Trust operates through generalization that detaches from specific experience

Evidence

Going beyond factual circumstances in this way achieves a relative independence from specific prior experience, from particular grounds for trust – something which has been termed ‘generalization’ in learning theory. Judgements about trust generalize experiences, extend them to other ‘similar’ cases, and stabilize indifference to variation in so far as they stand up to test. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 151

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the technical concept of ‘generalization’ — how trust spreads from particular cases to whole classes of situations.
• XREF: Explains how Stevens extends trust from competency in butlering to moral authority overall — a generalized trust in the profession/institution rather than the specific man.