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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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- Ghost in the Machine
- Psychological Egoism powerpoint
- Vegetarians and IQ (Post hoc ergo propter hoc?)
- Characteristics of a Good Hypothesis
- Teaching philosophy improves standardised scores
- Valid Arguments, Tautologies and Formal Fallacies (deductive logic)
- Digital Piracy
- Philosophy of Religion - Cosmological Argument
- Rating Critical and Integrated thinking
- Rebuilding before retreating
USEFUL RSS FEEDS
Philosopher’s Zone
NYTimes – The Stone
- What Pop Stoicism Misses About Ancient Philosophy
- Humans Are Animals. Let’s Get Over It.
- Death Has Many Names
- What Would David Bowie Do?
- Are We the Cows of the Future?
- Time Isn’t Supposed to Last This Long
- A.I. and I
- Of Death and Consequences
- I Don’t Want You to ‘Believe’ Me. I Want You to Listen.
- Teaching Racial Justice Isn’t Racial Justice
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
- How the Brain Tells Apart Important and Unimportant Sensations
- Can't Buy Me Luck: The Role of Serendipity in the Beatles' Success
- The Dark Side of Collaboration
- Mapping the Brain to Understand the Mind
- Facial Expressions Do Not Reveal Emotions
- Brainstorming on Zoom Hampers Creativity
- Brain-Reading Devices Help Paralyzed People Move, Talk and Touch
- How to Make Smart COVID Risk-Benefit Decisions
- A New Dimension to a Meaningful Life
- Carrying On in Difficult Times
TED talks
- Why Africa needs community-led conservation | Resson Kantai Duff
- The crime-fighting power of cross-border investigative journalism | Bektour Iskender
- How to stop banks from investing in dirty energy | Lucie Pinson
- The case for a 4-day work week | Juliet Schor
- My long walk across India for women's freedom | Srishti Bakshi
- The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate | Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
- The most powerful untapped resource in health care | Edith Elliott and Shahed Alam
- A bold plan to transform access to the US social safety net | Amanda Renteria
- A transparent, easy way for smallholder farmers to save | Anushka Ratnayake
- An election redesign to restore trust in US democracy | Tiana Epps-Johnson
THEMED RESOURCES
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Category Archives: Social and Political Philosophy
The Eternal Value of Privacy
Why do we need privacy laws? Is it really a ‘security vs privacy’ dichotomy? Social and political philosophy. Bruce Schneier 05.18.06 The most common retort against privacy advocates — by those in favor of ID checks, cameras, databases, data mining and … Continue reading
Immoral advances: Is science out of control?
How do we place a moral value on science? What issues are here and on the horizon that will test our moral boundaries through the advancement of science? Philosophy of science, ethics, moral philosophy. From New Scientist magazine. Immoral advances: … Continue reading
Six ‘Uniquely Human’ Characteristics Now Found in Animals
New Scientist magazine review of six traits once thought unique to humans and now found in other animals. Philosophy of human nature, mind. 17:11 22 May 2008 NewScientist.com news service Kate Douglas To accompany the article So you think humans are … 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
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
If you’ve nothing to hide…..Secrecy and the Open Society
Debate on whether privacy is necessary in an open society to a large degree. Should only criminals fear not having secrets? Social and political philosophy resource. Mirko Bagaric | August 13, 2008 HOW worried do you reckon people in developing countries … Continue reading
Censorship cartoon I
Bill Leak’s (cartoonist with The Australian) take on PM Kevin Rudd’s reaction to Bill Henson’s photographs. This (and the following cartoon) were used as an ‘ice-breaker’ into the topic of freedom of expression (Social & Political Philosophy – John Stuart … Continue reading
Blasphemy and Public Policy
Lord Ram and the Hindu religious beliefs that are tested by recent scientific discoveries. Scanned newspaper article. Check the public outrage. Good for philosophy of religion and social philosophy.
Science and Truth
More gems from New Scientist. Philosophy of science. Ontology. The truth is out there New Scientist vol 165 issue 2226 – 19 February 2000 Instruments such as microscopes or telescopes can reveal the physical world to us, showing a cell’s walls or … Continue reading
Free Will and the Mob
How much of what we do is free will and how much is because of the ‘mob’ we find ourselves in? New Scientist. Political philosophy, philosophy of mind, social philosophy. Free Will and the Mob They made me do it … Continue reading
Should The Great Apes Have Rights?
Animal rights. Human Nature. Humans have rights, should human-like animals? 30 May 2007 NewScientist.com news service Kate Douglas HIASL is a gregarious 26-year-old who enjoys painting, watching wildlife documentaries and eating bananas. He’s emotional, empathic and self-aware and he shares … Continue reading
Sex, brains, robots and Buddhism: looking for free will
Great article from New Scientist on Free Will. Sex, brains, robots and Buddhism: looking for free will New Scientist vol 178 issue 2394 – 10 May 2003, page 46 How much free will do you think you have? Does understanding how cause … Continue reading
IVF – how old is too old?
Article about a 56 year old IVF mum. Social, ethics.
Society vs the Family – religious beliefs and medical need
Premature babies refused treatment on religious grounds of parents. Scanned newspaper article. Good for social, ethical (ethics)and religious discussion. Jehovah’s Witness.
Hypothesis booklet
All about hypothesis forming, the characteristics of a good hypothesis, testing hypotheses and hypotheses in the social sciences. Lots of worksheets included. Hypothesis