PACTISS recommends
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.
PEOPLE
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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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- Hume, David - Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
- How to properly use Ad Hominem attacks
- Analysis of Critical Thinking in Climate Science
- Scientists and Global Warming (Does the analogy hold?)
- Religion and Ethics
- Circular Reasoning
- Holidays for All
- Where life imitates sport
- Animal Actors - Animal Rights, Human Perceptions
- Free Will and the Genome Project
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: Resources
Science and art from Dilbert
Discuss.
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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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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Dilbert on Zeno
Zeno does it again.
Posted in 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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What does it mean to think and could a machine ever do it?
Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland The idea of a thinking machine is an amazing one. It would be like humans creating artificial life, only more impressive because we would be creating consciousness. Or would we? How can meat think? … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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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
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Working together for critical thinking in schools
Working together for critical thinking in schools Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland One of the most desirable characteristics of school graduates is that they can think critically. This helps them individually and also helps the societies in which they … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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How to teach all students to think critically
How to teach all students to think critically Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland All first year students at the University of Technology Sydney could soon be required to take a compulsory maths course in an attempt to give them … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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Do we live in a simulation?
From SMBC
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness, Philosophy of Religion
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Digital Piracy
Is this a good analogy?
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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Privacy vs Security
Discuss.
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons, Social and Political Philosophy
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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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The Principle of Sufficient Reason
Form the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy “The Principle of Sufficient Reason is a powerful and controversial philosophical principle stipulating that everything must have a reason or cause. This simple demand for thoroughgoing intelligibility yields some of the boldest and most … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Web links
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The Anchoring Effect
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Misunderstanding Statistics
Another Dilbert moment…
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
Tagged Statistics
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How to teach all students to think critically
By Peter Ellerton, The University of Queensland All first year students at the University of Technology Sydney could soon be required to take a compulsory maths course in an attempt to give them some numerical thinking skills. The new course … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Who is ‘you’?
An exploration of what we might mean by ‘me’. First – Identity short film (very good for class discussion) Second Who am I? – very useful website as well.
Posted in Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness, Web links
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The 2015 Queensland Philosophy and Reason syllabus
Did you know Queensland has Taught Philosophy and Logic as a senior subject for around 100 years? Here is the new syllabus. Notice the focus on the skill of argumentation. Queensland Senior Philosophy and Reason syllabus
Posted in Syllabus and Course Outlines
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