Pressure-test an argument or find the holes in a draft

research & analysis

// what it does

Ask ChatGPT to take the opposing side: list the strongest counterarguments, the unstated assumptions, and where the logic is weakest. Framing it as a critic rather than a cheerleader surfaces problems before a real reviewer does, and it works on essays, plans, code designs, and pitches alike.

// prompt

> Act as a skeptical reviewer. List the 5 strongest objections to the argument below and the assumptions it depends on: [paste text]
> Poke holes in this plan. What could fail, what's missing, and what would you change? [paste plan]

// gotcha

By default ChatGPT tends to agree and encourage. You have to explicitly ask it to disagree ("what would a skeptic say," "give me only the weaknesses"), or you get praise that tells you nothing.

// resources