Is trust in experts really declining, or just evolving? In this episode, Gil Eyal, a sociology professor at Columbia University, challenges the idea that people are losing trust in science and expertise. Instead, he argues that trust is a delicate balance between blind faith and skepticism, shaped by experience, context, and timing. Gil explores how trust is built over time but can be lost instantly. He explains the difference between routinized trust, assuming things will work, and informed anticipation, assessing risks based on experience. This distinction, he says, is crucial to understanding how modern society navigates trust in science, medicine, and politics.

He also examines how trust and expertise are deeply entangled with politics, making institutions more fragile. Mistrust, he argues, isn’t always irrational—it can be a logical response to past failures, as seen in the experiences of long Covid patients who distrust medical professionals based on personal history. Gil argues that trust has become a commodity, actively sold by corporations and consultants through training and frameworks. But does this restore trust, or does it only deepen the crisis?

In response to deep divisions at Columbia University, Eyal discusses the Listening Tables initiative—a space for students, faculty, and staff to engage in face-to-face dialogue across ideological divides. He argues that true trust is built not just through speech, but through listening, especially in highly polarized environments.