Category Archives: Media Articles, Cartoons

Letters to the editor, cartoons, opinion pieces that demonstrate some point of philosophy or critical thinking (a good place for fallacies of reasoning).

Dilbert on Zeno

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Peter Ellerton

Zeno does it again.

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We can’t trust common sense but we can trust science

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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What does it mean to think and could a machine ever do it?

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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Teaching how to think is just as important as teaching anything else

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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Some useful tips on how to raise an argumentative child

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

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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Working together for critical thinking in schools

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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How to teach all students to think critically

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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Do we live in a simulation?

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

  From SMBC

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Digital Piracy

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

Is this a good analogy?   

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Privacy vs Security

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

Discuss.

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A causal nightmare

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

More from Dilbert

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If it’s not right to rape a rapist, how can it be OK to kill a killer?

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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The Anchoring Effect

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

More on this here.

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Misunderstanding Statistics

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Peter Ellerton

Another Dilbert moment…

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How to teach all students to think critically

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Peter Ellerton

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 →

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Are we individual or social creatures?

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Peter Ellerton

How does the concept of individuality affect politics? Commentary from The Stone New York Times. Here’s a pdf Evolution and the American Myth of the Individual – NYTimes.com

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The Ethics of Robot Cars

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Peter Ellerton

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

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Free Will and the Genome Project

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Peter Ellerton

From Philosophy and Public Affairs – click here for PDF

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Watch what you think….

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Peter Ellerton

What you think is right may actually be wrong – here’s why By Peter Ellerton We like to think that we reach conclusions by reviewing facts, weighing evidence and analysing arguments. But this is not how humans usually operate, particularly … Continue reading →

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Another resource for Fallacies of Reasoning

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Peter Ellerton

Great resource and very accessible to students.  

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