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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.
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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- Australian Skeptics
- Curriculum Council Philosophy and Ethics (WA)
- Humanist Society of Queensland presentation
- Ethical Egoism
- Ockham's Razor
- Propositional Logic - Translating and Symbolising (deductive logic)
- Animal Actors - Animal Rights, Human Perceptions
- Alternative Medicine - Sincerity no substitute for evidence
- Three essays about France's response to the veil (hijab, burqa, etc.)
- More, Sir Thomas - Utopia
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
- 5 hiring tips every company (and job seeker) should know | Nithya Vaduganathan
- 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
THEMED RESOURCES
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Author Archives: Peter Ellerton
The Tale of the Slave
Robert Nozick’s dangerous question.
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons, Social and Political Philosophy
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10 Philosophical Principles
From John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, Aristotle’s ‘mean’ philosophy to the principle of charity, here are the greatest principles of philosophy By JULIAN BAGGINI, Editor of The Philosopher’s Magazine 1. THE HARM PRINCIPLE by JOHN STUART MILL, 1806-1873 Whenever legislation is … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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The Fallacy of Deepest Offence
Are all ideas equal? Not in the classroom By Peter Ellerton, University of Queensland There is a widespread belief amongst teachers that it is part of their duty of care, even a defining aspect of their professionalism, that all views … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Philosophy Graduate Abilities
Data on the performance of Philosophy graduates. Click to enlarge. More info here. Note that the philosophy students perform outstandingly well in verbal and writing skills and are the best of the non-quatitative areas in quantitative reasoning.
Posted in Critical Thinking
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Fallacies Poster
A lovely job from http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ please visit the site for interactive presentation.
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking
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What Truth Doesn’t Mean
The truth, the whole truth and … wait, how many truths are there? Calling something a “scientific truth” is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it carries a kind of epistemic (how we know) credibility, a quality assurance that a … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons
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Can science answer questions about morality?
Sam Harris on TED
Posted in Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Media Articles, Cartoons, PowerPoints, Video and other Media
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The Language of Science
Listen and learn: the language of science and scepticism Peter Ellerton Making sure what’s intended is what’s heard can be more difficult than it seems. Melvin Gaal (mindsharing.eu) As scientists, one of our responsibilities should be to promote clarity. A lot … Continue reading
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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Analysis of Critical Thinking in Climate Science
No one likes to change their mind, not even on climate People put up all kinds of psychological barriers to changing their minds. Thomas Galvez Last night’s ABC documentary I Can Change Your Mind About Climate was about two people — … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Post hoc ergo propter hoc or False Cause – Correlation does not imply causation
Another legend from Dilbert.
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Philosophy — What’s the Use?
Are you looking to see why teaching philosophy is important? Another great article from NYTimes The Stone Almost every article that appears in The Stone provokes some comments from readers challenging the very idea that philosophy has anything relevant to … Continue reading
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking
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What Democracy is not…
Discuss.
The Fallacy of ‘Deepest Offence’
The Fallacy of ‘Deepest Offence’ By Peter Ellerton image via here Nothing is so central to a liberal society as the right to discuss ideas. Not being able to do this at all is totalitarianism – the banning of discussing, … Continue reading
Posted in Essay, Social and Political Philosophy
Tagged Fallacy, offence, offended
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Another Double Blind Test surprise
Stradivarius Fails Sound Test Versus Newbie Violins Download pdf (from sciam) Can you tell the difference between modern violins and antiques crafted by Italian masters? Don’t feel too bad – expert players can’t do it either. In a double-blind test, 21 experienced … Continue reading
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Science
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When Should Science be Censored?
Calls to censor details of potential killer flu via ABC News The suppression of breakthrough research into deadly bird flu strains has been labelled scientific censorship by some, but others say it is a necessary step to prevent a possible … Continue reading
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Media Articles, Cartoons, Social and Political Philosophy
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Correlation Does Not Imply Causation
Another classic from Dilbert See also Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Philosophical Zombies
From the concept by Chalmers. Could humans exist that are not conscious? The extract below is from his site. Philosophical zombies It is philosophical zombies that I’m most interested in here, since I’m a philosopher and they raise very interesting … Continue reading
Posted in Media Articles, Cartoons, Original Philosophical Texts, Philosophy of Mind - Consciousness
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The Coherentist’s Nightmare
The coherency theory of truth
Posted in Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Philosophy of Language
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Harvard Justice Series: The Moral Side of Murder
Part One:
Posted in Ethics and Moral Philosophy, PowerPoints, Video and other Media
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