Dear Members and Constituents,
Trust is a fundamental building block to knowledge.
Everything you think you know is based on it. You trust your senses are not
some illusion put there by a nefarious being (think “the Matrix” or RenĂ©
Descartes’ premise of an evil being fooling you into believing you exist –which
led to his famous “I think therefore I am” conclusion). You trust your memories
are a product of your own experiences and not just some file placed there by a
brain hacker. You trust your parents weren't just messing with you. You trust
teachers aren’t just making stuff-up. You trust science. You trust faith. Even
the most skeptical person’s worldview is built on trust. I suppose that is why
conspiracy theories have such great appeal. After all, at some level, we
realize that if our trust is misplaced, we could easily be deceived. A great
example is an e-mail I received from Chris Hynes (donut boy). The message “The
Donuts have landed!!!” had a time stamp of 7:28 AM. I was not here at the time,
however, I trust he didn’t send it before he had actually delivered them. You
could also trust they are delicious (but it would be a lot more rewarding
if you verify for yourself –a little skepticism can sometimes pay-off).
Happy Friday!
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