Our system is based on trust to a large extent. And I don’t mean just monetarily. It is basically how “liberal society” functions right from daily life to the rationale behind systemic activities.
Yet, fake news is basically propagated everywhere with impunity. Facts are alleged and agreed on social media without any deference to proof that says otherwise. There are probably more such examples in media - Prashant Kishore said in his recent interview with Karan Thapar he cannot count on newspapers, he wants a recording of what he said (aside from the fact that this is laughable beyond measure), the fact that people are beginning to claim that newspapers (rather multiple) are not reliable is quite something even for the fascist timeline we are in.
Perhaps what has been most concerning has been the way in which the Election Commission of India has avoided all responsibility for the most basic repositories of trust, the general elections. It does seem like this point in our decay was a long time coming with the fascists in power and them dogwhistling any opposition’s efforts, but some of these effects will be long-lasting. I do not think the political system can recover from a compromised EC.
As leftists, how do we interpret this? What impacts does this have for the working class that is forced to sell its labour in exchange for participating in a trust based economy? We surely are placed more precariously but organising around this will require some acceptance of seemingly contradictory positions regarding the role of trust in a political system (IMO we have to make efforts around thinking of a system without trust in the same way it exists in liberalism and consequently, neoliberalism)
Hypothetically if everyone has perfect knowledge, then no one needs to trust anything or anyone. Because they will know. If the system claims to do one thing but does the other, people will not be fooled by it because of our hypothetical premise of perfect knowledge.
But yeah it does not guarantee that the system will work for public good even if everyone has perfect knowledge. It is possible that the system continues to be unequitable and unjust and stands in contradiction with the interests of the vast majority. This contradiction will lead instability and discontent which will then be quelled through repressive measures.
But given the premise of perfect knowledge, it is more likely than our current reality in India that people have the willingness and tools to fight back against this injustice. As this situation is highly contradictory, it will never attain some sort of stable equilibrium. You have to keep in mind that arrangements like this cannot continue as is as they can be brought to a head by its cataclysmic consequences (like climate change, pandemics).
Agree with everything you said, and I don’t have much more to add except to say that I was thinking of perfect knowledge as in if only the workings of institutions were known to all, not how they occur on a daily basis (let’s say because of an efficient education system, or media giving all the relavent info). Compare this to current day knowledge of people, where they have to depend on a lawyer or agent or someone in the know. In either case, capitalism would succeed in obstructing any legitimate public good because it is capital and financial interests that dictates these institutions workings on a daily basis. So this is an argument against “institutions” we “trust” being for our good.