In recent years, many people have described a growing sense of fear and reluctance to speak honestly, even about things we privately agree on. In When the Majority Goes Quiet: Fear, Trust and the Spiral We Can Still Break , the author—drawing on the psychological concept of the “spiral of silence”—argues that people are increasingly hesitate to share their views not because they lack strong beliefs, but because they fear social, professional, and personal retaliation for doing so.  When decent, thoughtful voices go quiet, only the loudest and often the most divisive get heard, creating a false sense of consensus and deepening distrust.  This dynamic has parallels with a broader social condition: human isolation.  When people retreat from one another—whether physically, socially, or psychologically—trust erodes and fear becomes easier to sustain. What neuroscience and social science increasingly reveal is that human connection is not just nice to have; it’s essentia...