relation between epistemic and practical trust? When, if ever, is it rational to place one's trust in someone, some group or some thing?  It is commonplace to describe our current political and cultural climate as one of pervasive mistrust, rooted in a contagious mood of grievance that threatens to drive us towards civil war, cold if not hot. In the face of these challenges, how can we hope to rebuild trust in one another and our democratic institutions? Can philosophers be proponents of the value of trust without ceding our role as critical, skeptical, even mistrustful thinkers?