Confidence persuades you
The most certain person in the room usually wins your agreement, whatever the evidence.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to evaluate claims and evidence before believing them
Weigh what people tell you instead of believing the loudest voice.
A course on evaluating claims in a world full of confident ones. It covers examining evidence, noticing what has been left out, and changing your mind by the right amount when the facts warrant it.
Want new features first?
A starting goal
I want to evaluate persuasive claims instead of accepting the most confident voice. Teach me how to examine evidence, notice missing information, and update my view fairly.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Separate the claim from the observation
In a fictional survey, 16 of 20 book-club attendees support Sunday opening. That is evidence about those attendees. A claim that 80% of the whole neighborhood agrees needs a reason to treat this group as representative. Write the observation and the wider claim separately.
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Ask what kind of evidence would answer the question
Numbers can help check a numerical claim, but not every check requires counting. A document can establish what a policy says; a dated source can establish when an event happened. Look for evidence that matches the claim, then inspect its origin and limits.
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Name what could change your conclusion
Ask what missing comparison, reliable source or plausible alternative would matter. Do not invent a disagreement to create balance, and do not treat one weak objection as proof of the original claim. It is reasonable to say that the available evidence does not settle the question.
Sources: Open University: analysis, argument and critical thinking; Try the full critical-thinking exercise and learning plan. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Decision-making
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons
- Pace
- Yours. One lesson at a time, as often as you like.
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Where do you meet claims you need to judge: at work, in the news, in health or money decisions?
- Do you tend to believe too easily, or dismiss too quickly?
- Is there a specific claim you are trying to evaluate right now?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You dismiss what you dislike
Claims that fit your view slide in; claims that do not get rejected without a hearing.
You cannot tell good evidence from bad
A study, an anecdote and a chart all carry similar weight in the moment.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Why confident claims win
Fluency, repetition and authority, and how they substitute for evidence.
Kinds of evidence
Anecdote, expert opinion, data and experiment, and what each can and cannot establish.
What was left out
Missing comparisons, cherry-picked examples and the question nobody asked.
Incentives and sources
Asking who benefits without sliding into cynicism about everyone.
Changing your mind by degrees
Holding views with confidence levels rather than as yes or no.
Practice on real claims
Applying the method to something you were told this week.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Ask what the evidence is
Separate the claim from its support, and rate the support.
Notice what is missing
Spot the comparison, base rate or counterexample the claim leaves out.
Update in proportion
Move your view by the amount the evidence deserves, not all or nothing.
Ideas this course corrects
Being skeptical means doubting everything
Uniform doubt is as lazy as uniform belief. The skill is calibrating trust to evidence.
Experts should be believed or ignored
Expertise is strong evidence within its domain and weak outside it. Ask which one applies.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to evaluate claims and evidence before believing them: what can I do today?
Separate the claim from the observation. In a fictional survey, 16 of 20 book-club attendees support Sunday opening. That is evidence about those attendees. A claim that 80% of the whole neighborhood agrees needs a reason to treat this group as representative. Write the observation and the wider claim separately. Ask what kind of evidence would answer the question. Numbers can help check a numerical claim, but not every check requires counting. A document can establish what a policy says; a dated source can establish when an event happened. Look for evidence that matches the claim, then inspect its origin and limits. Name what could change your conclusion. Ask what missing comparison, reliable source or plausible alternative would matter. Do not invent a disagreement to create balance, and do not treat one weak objection as proof of the original claim. It is reasonable to say that the available evidence does not settle the question.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on evaluating claims in a world full of confident ones. It covers examining evidence, noticing what has been left out, and changing your mind by the right amount when the facts warrant it. It sits under Decision-making in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Most courses run 7 to 30 lessons. The course length is sized to what you asked for. You set the pace: one lesson at a time, as often as you like. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
A starting goal
I want to evaluate persuasive claims instead of accepting the most confident voice. Teach me how to examine evidence, notice missing information, and update my view fairly.
Want new features first?