Trust in Institutions, Distrust, and BackgroundAn Approach Based on Searlean Know-How
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22370/rhv2026iss30.4757Keywords:
status indicators, perception, institutions, trust, distrust in institutions, contexts CAbstract
In this paper, I deal with the way Searle’s know-how has a direct connection with the perception of the status indicators of institutions, and how their meaning varies in function of the trust and distrust of institutions. In the first section, I examine Searle’s concept of the background of pre intentional abilities, which are essential for the perception of the institutional status indicators. In the second section, I analyze how such indicators get automatized when institutions are trusted, which affects how the “X counts as Y in context C” constitutive rule goes to the background. In the third section, I argue that Searle neglects the importance of contexts C, which are crucial for the perception of the indicators and the recognition of their meaning. In the last section, I elucidate why distrust undermines the automatized perception of the indicators, which has an impact on how institutions are collectively accepted. I conclude that Searle’s analysis of the social reality is too static and not dynamic, which explains how his theory leaves unexplained two pervasive social phenomena, namely, trust and distrust of institutions.
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