Value Anchoring and Trust: System, Trust Stock, and the Inner Anchor–Outer Blade Mechanism — A Thought Experiment

This paper takes value anchoring and trust as its entry point, proposing the concepts of “trust stock,” “inner anchor,” and “outer blade/outer leaf” mechanism. It brings institutional trust, individual psychological anchoring, and the stabilization of civilizational order into one framework. Through a thought experiment, it shows how value anchoring works as an invisible pivot of institutional operation, how trust stock is consumed and re-accumulated, and how the inner anchor (value confirmation within the subject/system) and the outer blade/outer leaf (institutional edge, boundaries, and external settlement) jointly determine systemic predictability. No empirical data are provided; the aim is to offer a propositionally formalizable or modelable framework for后续 research. The case of Zhuofeng Town / Wind Vouchers illustrates the inner-anchor mechanism and its behavior under trade, coercion, and external shock. AI assistance statement: Text drafting and language editing were supported by an AI assistant (Tencent Yuanbao); conceptual framing, case design, and final content decisions are by the author. Note: This thought experiment is recommended to be read together with the author’s concurrently released psychology article “The Behavioral and Historical Processes Derived from Human Psychology: On the Stages of Security Need II” (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22270505).