Next time someone makes a claim that feels off but you can't quite explain why, try asking them (or yourself) this:

"What evidence would change your mind?"

If the answer is "nothing" — that's not a reasoned position, that's a belief they've decided to hold no matter what. Genuine critical thinking requires being able to name, in advance, what would prove you wrong.

This one question does a few things at once:

• Exposes unfalsifiable claims (conspiracy theories, dogma, etc.)

• Forces people to actually examine their own reasoning

• Shifts arguments from "who's right" to "what's true"

Try it in your next debate, whether it's about politics, a work decision, or a group chat argument. It's uncomfortable at first, but it's one of the fastest ways to filter signal from noise.

(If you want a full toolkit for spotting bad logic and reasoning more clearly, I put together a beginner-friendly course on this at Lucid Logic Academy — link in my profile.)