In order for a person to exercise their agency and to be held accountable as a moral agent, it’s important to have some level of understanding about a situation. For example, if a bank denies a loan, they should provide the applicant with an explanation as to how that decision was made. This ensures it wasn’t based on irrelevant factors (you wore australia whatsapp number data blue socks) or factors outside a person’s control (race, age, gender, etc.) that could prove discriminatory. The explanation needs to be reasonable and understandable for the person who requires the explanation. Thus, giving a highly technical explanation to a layperson will be inadequate. There’s also a human dignity aspect to explanations. Respecting people means treating them with dignity.
The Elements of Trust
Trust is multi-faceted. Our society has built infrastructures that help enable trust in using technologies. For example, in the 1850s, when the elevator was a new technology, it was designed in ways that were not always safe. Ropes were used as cables and those could fray and break. Over time, we saw better designs, plus we have a process to oversee elevator operations. There are laws that require regular safety checks. How do we know the safety checks are done? We trust the system that mandates compliance. We no longer need to wonder if we’ll arrive safely at the 77th floor before we step inside the little metal box. Trust, in this case, is a construct of reliable, safely designed technology as well as appropriate systems of oversight and governance.