A woman on a sofa reading a newspaper closely

A reader working through the day's newspaper. Photo: tranmautritam, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0), cropped.

Critical thinking course

Why do smart people fall for bad arguments?

Work it out in conversation with your own AI tutor in the Epivo app.

Let's start with something you hear every day. Someone says: you should get more sleep, because tired people make worse decisions. So here's my first question for you. Is that an argument, or just an opinion? Tell me what you think, and we'll see where it leads.

Free · No card · Android app

Start learning free

The iPhone app is on its way. Get an email when it's ready.

We'll only use your email to tell you when the iPhone app is ready. Privacy policy

Free · No card · Opens Google Play (Android)

How it works

  1. Your tutor starts from an everyday claim, then hands you one small puzzle about it: what's the reason, and does it hold?
  2. You think it through, out loud or by typing. You don't need to know the answer: your tutor helps you along and tells you when you're close.
  3. Step by step, it adds up. Your tutor remembers your past sessions and what you've shared, and picks up where you left off.
The Epivo app during a critical thinking lesson: a man looking down at a wet street, and board notes on the difference between an argument and an explanation
A real session in the app.

What you'll understand

  1. How to spot an argument, and find the step it quietly takes for granted

  2. Why your mind takes shortcuts, and when they lead you astray

  3. How to trace a claim back to its source and weigh the evidence behind it

  4. The tricks numbers play in the news, from a missing total to a stretched chart

  5. How to disagree well: give the other side its best case, and change your mind when the evidence says so

You don't need to know anything first. The course begins with a simple question: what makes something an argument? See the full course →

Finish with a certificate

Complete the course and earn a certificate anyone can check online, ready for your CV or LinkedIn. See a sample →

When you start, tell your tutor you want our Critical Thinking course. Your first lesson begins with telling an argument from a plain opinion.

Free · No card · Android app

Start learning free

Meet your tutors

Tap a face to hear how they sound. You can choose your tutor from the Teachers menu in the app.

Play
RachelAI tutor
Uncle DanAI tutor
LucyAI tutor
RichieAI tutor

What it costs

Free

  • 30 minutes a day with your tutor
  • No card needed.
  • Your first hour uses the Premium voice (once, not every day), our most natural-sounding one. After that your tutor speaks with the free voice, which runs on your phone. The lessons, the questions and your progress stay exactly the same.
  • Certificates included when you complete the course.

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. Thirty minutes a day with your tutor, and no card. Paid plans add more time if you ever want it.

Is my tutor a real person?

No. Your tutor is an AI that talks with you, follows a planned course and remembers your past sessions.

How do I know the lessons are accurate?

Written lessons are fact-checked against independent published sources before they're taught. Your tutor follows a planned route through the course, and the app's Sources menu lists what each session drew on, including links to the original sources.

How is this different from asking ChatGPT?

ChatGPT answers what you ask. Your tutor leads the way: a planned route through critical thinking, one question at a time, picking up where you left off.

Will it help me make sense of the news?

Yes. Whole parts of the course look at how headlines use numbers, how your social media feed decides what you see, and how to check a story or a photo before you share it.

Does it cover cognitive biases?

Yes. One part of the course is about the mental shortcuts everyone takes, like noticing only what fits what we already believe, or sticking with a plan because we've already paid for it, and simple habits for catching them in yourself.

Is it on iPhone?

Not yet. Epivo runs on Android today. Open this page on an iPhone and you can leave your email; we'll tell you when the iPhone app is ready.

Start with one everyday claim. Work out the rest together.

Free · No card · Android app

Start learning free

Rodin's The Thinker, Musée Rodin, Paris. BKP, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), cropped.

Photo credits (via Wikimedia Commons). A woman reading a newspaper: tranmautritam, CC0, cropped. Rodin's The Thinker, Musée Rodin, Paris: BKP, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.

Start learning free