I don't understand what you mean by trust.

If your model(s) and sensory data conflict, who wins? Which one do you trust more?

Since you're saying you have no access to the underlying reality (=territory), you have trust something. I am not sure what do you mean by "meaningful".

If my eyes right now are saying something different than my eyes normally tell me, then I will tend to distrust my eyes right now in favor of believing what I remember my eyes telling me.

Well, clearly that can't be true all the time or you'll never update your internal models.

Genetic self-interest involves genes making more copies of themselves. Personal self-interest involves persons making decisions that they think will bring them happiness, utility, what have you.

Ah, I see. So, basically, genetic self-interest is "objective" (and we can count the number of gene copies in the next generations), while personal self-interest is "subjective". But how does the genetic self-interest work if not through the personal self-interest? Or do you posit some biological drives which overpower personal self-interest?

I can make observations.

Any particular reason you are unwilling to call your observations "facts", by the way?