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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- A Wonderful Piece of Pseudoscience in Advertising
- Analysis of Critical Thinking in Climate Science
- A nod to traditional owners
- Censorship II
- Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller
- How Science Works
- Indian High Court Rules Astrology is a Science
- Honour Killings in India
- Neuroscience and education: myths and messages
- When bad consequences are predicted but are permissible if a good consequence is intended.
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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Author Archives: admin
How Science Works
A lovely description of the process of science. David Goodstein, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., is Vice Provost, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, and theFrank J. Gilloon Distinguished Teaching and Service Professor, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena,California. Philosophy of science. HowScienceworks
The Socratic Method (M.M. McCABE)
Philosophy began in earnest with Socrates. He asked impertinent questions. In this interview with M.M. McCabe, Philosophy Bites explores the nature of Socratic Method and Socrates’ claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. Pocast from Philosophy Bites. M.M. … Continue reading
Just think: it’s important
Sydney Morning Herald article on teaching philosophy in schools. Reason being … Peter Ellerton teaches philosophy at Brisbane’s Calamvale Community College and started the Australian Philosophy Teachers Network to get more resources to teachers. Photo: Paul Harris August 25, … Continue reading
Queensland Philosophy and Reason Syllabus
As delivered to Queensland secondary schools.
Posted in Syllabus and Course Outlines
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Curriculum Council Philosophy and Ethics (WA)
As delivered in Western Australian schools. New in 2008.
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Intelligent Design – the Myth of Irreducible Complexity
How irreducible complexity, a stalwart of the Intelligent Design movement is NOT supported by the bacterial flagellum. Philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, hypothesis. Mark Perakh discusses how Intelligent Design proponents created the myth that bacterial flagella look like man-made … Continue reading
Free Will vs the Programmed Brain
If our actions are determined by prior events, then do we have a choice about anything—or any responsibility for what we do? Scientific American. Free will, philosophy of mind, determinism. By Shaun Nichols Many scientists and philosophers are convinced that … Continue reading
Yes Prime Minister – Survey Design
Brilliant clip of how to design a survey to get the result you want. Bias, social, critical thinking. Yes Minister Survey (wmv)
Alternative Medicine – Sincerity no substitute for evidence
HOW many readers have gone to dinner parties and listened to otherwise intelligent people assert that alternative medicine can be just as effective as mainstream, scientific medicine? Generally, the argument is that alternative medicine, in all its many forms, is … Continue reading
Calvin & Hobbes – Ethics
The ends justifies the means… cartoon.
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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Do Subatomic Particles have Free Will?
If we have free will, so do subatomic particles, mathematicians claim to prove. Article from New Scientisty magazine. Philosophy of mind, consciousness, free will. Do subatomic particles have free will? http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35391/title/Do_subatomic_particles_have_free_will%3F Do subatomic particles have free will? By Julie … Continue reading
Tackling the Problem of Free Will
For years, the frustrating lack of progress on the problem of free will has been a scandal in philosophy. Now it looks as if neurobiology may help us out – and indeed it may, says John Searle, but don’t think … Continue reading
Q-Matrix
A matrix of questions to encourage thinking about an issue. Apparently a product of Spencer Kagan and seen everywhere nowadays. Highly recommended. Critical thinking. qmatrix
Social Philosophy booklet
Outlines some basic theories and gives an overview of philosophers. Starts with Plato. Nice resource for introduction to social philosophy. Social Philosophy booklet
Monkeys given Huntington’s for study
Monkeys given genes to develop Huntington’s disease – as well as genes from jelly fish to glow green. Animal rights / ethics. Monkey engineered to develop Huntington (doc)
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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A Wolf in Sheep’s Lab Coat – Pseudoscience in the 21st Century
Slides from a presentation on science, pseudoscience and critical thinking. Includes 10 signs useful in sorting pseudoscience from the real deal. A Wolf in Sheep’s Labcoat (ppt) (Uploaded by Mike McRae.)
Exercises using truth tables or trees for validity worksheet
Worksheet with about a dozen problems requiring testing for validity using truth tables & truth trees, as well as some translating. Deductive Logic. Truth tree validity worksheet
Basic Truth Table Posters
These simple posters were printed off and placed above the whiteboard for the duration of our propositional logic unit as a means of quick visual reference. Deductive Logic. Basic truth table posters
Valid Arguments, Tautologies and Formal Fallacies (deductive logic)
A one page summary sheet of some of the main bits of propositional logic. Deductive Logic. Valid Arguments
Truth Trees booklet
Booklet on the propositional logic technique of truth trees. Deductive Logic. Truth Trees