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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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- Free Will and the Genome Project
- Working together for critical thinking in schools
- Conditional Happiness
- Alternative Medicine - Sincerity no substitute for evidence
- QSA Science ppt
- Exercises using truth tables or trees for validity worksheet
- Free will is not as free as we think - and that's ok.
- Skeptics on Skeptical Thinking - ABC's All In the Mind Transcript And mp3
- Heads I Win - A study of persitence of belief by Tim van Gelder
- Science and Truth
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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Tag Archives: Katherine Cheng
Danger in toxic discourse
Q: DO we take our democracy for granted? TWO weeks ago I noticed a billboard advertisement not far from where I live.
Anarchy is a law unto itself
Q: IS there a political obligation to obey the law? EVENTS in England this past week bring to mind that old starting point of political philosophy: the state of nature. This is the hypothetical condition of humanity before the establishment … Continue reading
Religion is not a state obligation
Q: SHOULD the federal government be funding school chaplains in state schools? Ask the Philosopher Column by Tim Soutphommasane in The Australian August 20, 2011 religion-is-not-a-state-obligation (pdf) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Sweet & sour: Junior Master Chefs
Philosopher column in the Weekend Australian poses questions about this popular show. What is the fine line between not mollycoddling children vs exposing them unecessarily to pressure? Consumerism, social psychology & philosophy, rights & obligations of adults to children. Can … Continue reading
The web means the end of forgetting – an essay on forgetting, re-invention and personal identity in the age of Facebook
Author: Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University An essay about the difficulty of forgetting & re-invention in the age of the Internet, Facebook, etc. Excerpt: We’ve known for years that the Web allows for unprecedented voyeurism, exhibitionism … Continue reading
Burka ban a headache for a liberal society
Q: Is it illiberal for governments to ban practices judged to be illiberal, as the French government is doing with its intended ban on the burka? AskThePhilosopher 01May2010 Burka ban a headache for a liberal society (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Pride in the past isn’t necessarily a lost cause
Q: Is it disloyal to criticise aspects of Anzac Day because you believe it involves myth and ritualised militarism? AskThePhilosopher 24Apr2010 Pride in the past isnt necessarily a lost cause (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Let’s not forget we’re the land of the fair go
Q: If we believe that nation-states should be sovereign, what role should notions of universal human rights play in refugee policies? AskThePhilosopher 17Apr2010 Land of the fair go (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
The quest for Renassaince Man
Q: What is the difference between being a renaissance man and a dilettante? AskThePhilosopher 10Apr2010 The quest for Renaissance man (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
When media become dispensers of justice
Q: In which circumstances can our notions of justice accommodate trials by media? Ask The Philosopher 03Apr2010 When media become dispensers of justice (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Continental bid to remove veil in the face of Islamic extremism
Belgian MPs are set to pass a law to ban the burka & nikab (full body and full face coverings). Women who defy the ban will be fined or jailed. Suggested discussion topics: – What are the different ‘-isms’ at … Continue reading
On the cusp of [political] greatness
Q: Have we become accustomed to thinking of political greatness as involving moments of symbolism rather than as involving reform achievements? Ask the Philosopher, The Australian, 27 Mar 2010. ‘. . .the ultimate test of greatness is to be able … Continue reading
A nod to traditional owners
Q: Is an acknowledgment of traditional ownership by public officials tokenistic political correctness or a genuine effort to achieve reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians? From: A nod to traditional owners, The (Weekend) Australian, 20 March 2010, Tim Soutphommasane mentions this ritual … Continue reading
Ask the Philosopher column in The Australian
Tim writes the “Ask the Philosopher” column in The Weekend Australian, which offers a philosophical take on politics, society and public policy. From his website: http://www.soutphommasane.com.au/home http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/columnists/tim-soutphommasane (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Do home-schooled kids get enough social education?
Q: * Do home-schooled kids get enough social education? *Should we be concerned with the potential effects of home schooling on children’s social integration? *Are some countries, such as Germany, right to ban home-schooling? Ask the Philosopher column in The … Continue reading
Three essays about France’s response to the veil (hijab, burqa, etc.)
Three essays in response to France’s ban on women wearing veils and other full body coverings in secular spaces. Two of the essays are written by women; the other by a political writer (Greg Sheridan). Themes: Secularism, nationalism, identity politics, … Continue reading
Putting a brake on tolerance
by Julie Hosking about the sentiments expressed by bumper stickers. ‘F*** off, we’re full’, says one bumper sticker. Useful for discussing the paradox of tolerance. *What are the limits of tolerance? Of free speech? *If racist and other sentiments are … Continue reading
Is there a difference between patriotism & jingoism?
Q: How do we define patriotism? And how does it compare to jingoism? Ask the philosopher by Tim Soutphommasane in The Australian on January 2010 Ask the philosopher 2010 Jan 30 Patriotism (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Casting the profiling net
Q: Should we apply racial or national profiling when screening passengers at our airports? by Tim Soutphommasane in The Australian, January 16 2010, ASK THE PHILOSOPHER Ask the philosopher 2010 Jan 16 Racial profiling (docx) (Uploaded by Katherine Cheng.)
Civics should be a class act
Opinion piece about the teaching of ethics in NSW public schools, as an alternative to scripture classes. Written by Tim Soutphommasane, political theorist and author of Reclaiming Patriotism. Ask the Philosopher 2010 Mar06 Home schooling – social education (docx) (Uploaded by … Continue reading