Do you have any good reason to believe that things are as they seem to be? — Aoife Jones

No.

In what regard, I ask. If one posed this question relative to the universe, then probably not. But, let's say that one is studying for an exam and they are looking over the study guide, it would be a good idea to believe the content is what it seems to be, for the reason that it is what the test will be on.

Do you have any good reason to believe that things are as they seem to be? — Aoife Jones

No, but I also don't have any good reason to believe that things are not as they seem to be.

And as to the question in the title: It matters if you care about the practical consequences of believing something for which you have no good reason for believing.

The only reason I have for believing that things are as they seem to be is that my beliefs "work". I believe most people are good, but some people are definitely not good. So far this has turned out to be true.

What we believe tends to be related to experience. We do not choose a lot of the experiences we have. Consequently, IF a lot of our beliefs are not chosen, they at least have to "work" to support our beliefs. Otherwise, we are up to our necks in cognitive dissonance.

Do you have any good reason to believe that things are as they seem to be? — Aoife Jones

as long as sense data is predictable its usable