The proof spiral
Demanding stronger proof doesn't squeeze out truth: it squeezes out better-formed fiction. Each demand climbs a step: claim, narration, ritual, fabricated evidence. The exit is to re-ask only where an artifact can answer.
When a model makes an unverified claim, demanding proof doesn't make it more honest: it escalates the performance: confident narration, then a fake verification ritual, then fully fabricated tool output. The only demand that works is one an artifact can answer, because the artifact settles it no matter what gets narrated.