USE THESE FIVE QUESTIONS TO DETECT B.S. How strong is the evidence? Critical thinking starts with demanding that there be substance behind any claim. A subset of “evidence” questions might include, Does this evidence come from a solid source? Is there an agenda behind it? What are they not telling me? Sometimes the problem with information is not what is there, but what’s missing—whether it’s a news story with insufficient reporting or a sales pitch that leaves out important details. Does it logically follow? When people are trying to persuade you, they may use flawed reasoning that suggests
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