A global accuracy characterisation of trust

TL;DR

This paper provides a simplified, global proof of the Total Trust principle, which characterizes trust based on an agent’s expectation of an expert’s accuracy, improving understanding of trust in decision-making.

Contribution

It offers a new proof of the Total Trust characterization using a global accuracy definition, simplifying the original local approach.

Findings

Global accuracy definition enables a more straightforward proof

Total Trust is characterized by expected comparative accuracy

The proof enhances theoretical understanding of trust principles

Abstract

Dorst et al. (2021) put forward a deference principle called Total Trust, and characterise it in terms of accuracy: an agent totally trusts an expert iff they expect the expert to be more accurate than them. This note gives a new proof of their result using a global defnition of accuracy due to Konek (Forthcoming), rather than the local one used in the original. This allows for a simpler, direct proof of the global characterisation result.