This study begins with the diagnosis that life in modern society inevitably requires cooperation. As society becomes increasingly functionally differentiated, interdependence among its members intensifies, and the need to jointly respond to unpredicta...
This study begins with the diagnosis that life in modern society inevitably requires cooperation. As society becomes increasingly functionally differentiated, interdependence among its members intensifies, and the need to jointly respond to unpredictable risks across various sectors grows stronger. As the importance of cooperation expands, there is growing interest in the social conditions that make cooperation possible. In this context,trust—the key theme of this study—has come to the fore. However, the level of trust in Korean society remains relatively low. In particular, trust tends to be limited to in-groups and fails to extend to generalized others, and trust in government as a foundational institution of social life ranks among the lowest compared to other major countries.
The low level of trust in Korea has emerged as a pressing social challenge. In response, various attempts have been made to overcome the crisis of trust, with increasing attention paid to enhancing trust in government as a way to promote trust among citizens. Institutional reforms aimed at improving governmental fairness and representativeness have been proposed as concrete solutions. Yet, while institutional improvements are necessary, they are not sufficient. The level of social trust cannot be determined solely by institutional functioning; meaningful institutional impact requires changes in citizens’ consciousness and behavioral patterns. Thus, restoring trust ultimately depends on transformations at the citizen level, making trust a central theme for social studies education, which plays a key role in civic education.
Against this backdrop, the purpose of this study is to position trust as a core subject of social studies education and to refine the educational goals, content, and methods necessary for cultivating trust. Specifically, the study proposes that the goal of trust education should not be to simply increase students’ tendency to trust others, but to foster theirwillingnessto view a high-trust societyas a social ideal and to actively work toward realizing it. While the former focuses on how citizens should behave within existing social conditions, the latter assumes society as a transformable entity and discusses the kind of citizens needed to create a society grounded in mutual trust. This distinction becomes particularly significant in contexts wheresocial trustis lacking. The former approach loses persuasive power in an untrustworthy society, whereas the latter gains legitimacy by offering educational guidance that enables students to aspire toward ahigh-trust societydespite unfavorable circumstances.
To achieve this educational goal, the study adopts an approach that assumes arationalview of human nature. Although applying the notion of trust—often associated with moral virtue—torationalindividuals may seem counterintuitive, trust is not merely a personal virtue but a necessary foundation for social cooperation. Building trust as a form of social capital requires broader participation, and thus trust education must aim to persuade as many students as possible and facilitate their transformation.
If trust is advocated solely on moral grounds, it can only appeal to students who already accept that “trusting others is morally right.” Attempts to persuade all students of its moral legitimacy risk criticism for being indoctrinative. In contrast, assuming humans to be rational allows trust education to emphasize that building a high-trust society also yields practical benefits for individuals. This broadens both the acceptability of the education and the range of persuasive strategies available. Moreover, by providing tangible motivations—such as economic incentives—educators can help students adopt the goal of building a high-trust societyas their own and take action based on thiswillingness.
By grounding its approach in arationalview of human nature, this study redefines the aim of trust education as cultivating students’ willingness to contribute to the building of a high-trust society. To support this goal, the study presents not only the necessary educational content and teaching methods, but also specific instructional plans, thereby contributing to the theoretical foundation of trust education.