Andrea Sanders
ILLC (Master of Logic), University of Amsterdam
This paper develops a new epistemic theory of grooming that shifts the focus from norm transgression to the manipulation of trust, arguing that Lauren Leydon-Hardy’s (2019; 2021; 2025) existing account mislocates both what is distinctive about grooming and wherein the primary harm lies. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, drawing on work on social and epistemic norms and epistemic expectations, I refine Leydon‑Hardy’s account into a strengthened version where groomers transgress role‑bound social behavioural norms while exploiting the groomee’s epistemic expectations. Second, I show that even this improved model necessarily excludes cases of grooming where the groomer does not transgress social norms. Third, I propose a new model in which grooming operates by cultivating and exploiting two forms of trust: trust as an unquestioning attitude (which fixes certain beliefs beyond active scrutiny) and agent‑oriented trust (the belief that the other cares for one’s interests). My model has the advantage of not treating normative transgression as a constitutive part of grooming, while still accounting for the fact that we expect others to be aware of and adhere to certain norms. By making trust, rather than norms, the centre of my analysis, I suggest my model better captures the harms the victims experience. Additionally, my model naturally extends to gaslighting and propaganda, and closely aligns with Nguyen’s (2020) work on echo chambers.
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SOPhiA 2026 