> As a child, I was sure that Santa Claus existed. How as an adult shall
> I be confident that I am not deluding myself as others deluded me in
> youth?
Did you /really/ believe in Santa Claus? I've worked in daycares with
children before and past about age three they don't /believe/ in Santa
Claus as such. They do understand that a game is being played and that it
is more fun to /beleive/ Santa Claus exists (sort of like what we do with
imaginary numbers or role playing) and reap the benifits. It's a type of
self-aware self-deception I think we learn at an early age and use for the
rest of our lives. Much like /beleiving/ that our models of the universe
are truth.
Prof. Tim