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Where science meets art. The only necessary and sufficient book store in Melbourne.
Hope our friends enjoy the new look and feel – now optimised for mobile devices for access on the go.
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Coordinator: Peter Ellerton
Web guy: Jason Etheridge RESOURCE COLLECTIONS
NEW RESOURCES
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- A nice Philosophy of Mind summary
- The power of categorical logic
- What exactly is the scientific method and why do so many people get it wrong?
- Paralympic athletes faster than olympic athletes — what does this tell us about difference?
- Logic: if + then = why? How can we understand the power of logic?
- How do we ensure we are exposed to new ideas? A parody with bite.
- A Life of Meaning (Reason Not Required) – What is the nature of our relationship with reason?
- Can you name this cognitive bias?
- By what measures can we value human life?
- Teaching philosophy improves standardised scores
- Are we in control of our own decisions?
- Neuroscience and education: myths and messages
- Free will is not as free as we think – and that’s ok.
- Where’s the Proof in Pseudoscience?
- Science in the lead?
RANDOM POSTS
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- What does it mean to think and could a machine ever do it?
- Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804) - Critique of Pure Reason
- If it's not right to rape a rapist, how can it be OK to kill a killer?
- HIV a Hoax? (Onus of proof)
- How to understand racism
- Suing for Being Born
- Banning Religion - An interesting hypothetical
- Indian High Court Rules Astrology is a Science
- Immoral advances: Is science out of control?
- Animal Actors - Animal Rights, Human Perceptions
USEFUL RSS FEEDS
Philosopher’s Zone
NYTimes – The Stone
Philosophy Now
RSA Animate
- The Green Corridors Initiative
- Governance governing government
- Why print money when we can print wealth?
- Building a resilient health and care system
- We'll always have Paris?
- Experimentation and equity in global cities
- Technology-enabled deliberative democracy
- Healthier placemaking
- Creating a sovereign wealth fund in Wolverhampton
- Economic recovery and climate action
Scientific American – Mind and Brain
- Kindness Can Have Unexpectedly Positive Consequences
- It's the Bass That Makes Us Boogie
- Subliminal Cues, Precisely Timed, Might Help People Forget Bad Experiences
- Severe COVID May Cause Brain Changes Similar to Aging
- Autism Treatment Shifts Away from 'Fixing' the Condition
- Fatherhood Changes Men's Brain, according to Before-and-After MRI Scans
- Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help
- Why Social Media Makes People Unhappy--And Simple Ways to Fix It
- People Shopping for 'Meaning' Buy Cheaper Goods
- Pregnancy Changes the Brain, Possibly Promoting Bonding with a Baby
TED talks
- Can the metaverse bring us closer to wildlife? | Gautam Shah
- The billion-dollar pollution solution humanity needs right now | Stacy Kauk
- Are video calls the best we can do in the age of the metaverse? | Josephine Eyre
- How great leaders take on uncertainty | Anjali Sud and Stephanie Mehta
- How Indigenous guardians protect the planet and humanity | Valérie Courtois
- How to tap into your awareness -- and why meditation is easier than you think | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
- Demystifying the wild world of crypto | Laura Shin
- How can we escape soaring energy bills? Stop using fossil fuels | Tessa Khan
- A disability-inclusive future of work | Ryan Gersava
- How to tackle the stigma of living with HIV | Gareth Thomas
THEMED RESOURCES
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Category Archives: Critical Thinking
The power of categorical logic
The sum of all knowledge in two books…
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
Tagged categorical logic
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What exactly is the scientific method and why do so many people get it wrong?
There’s a big difference between science and pseudoscience. But if people don’t understand how science works in the first place, it’s very easy for them to fall for the pseudoscience. Source: What exactly is the scientific method and why do … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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How do we ensure we are exposed to new ideas? A parody with bite.
Assuring users that the company’s entire team of engineers was working hard to make sure a glitch like this never happens again, Facebook executives confirmed during a press conference Tuesday that a horrible accident last night involving the website’s algorithm … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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A Life of Meaning (Reason Not Required) – What is the nature of our relationship with reason?
If philosophy is to stay relevant, it must bridge the gap between feeling, thought and reason. Few would disagree with two age-old truisms: We should strive to shape our lives with reason, and a central prerequisite for the good life … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science
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Can you name this cognitive bias?
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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By what measures can we value human life?
The Fallen of World War II from Neil Halloran on Vimeo. It can clearly be challenging to convey the magnitude of loss after a tragedy, particularly when that number is in the tens of millions, yet that is precisely what … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy
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Teaching philosophy improves standardised scores
Want to improve NAPLAN scores? Teach children philosophy Latest figures show that student scores in reading, writing, language and numeracy have failed to improve despite schools receiving record funding over the past few years. The National Assessment Program – Literacy … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Are we in control of our own decisions?
Dan Ariely — One of the most significant of TED talks for understanding how we think.
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Neuroscience and education: myths and messages
NATURE REVIEWS | NEUROSCIENCE Abstract: For several decades, myths about the brain — neuromyths — have persisted in schools and colleges, often being used to justify ineffective approaches to teaching. Many of these myths are biased distortions of scientific fact. … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness
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Where’s the Proof in Pseudoscience?
Peter Ellerton, The Conversation Contrast this with homeopathy, a field that has generated no discernible growth in knowledge or practice. While the use of modern scientific language may make it sound more impressive, there is no corresponding increase in knowledge … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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Teaching the nature of science (and keeping students engaged)
Peter Ellerton, The Conversation What’s particularly disturbing about current science education at the primary, secondary and tertiary level is the almost complete lack of explicit consideration of what I’ve referred to as the “nature of science”. Not only are many … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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Why You Don’t Know Your Own Mind
Alex Rosenburg, The Stone. It is often said that we can never truly know the minds of others, because we can’t “get inside their heads.” Our ability to know our own minds, though, is rarely called into question. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness, Philosophy of Science
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A Critical Thinking Matrix
Exploring the relationship between cognitive skills and the values of inquiry. Grey boxes describe student work. This can be used to generate rubrics. CT Matrix
Posted in Critical Thinking, Syllabus and Course Outlines
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The Skills, Values and Virtues of Inquiry
A model for understanding effective thinking through categorising key educational ideas and examining the relationships between them. Skills Values and Virtues of Inquiry
Posted in Critical Thinking, Syllabus and Course Outlines
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Why would anyone believe the Earth is flat?
Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland Belief in a flat Earth seems a bit like the attempt to eradicate polio – just when you think it’s gone, a pocket of resistance appears. … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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We can’t trust common sense but we can trust science
Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland When a group of Australians was asked why they believed climate change was not happening, about one in three (36.5%) said it was “common sense”, according to a report published last year by the … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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Teaching how to think is just as important as teaching anything else
Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland A new paper on teaching critical thinking skills in science has pointed out, yet again, the value of giving students experiences that go beyond simple recall or learned procedures. It is a common lamentation … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Some useful tips on how to raise an argumentative child
Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland The old adage that children should be seen and not heard is nothing but wishful thinking. Children are naturally inquisitive and they usually can’t help verbalising their curiosity. Asking “why?” is the most natural … Continue reading
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A causal nightmare
More from Dilbert
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
Tagged fallacies of reasoning
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If it’s not right to rape a rapist, how can it be OK to kill a killer?
Discuss (1) this analogy and the (2) image below. (1) Here is the source article for the analogy. “That’s the thing. The reason why we would be hesitant to endorse it is that – what normal person would be paid to do something so … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Social and Political Philosophy
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