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Critical thinking · Reasoning · Decisions

How to Use AI to Think Better

One of the most underused but powerful applications of AI is as a tool for improving the quality of your own thinking. People use it to identify logical fallacies in arguments, stress-test a position before defending it, apply structured thinking frameworks to problems, examine decisions from multiple perspectives, and surface assumptions they had not noticed they were making. Unlike a search engine, AI engages with your reasoning process directly -- pushing back, asking clarifying questions, and pointing out where your logic breaks down. Used actively and regularly, it measurably sharpens how you think.

5 Best Prompts for Thinking Better to Ask Claude or ChatGPT

Copy any prompt below and paste it directly into your AI of choice.

  1. Prompt 01 · Steel-man and critique my argument

    "Here is an argument I am making: [describe]. Can you first steel-man it -- make the strongest possible version of my argument -- and then give me the strongest critique of it? I want to know where it is weakest before I have to defend it."

    Best for: pressure-testing your own thinking before someone else does.

  2. Prompt 02 · Find my hidden assumptions

    "Here is a decision I am making or a belief I hold: [describe]. Can you identify the assumptions I am making that I might not have noticed -- things I am treating as true that might not be? For each, tell me how my conclusion would change if it turned out to be wrong."

    Best for: uncovering the assumptions that silently drive your decisions.

  3. Prompt 03 · Apply a thinking framework

    "I am trying to think through [problem or decision]. Can you help me apply [framework: first principles / inversion / second-order thinking / pre-mortem] to this situation, walking me through each step and asking me questions along the way?"

    Best for: bringing structure to messy problems where intuition alone is not enough.

  4. Prompt 04 · Check for logical fallacies

    "Here is an argument I have encountered or am making: [describe]. Can you identify any logical fallacies or reasoning errors in it -- naming each one, explaining why it is a problem, and suggesting how the argument could be restructured?"

    Best for: both evaluating other arguments and cleaning up your own.

  5. Prompt 05 · Pre-mortem a decision

    "I am about to make this decision: [describe]. Assume it is 12 months from now and this decision turned out to be a failure. What are the most likely reasons it failed? What could I do now to prevent each of those failure modes?"

    Best for: catching foreseeable problems before committing to a course of action.