Reputation is the public inference of another’s qualities from imperfect observed data

Evidence

We wish to know the sort of person we are dealing with before we deal with him. But we will know it only imperfectly. We form an opinion on the basis of his background, the opportunities he has faced, the courses of action he has taken, and so forth. Our opinion is thus based partly on the theory we hold of the effect of culture, class membership, family line, and the like on a person’s motivation (his disposition) and hence his behaviour. The opinion which is publicly formed and held is this person’s reputation. Our problem in essence is to infer the person’s qualities from such data. — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 822

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines reputation precisely as the publicly-held opinion from which we infer disposition — directly useful for the Luhmann/Hardin synthesis since observability undergirds trust.
• XREF: Connects to Hardin’s trust-as-encapsulated-interest (baseline trust requires observable constraints on opportunistic behavior). — connects to: Even professionals cannot control how their reputation is shaped by others’ online disclosures — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 637