Trust reduces complexity through internal structures, not only external conditions

Evidence

Thus the problem of trust is transformed into a cognitive problem, despite the fact that it has its roots precisely in inadequate cognitive capacity. … We shall therefore take this point of departure also for the analysis, in consistent fashion, of the internal conditions of trust. What this means, then, is that complexity is reduced not only by external but also by internal structures and processes. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 281

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Giddens’s ‘faceless commitments’ as the internal redirection of trust toward expert systems rather than interpersonal facework.