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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- Socratic questioning
- Stanford Encylcopedia of Philosophy
- The 2015 Queensland Philosophy and Reason syllabus
- Philosophy of Religion - Unit Exam
- Inductive Reasoning booklet
- The Limits of Imagination
- Rene Descartes - The Later Years
- Honesty and Charity in Arguments
- Fallacy of 'Appeal to Nature'
- Religion is not a state obligation
USEFUL RSS FEEDS
Philosopher’s Zone
- Philosophy in the wake of Empire part 5: Tracks of thought
- Philosophy in the wake of Empire part 4: Africa
- Philosophy in the wake of Empire pt. 3: Missionary feminism
- Philosophy in the wake of Empire pt. 2: Migrants and other Others
- Philosophy in the wake of Empire pt. 1: The white way to think
- Reparation
- The problem with humanism
- Feminism, ecology, motherhood
NYTimes – The Stone
- Could I Be My Own Soul Mate?
- It’s a Terrible Day in the Neighborhood, and That’s O.K.
- The Real Cost of Tweeting About My Kids
- The Perils of Abstraction
- We Don’t Actually Want to Be Happy
- Are You a Moderate? Think Again
- Marie Yovanovitch’s Moral Courage
- The Lesson History Teaches Is Tragic
- How We Went From ‘Soup Nazis’ to Real Nazis
- What Kind of Problem Is Climate Change?
Philosophy Now
- Harley Schwadron’s Cartoon
- News: December 2019 / January 2020
- Trump & Arendt Debate The Wall: Fictive Questions, Real Answers
- Chris Gill’s Cartoon
- Am I Dreaming? by James Kingsland
- Would Machiavelli Vote For Donald Trump?
- Cosmopolitanism & Immigration
- Galileo’s Error by Philip Goff
- Dewey & Climate Denial2
- Proverbs for Engraving onto Imperial Monuments
RSA Animate
Scientific American – Mind and Brain
- Reassessment of Alzheimer's Drug Raises Hope--and Concerns
- How a Flawed Experiment "Proved" That Free Will Doesn't Exist
- The Language You Speak Influences Where Your Attention Goes
- Police Killings of Unarmed Black Americans May Affect Health of Black Infants
- Is ASMR Real or Just a Pseudoscience?
- Could Fruit Flies Reveal the Hidden Mechanisms of the Mind?
- It's Time to Shift Tactics on Alzheimer's Disease
- Americans Are Fast to Judge Social Class
- What Racial Discrimination Will Look Like in 2060
- The Dark Side of Gratitude
TED talks
- The profound power of an authentic apology | Eve Ensler
- A video game that helps us understand loneliness | Cornelia Geppert
- The problem of light pollution -- and 5 ridiculously easy ways to fix it | Kelsey Johnson
- 3 ways to be a more effective fundraiser | Kara Logan Berlin
- How I'm using biological data to tell better stories -- and spark social change | Heidi Boisvert
- How I use art to tackle plastic pollution in our oceans | Alejandro Durán
- The incredible chemistry powering your smartphone | Cathy Mulzer
- How you can use impostor syndrome to your benefit | Mike Cannon-Brookes
- 7 beliefs that can silence women -- and how to unlearn them | Deepa Narayan
- Why I draw with robots | Sougwen Chung
THEMED RESOURCES
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Category Archives: Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets
The Ethics of Robot Cars
How about robot cars with ethics settings adjusted to suite the driver? Here’s a Terrible Idea: Robot Cars With Adjustable Ethics Settings Here’s a PDF
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Ethics and Moral Philosophy, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Another resource for Fallacies of Reasoning
Great resource and very accessible to students.
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons, Web links
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Science and Conspiracy
A useful resource produced by NASA debunking claims that the moon landings were faked. Debunking moon landing conspiracies
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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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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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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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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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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The Backfire Effect
When people believe more strongly in something AFTER they have been given information that refutes it…. Good explanation here http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/06/10/the-backfire-effect/ And paper by Brendan Nyhan here (pdf). Abstract below. An extensive literature addresses citizen ignorance, but very little research focuses … Continue reading
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking, Media Articles, Cartoons
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Suing for Being Born
ISRAELI children with birth defects are increasingly suing the medical authorities for ever allowing them to be born. The rise in such “wrongful life” lawsuits, which the medical profession estimates at 600 since the first case in 1987, has prompted … Continue reading
Animal Actors – Animal Rights, Human Perceptions
Chimpanzees Should Not Be Used in TV or Movies (via Scientific American) Does the use of chimps in movies distort the conservation message? By Jason G. Goldman | October 12, 2011 | 3 Lots of people mistake bonobos for chimpanzees, despite the fact that they’re really … Continue reading
Why do humans reason? Arguments for an argumentative theory
Great paper on Reasoning Why Do Humans Reason? (pdf) Abstract and authors below… Abstract: Reasoning is generally seen as a means to improve knowledge and make better decisions. However, much evidence shows that reasoning often leads to epistemic distortions and poor … Continue reading
Tips on Writing a Philosophy Paper/Essay
A nice overview from Douglas W. Portmore Tips on writing a philosophy paper (pdf) The full text is below…
Developing critical thinking skills
A useful handout that talks about reading, writing and thinking critically with examples of how to achieve this. via http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/documents/learning_centre/critical.pdf Critical Thinking Skills (pdf)
Critical Thinking – An Introduction (Alec Fisher)
This ebook is widely available for download on the web. I got it here www.axzopress.com/downloads/pdf/1560526483pv.pdf Critical thinking introduction (pdf) A good resource for referencing what we mean by critical thinking.
What’s logic got to do with it? – Some of the greatest flashes of scientific inspiration were sparked by utterly illogical thinking.
POPULAR belief has it that science is the preserve of logical Mr Spocks. A great scientific discovery must surely spring from a series of logical steps, each taken coolly and calmly, in the rational order. But take some time to … Continue reading
Top Ten Evolution Myths – and how we know it really happened (pdf)
Often misunderstandings about evolution are really misunderstandings about how science operates. This document deals with both rather nicely. Philosophy of Science. From the Skeptics Society. Top Ten Evolution Myths (pdf)
Hooked on Horoscopes (pdf)
We may not be able to persuade people that astrology and graphology are nonsense, but psychology, with the help of a showman, reveals why they are so popular. The Barnum effect. Psychology and critical thinking. Hooked on horoscopes (pdf)
Posted in Booklets, Handouts and Worksheets, Critical Thinking
Tagged Peter Ellerton
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Consciousness – science tackles the self (pdf)
We know that we are aware of ourselves. But we don’t know how. And we are not even sure why. The answers may lie in the physical processes of consciousness 01 April 1989 by SUSAN BLACKMORE New Scientists Magazine issue … Continue reading
Teaching the Nature of Science
Three Critical Questions By Randy L. Bell, Ph.D. Teaching the Nature of Science