  What is trust, and why is it so important in the context of SECs? Following Baier (1986), many philosophers view trust as an “attitude,” while others see trust either in “relational terms” (Robbins 2016) or as a kind of “expectation” (Walker 2006). And as Govier (1997, 35) notes, one reason why trust is important is because “attitudes of trust and distrust affect the nature and quality of our social reality.” When discussing the topic of trust, it is important to make some key distinctions at the outset. For example, we need to differentiate trust from trustworthiness, which is often viewed either as a property of the trustee (rather than as an attitude of the trustor) or a relation between trustor and trustee. Additionally, it is important to distinguish between ethical trust and epistemic trust (both of which are described below), in the context of SECs.