Vigilant distrust of authorities can coexist with high general trust.

Evidence

Republican vigilance involves going through the motions of personal distrust, with a view to keeping the authorities on their toes, and is consistent with maintaining a high level of trust. — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 1299

Categorization

• XREF: Refines the reader’s question: solidarity need not collapse when citizens scrutinize authorities — distrust targeted at power is compatible with mutual trust among citizens. — connects to: Vigilance is performative distrust that coexists with deep general trust; Institutional vigilance operates alongside rather than against interpersonal trust — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 1299
• DEEPTHINKING: Challenges the binary that trust and vigilance are opposites; points to a layered model where trust between citizens is sustained precisely by public distrust of elites.

Broader Connections

• Institutional vigilance operates alongside rather than against interpersonal trust #corroborates (0.85) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 1299