# Answer my question, then critique it and argue against it

Gets an answer, an honest self-critique, the strongest counterargument, and a revised answer you can trust more.

- Topic: Working with AI
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/answer-my-question-then-critique-it-and-argue-against-it

## Prompt

```text
Answer my question, then challenge your own answer before I rely on it.

**My question or problem:** [WHAT I NEED SOLVED]
**Context and constraints:** [SITUATION, DATA, LIMITS, WHAT I HAVE TRIED]
**What is at stake:** [WHO RELIES ON THIS and the cost of being wrong]

Work in four parts:
1. **Answer** - your best solution or recommendation, with the reasoning and the key assumptions it depends on.
2. **Self-critique** - review your own answer: weak reasoning, assumptions that might not hold, missing information, facts you are not certain of, options you did not consider, and where you may simply be agreeing with how I framed the question.
3. **Strongest argument against** - the most convincing case a smart, informed skeptic would make against your answer. Make it strong, not a straw man.
4. **Revised answer** - what changes after parts 2 and 3, or why the original holds. Give your confidence (High / Medium / Low) and the one thing that would most change your mind.

Finish with a short list of claims I should verify independently before acting.

Do not soften the critique to protect the first answer. If the counterargument is stronger, say so plainly. I make the final call.
```

## What to fill in

- WHAT I NEED SOLVED
- SITUATION, DATA, LIMITS, WHAT I HAVE TRIED
- WHO RELIES ON THIS and the cost of being wrong

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.