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Lack of Trust in Institutions and Preference for Individual Trust
The speaker expresses a lack of trust in institutions and prefers to trust individuals due to the belief that it is easier to gauge an individual's integrity than that of an institution. Institutions are viewed as prone to falling to the level of their lowest integrity members, leading to untrustworthiness. The speaker highlights that institutions often have perverse incentive structures, closed systems of status games, and chase money, making it challenging for them to rise above their worst members. In contrast, individuals are seen as more variable, with high integrity individuals being considered more trustworthy than high integrity institutions. Personal heuristics for determining trust include evaluating if someone admits their mistakes publicly as a sign of integrity and valuing truth over ego. The speaker also values unpredictability in individuals' beliefs as a marker of serious thinking.