On Trust

Name: On Trust
ISBN: 9787508655239

Zheng YefuCITIC Press2015

4.2

Word count: 180K words
Chapters: 17
ISBN: 9787508655239

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Summary

On Trust is a work of theoretical sociology by Zheng Yefu, a sociologist at Peking University. First published in 2001, it was reissued in 2015 by CITIC Press in the Collected Works of Zheng Yefu. Starting from biological debates over whether human nature is selfish or altruistic, the book draws on research from biology, economics, history, political science, and other disciplines to gradually build a framework for analyzing trust, covering its origins, definition, functions, carriers, and various manifestations. In its theoretical construction, the author distinguishes two kinds of trust: personal trust grounded in blood ties and locality, and system trust supported by money and expert systems. The book first traces the meanings of "trust" in Chinese and English etymology, then discusses fundamental questions such as human nature, the evolution of cooperation, reason and custom, and territory and community; it then analyzes how trust simplifies complexity and provides order for society, compares the differences between civil associations in the early urbanization of China and the West, and devotes a chapter to the logic of trust in secret societies. The latter half examines money and universalist trust, and the risks of credit and monetary systems from the perspective of trust, and dissects the two major expert systems of civil examinations and academic credentials, and peer review and science. The final chapter, "Toward the Road of Fleecing Acquaintances," returns from theory to reality, confronting the social phenomenon of the collapse of trust in acquaintance society. Clear in argument and broad in vision, the book is a pioneering work in the field of trust research in China.

Editor's review

在“信任”成为公共话题热词的今天，这本书显得有些特殊——它并不追逐新闻，却比大多数评论都更耐读。郑也夫把信任当作一个需要剖开来看的社会机制：信任从哪里来，靠什么维持，又为何会在熟人社会里率先断裂。书中最值得留意的是“人格信任—系统信任”这一框架。前者靠血缘、地缘与人情，后者靠货币与专家系统。现代社会之所以能容纳陌生人之间的大规模协作，正是因为它把信任从“认识你”转移到了“相信这套制度”。这也解释了为什么学历、货币、同行评议一旦失灵，公众的不安会远超单个事件本身。作者把生物学、经济学、历史学、政治学放在同一张桌子上讨论，行文有论辩色彩，却少见术语堆砌。朱正琳称其“思想清晰度很高”，朱学勤则建议读者从最后一章“杀熟”读起——那是全书最具现实刺痛感的部分。适合愿意慢读、肯跟着论证走一遍的读者。

Who it's for

A good fit for

对社会学、社会理论有兴趣，想系统理解“信任”概念的高年级学生与研究者
关心社会信用、熟人社会变迁、公共信任议题的普通读者
喜欢跨学科论证、能接受较长理论推演的严肃阅读者
从事管理、公益、社区工作，需要理解合作与秩序基础的人

Not a good fit for

只想读案例故事、追求轻松叙事的休闲读者
期待实操指南、想要快速获得“如何建立信任”清单的人
对生物学、经济学等学科术语较为排斥的初学者

Reading tips

先读前言和第一章，明确作者对信任的定义与问题意识，再进入后续论证。
若觉前半部理论密度高，可按朱学勤的建议从第十三章“走向杀熟之路”读起，再回头补理论。
阅读时留意“人格信任”与“系统信任”两条线索，随时对照自己生活中的例子。
读完可延伸阅读卢曼《信任》、福山《信任：社会美德与创造经济繁荣》作对照。

About the publisher

CITIC Press China · Founded in 1988

Founded in 1988 and affiliated with China CITIC Group, CITIC Press focuses on business and economics, social sciences, literature and children's books, with common categories covering social sciences, finance, literature, Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation. Its library holds 91 titles, including Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens trilogy, Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Wu Xiaobo's Thirty Years of Strife: Chinese Enterprises 1978–2008, Nelly Sachs's The Weight of Butterflies: Selected Poems of Nelly Sachs, as well as New Interpretations of the Analects and Chiang Hsun's lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber. Its authors and translators include Lin Junhong, Ba Shusong, Chen Li and Chang Fen-ling. Overall, the press introduces influential works in finance and social sciences while balancing classic translation and local appreciation in literature and Eastern philosophy, combining academic depth with accessible reading.

Preface
Chapter 1 Trust: Origins and Definitions
Chapter 2 Human Nature
Chapter 3 The Evolution of Cooperation
Chapter 4 Reason and Custom
Chapter 5 Territory, Kin, and Community
Chapter 6 Trust as a Simplifier of Complexity
Chapter 7 Trust and Social Order
Chapter 8 Early Urbanization and Civic Associations
Chapter 9 Secret Societies
Chapter 10 Money and Trust
Chapter 11 The Imperial Examination and Academic Credentials (Expert Systems I)
Chapter 12 Peer Review and Science (Expert Systems II)
Chapter 13 The Road to Exploiting Acquaintances
Bibliography
Subject Index
Name Index

FAQ

《信任论》有几个版本？

初版于2001年8月由中国广播电视出版社出版，约180千字；2006年5月出版第二版，ISBN 9787504337443；2015年10月由中信出版社推出新版，ISBN 9787508655239，收入《郑也夫作品集》。目前流传最广的是2015年中信版。

这本书是学术专著还是通俗读物？

属于理论社会学著作，论证密度较高，涉及生物学、经济学、历史学、政治学等多个学科。但作者文风直接、少用生僻术语，受过良好教育的非专业读者也能进入。

书名中的“信任”具体指什么？

书中把信任分为人格信任与系统信任两类。前者基于血缘、地缘与熟人关系，后者主要依托货币与专家系统（如学历、同行评议）运作，全书围绕这两类信任的起源、功能与风险展开。

为什么很多人推荐先读最后一章？

末章“走向杀熟之路”从理论回到现实，讨论熟人社会中信任的瓦解，现实感最强。学者朱学勤也曾建议读者从这一章读起，再回看前面的理论建构。

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About the author

Zheng Yefu Author · Chinese · 1950

Zheng Yefu, born in Beijing in 1950, is a Chinese sociologist and a professor in the Department of Sociology at Peking University. He was among the first sociologists in China after reform and opening up to study intellectuals as a social group. His writing has long centered on education, trust, consumption, and social problems, often starting from everyday phenomena and probing the deeper logic of institutions and culture in a plain yet reflective style. The library holds three of his works, including On Scholarship and Academic Writing, Resembling Ancestors, and On Cost, which touch on research methods, comparisons between biological and social behavior, and the costs of social development, showing a scope that spans sociology and interdisciplinary discussion. His other books include On Trust, The Pathology of Chinese Education, Civilization as a By-product, and The Coming of the Post-Materialist Age, and he continues to influence Chinese-language readers of social science.