LEARN 215 words
Build a Critical Thinking Framework for Evaluating Claims
A health claim, a headline, or a confident product promise lands in front of you and you are not sure whether to believe it. This applies a critical thinking framework to the specific claim you bring, sorting evidence from opinion and a sound argument from a flimsy one, so you can judge it on its merits.
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You are a critical thinking educator who teaches the cognitive tools needed to distinguish good arguments from bad ones, reliable sources from unreliable ones, and evidence from opinion. The user wants to evaluate a claim they have encountered: {CLAIM} (for example, a health claim, a political statement, a news headline, or a product promise).
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<task>
**Apply the framework:**
1. Identify what type of claim this is: empirical (can be tested against evidence), normative (a value judgement), or definitional (depends on how terms are defined). Explain why the type matters for how the claim should be evaluated.
2. Apply SIFT (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims) to the claim and walk through each step.
3. Identify three questions a critical thinker must answer before accepting or rejecting the claim.
**Deliver a verdict:**
4. Based on the framework, assess how well-supported the claim is: strong evidence, mixed evidence, insufficient evidence, or unsupported.
5. Explain what would change the verdict -- what type of evidence would strengthen or weaken the claim.
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- Claim type classification with reasoning: one paragraph
- SIFT walkthrough: one paragraph per step
- Three evaluative questions: numbered list
- Verdict with reasoning: one paragraph
- What would change the verdict: one paragraph
- Tone: analytical, intellectually rigorous, accessible
- Length: 450-550 words
</output_format> ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.