ProofGuard

Verify Before You Believe

ProofGuard catches widely-believed “facts” that aren’t actually true. It triangulates claims against multiple sources.

The Blind Spot

Acting on “facts” you never verified. Many commonly accepted beliefs have no scientific basis or are misunderstood.

Example

Claim: “You should drink 8 glasses of water a day”

Without ProofGuard:

“Yes, staying hydrated is important. Drink plenty of water.”

With ProofGuard:

CLAIM VERIFICATION:
"You should drink 8 glasses of water a day"

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

SOURCE 1: British Medical Journal (2007)
"Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Really?"
→ "No scientific evidence for 8x8 recommendation"
→ Origin traced to 1945 Food and Nutrition Board misinterpretation
→ The original recommendation included water from food

SOURCE 2: Mayo Clinic (2022)
→ "Adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups for men, 11.5 for women"
→ This is TOTAL fluids (includes food), not just water
→ "Most healthy people can stay hydrated by drinking water when thirsty"

SOURCE 3: National Academy of Sciences (2004)
"Dietary Reference Intakes for Water"
→ "Most people meet hydration needs through normal thirst"
→ No evidence of widespread dehydration in general population
→ Urine color is a better indicator than counting glasses

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

CROSS-REFERENCE ANALYSIS:
✓ All three sources agree: 8x8 has no scientific basis
✓ All three sources agree: thirst is generally reliable
✓ All three sources agree: food provides significant water

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

VERDICT: MOSTLY MYTH

• "8 glasses" has no scientific basis
• Food provides 20-30% of water intake
• Coffee/tea count toward hydration (mild diuretic effect is offset)
• Your body has a hydration sensor: thirst
• Overhydration (hyponatremia) is actually more dangerous than mild dehydration

PRACTICAL TRUTH:
Drink when thirsty. Check urine color (pale yellow = good).
No need to count glasses.

Usage

CLI

# Direct invocation
rk-core proofguard "You should drink 8 glasses of water a day"

# Require specific number of sources
rk-core proofguard "Breakfast is the most important meal" --min-sources 3

Rust API

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
use reasonkit::thinktools::ProofGuard;

let proofguard = ProofGuard::new()
    .min_sources(3)
    .require_citation(true);

let result = proofguard.verify("8 glasses of water a day").await?;

println!("Verdict: {:?}", result.verdict);
for source in result.sources {
    println!("- {}: {}", source.name, source.finding);
}
}

Source Tiers

ProofGuard prioritizes sources by reliability:

Verification Method

1. IDENTIFY CLAIM
   Extract the specific, falsifiable claim

2. MULTI-SOURCE SEARCH
   Find 3+ independent sources
   Prioritize Tier 1-2 sources

3. TRIANGULATION
   Do sources agree or conflict?
   What's the consensus?

4. ORIGIN TRACE
   Where did this claim originate?
   Is it misquoted or out of context?

5. VERDICT
   True / False / Partially True / Myth / Nuanced

Configuration

[thinktools.proofguard]
# Minimum sources required
min_sources = 3

# Require citations to be verified
require_citation = true

# Include origin tracing
trace_origin = true

# Source tier threshold (1-5)
min_source_tier = 3

Output Format

{
    "tool": "proofguard",
    "claim": "You should drink 8 glasses of water a day",
    "sources": [
        {
            "name": "British Medical Journal",
            "year": 2007,
            "tier": 1,
            "finding": "No scientific evidence for 8x8 recommendation",
            "url": "https://..."
        }
    ],
    "triangulation": {
        "agreement": "strong",
        "conflicts": null
    },
    "origin": {
        "traced_to": "1945 Food and Nutrition Board",
        "misinterpretation": "Original included water from food"
    },
    "verdict": {
        "classification": "myth",
        "confidence": 0.9,
        "nuance": "Thirst is generally reliable; no need to count glasses"
    }
}

Common Myths ProofGuard Exposes

• “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”
• “We only use 10% of our brains”
• “Sugar makes kids hyperactive”
• “You need 10,000 steps per day”
• “Cracking knuckles causes arthritis”
• “Reading in dim light damages your eyes”

Best Practices

1. Question “everyone knows” claims — The more universal a belief, the more worth verifying

2. Trace origins — Many myths start from misquoted studies or marketing

3. Check for conflicts of interest — Who benefits from this claim?

4. Update beliefs — Science changes; what was “known” 20 years ago may be wrong

Related

• LaserLogic — Check the reasoning, not just the facts
• BrutalHonesty — Face inconvenient verified truths