The Society of Trust: The Human Factor in Progress and why Brazil is not one

Alain Peyrefitte's central thesis establishes that development is not merely the result of capital, but of an immaterial factor: trust. He divides nations into societies of mistrust, which view trade as a "zero-sum game" and generate bureaucratic states, and societies of trust, which stimulate cooperation and innovation. Historically, this divergence was driven by the Protestant Reformation, which liberated individual initiative, while the Catholic Counter-Reformation reinforced inhibiting structures. Through an ethological approach, the work concludes that prosperity depends on internal behavioral dispositions that make man free to act and undertake without fear of social retaliation. Get full access to Brazilian Reflections at thebrasil.substack.com/subscribe