Hence merely trusting in itself obviously need not help in managing complexity well—it could lead to dismal results, including quick destruction. Again, the core of Luhmann's account of the role of trust must be an account of the importance of trustworthiness. If his account really commends trust in its own right, it elevates Stevens's culpable stupidity. Trust has led Stevens not to manage complexity so much as to fall victim to it.

DEFINE: Clarifies that trust and trustworthiness are distinct: the former is mere reliance, the latter is what actually enables effective complexity management.

Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, loc. 177