text:
User talk:MrFidaAliEngr

 Hello MrFidaAliEngr, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:40, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Sundus has been moved to your user space
User:MrFidaAliEngr/Sundus does not appear to be an appropriate educational resource at this time. If there were a geography resource here on Pakistan, and it were enormously developed, maybe. The page on Sundus seems to be an article, not an educational resource as such. I've moved it to your user space, and you are welcome to contribute to educational resources here. If you do, as an established user, you'd be welcome to host pages like this in your user space, indefinitely. Do you live in Sundus? You could tell us about yourself on your user page and link to the file there. Best wishes! --Abd 15:48, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

 * Similarly, I have moved another page you just created to User:MrFidaAliEngr/Manthal. Please don't create these kinds of pages in mainspace, as you have. You may eventually be able to create some resource that would refer to these pages, and they could then be moved back to mainspace, probably as subpages. Ask me about this, we can discuss it, it could be very useful. Thanks. --Abd 18:41, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

 * Similarly, please see User:MrFidaAliEngr/Allah, User:MrFidaAliEngr/Kharfocho, User:MrFidaAliEngr/My Mother and User:MrFidaAliEngr/Mr. Fida Muhammad Baigcho. Please advise if you wish to keep these pages; otherwise, they may be deleted. As Abd has advised, please ensure that pages you create are educational resources. --Draicone (talk) 01:54, 18 September 2011 (UTC)

 * Draicone, please do not delete harmless pages, such as bits of personal history, in the user's user space. I have cautioned the user about creating these pages in mainspace.

 * MrFidaAliEngr, when you create these pages in mainspace, it makes work for Wikiversity custodians, which should be avoided if possible. Some of the pages you created may eventually be appropriate for mainspace, but think in terms of, say, a university class. Classes exist within a curriculum, and a class will not be started on, say, some small detail of geography. Or the mother of a student or professor. In your user space, you may, as I've suggested, tell us about yourself and your history and your parents and your local geography. But would you attempt to insert these things into a university catalog as classes? --Abd 20:27, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Gratitude
I am highly grateful to wikiversitans, the editors, the administrators, the owners and someone who matters most always for allowing me to express myself my way. At the same time I am learning a lot of good things from wikiversity whenever I use it. Responsible and careful editing/creating of pages is setting good examples for all kinds of learners/users. MrFidaAliEngr, 13:19, 3 September 2011, signed by Abd 13:43, 6 September 2011 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. Tip: When you make a comment, sign it and date it by adding four tildes ( ~ ), MediaWiki will fill in your user name and the time and date. I usually put two hyphens before my signature, so it ends up looking like this: --Abd 13:43, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Your contributions
Hi. It's great that you're interested in editing Wikiversity. However, several of your recent contributions are not structured as learning resources. You should read WV:Scope to gain a better understanding of what this project is for. I deleted the resource you created at Human because it was essentially a poor quality summary of the Wikipedia article on that topic (If you would like a copy of the article, please contact me) I would suggest you concentrate on creating one learning resource aimed at a specific audience on a topic you are knowledgeable about if you want to get the most out of editing Wikipedia, and you need to restructure your existing contributions as learning resources if you want them to be kept. Thanks. S Larctia 13:08, 20 September 2011 (UTC)

Your contributions - warning
As we have noted, Wikiversity is a wiki for learning resources and is not the appropriate venue for encyclopaedic material, which is outside our scope. Please consider contributing these general articles at Wikipedia instead. If you continue to contribute these encyclopaedic articles to Wikiversity, we may have to restrict your ability to do so. --Draicone (talk) 04:08, 25 September 2011 (UTC)

 * As claimed, wikiversity is an open learning/teaching project. Therefore, the scope of wikiversity may please be broadened to allow encyclopaedic materials too. Thus efforts made in this regard/context may please be saved or archived.
 * The issue here, MrFidaAliengr, is where and how pages are placed. "Encyclopaedic material" is not well-defined, but the strong suggestion here is that "encyclopedic" pages that are not "educational resources" other than being isolated snippets of knowledge be in your user space, not in mainspace. Please work with other users on mainspace pages.
 * I disagree with Draicone on the suggestion that these materials go to Wikipedia. They would be less appropriate there, as written, rather than more. I'm moving Culture and Religion to your user space, User:MrFidaAliEngr/Culture and Religion. If nothing else, these are practices in writing in English, and in using wikitext. Wikiversity is, indeed, highly inclusive, and there can be a place for many things here that would be inappropriate elsewhere, but please be careful with mainspace. You have far more freedom in your user space. Pages can always be moved later to mainspace as appropriate. I'm not personally criticizing your content on the page I moved.
 * (As you may have noticed, we also have many poorly written or inappropriate pages in mainspace, but our focus is on cleaning up mainspace, it's possible that the community is now being more strict, than it was in the past, about what is allowed. If you follow our deletion process, you will notice that many old pages are being deleted or otherwise reorganized.)
 * Given that some of your page creations have offended some users in some way, and at this time, I do suggest that you only create pages in your user space. These pages, then, will begin with "User:MrFidAliEngr/" and then the rest of the page name. You may work to improve any educational resource already in mainspace, however, and, I suspect, you may be able to create original, good and acceptable educational resources in your fields of expertise or special study. I'll be happy to discuss any specifics with you, ask on my Talk page, User talk:Abd. Thanks. --Abd 20:21, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

My Wife
For your information, I moved this page's content onto your user page: User:MrFidaAliEngr. Only educational content should go in the main Wikiversity space. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 05:39, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

User:MrFidaAliEngr/Skardu
I moved this to your user space as before. Please don't create this type of page in mainspace. It could be done, possibly, as part of some geographical educational resource, which would be a large project, but individual pages like this don't belong there. If you want to create pages about your locality or family, this may be acceptable, at least temporarily, in your user space. But we would never have an educational resource, a class, for example, called Skardu. If there is a class on the geography of the region, maybe it could be a subpage, but it would then be considered how it fits into that. Again, welcome to Wikiversity. --Abd 16:33, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

 * Today, you also created Khaplu, also moved to your user space, User:MrFidaAliEngr/Khaplu. Please do not continue creating these pages in mainspace. User a page name like in the name I moved the page to, that is, start with your user page name, add a slash (/) and then the page you want to create. Thanks. --Abd 12:54, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

Proposed deletions
Despite concerns being raised on your talk page a number of times, you have created a number of pages which do not fit within the scope of Wikiversity. It has been proposed that these pages should be deleted. Please go here if you would l;ike to contribute to the discussion.Leutha 03:04, 11 January 2012 (UTC) I would like to thank all those who contribute to this learning and teaching project in every form and format from everywhere and everytime. Editors are regarded and revered for their editing services. I would very humbly request to kindly edit/correct contributions, but not to delete. Editing and saving the contributions will certainly encourage more and more contributions for the project. Thank you for editing and saving my contributions. I welcome your criticisms also. Because, criticisms are essential for improvement. Sincerely, MrFidaAliEngr

Files Missing Information
Thanks for uploading files to Wikiversity. All files must have source and license information to stay at Wikiversity. The following files are missing and/or License tags, and will be deleted if the missing information is not added. See Uploading files for more information.

 * File:Fida Ali Engr.jpg

MaintenanceBot (discuss • contribs) 03:09, 18 July 2017 (UTC)

Wikiversity for Learning/Teaching
Assalam-u-alaikum and good morning! It is my personal experience that humans keep on learning and teaching during the whloe lives. In younger ages, the learning is very fast and as one ages the process of learning becomes more stable. In mature ages, the process of teaching becomes faster and exchange of views makes wise senses. My experience with Wikiversity is more than six years old and I would like to quote a famous saying,"Old is gold." It is worth mentioning here that Wikiversity and Wikiversitans are providing a great service to learners, students, teachers, educators, trainers, researchers, reformers, developers, etc. MrFidaAliEngr (discuss • contribs) 03:10, 14 November 2017 (UTC)

Email
I'm unable to read your email you sent me as I had deactivated that email. I'm gonna change it so you can send it to my new one. :) Contributor118,784  Let's talk  17:12, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Further note; you can send that email to me now. Contributor118,784  Let's talk  17:16, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

title: User talk:MrFidaAliEngr


text:
User talk:MisterSanderson

 Hello MisterSanderson, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:41, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:MisterSanderson


text:
User talk:Amargeddon6

 Hello Amargeddon6, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:42, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Amargeddon6


text:
User talk:Mjbmr

 Hello Mjbmr, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:44, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Mjbmr


text:
User talk:Kiruthika

 Hello Kiruthika, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:45, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Kiruthika


text:
User talk:Typicus

 Hello Typicus, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 02:46, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Typicus


title: File:Nm1.s11.Mtg20.pg1.fig1.svg


title: File:Nm1.s11.Mtg20.pg2.fig1.svg


text:
User:Egm6936.f10.dtn

Hi Everybody, I am a new student... I like this course.

title: User:Egm6936.f10.dtn


text: User:DrJimothyCatface

title: User:DrJimothyCatface


text:
The Heart of Your Computer

This is a lesson in the course How to Use Your Computer, which is a part of The School of Computer Sciences

What Is the Kernel?
The most important piece of software in a computer is the kernel. The kernel is the part of the operating system that handles connecting your applications to your CPU, RAM, and other components. To understand how to use your computer, you should first know how to use your kernel. In this lesson, we're going to touch some core concepts needed to understand how to use it and some ideas about the kernel itself.

File Systems
A file system is a tool used by humans to make the huge number of files contained on a hard disk more manageable. It's a system of folders and files that are organized hierarchically. The shape or structure of the file system is stored on the disk, along with the files it organises. It is important to note that the files on a hard disk are not organised the same way they are seen in a file system, though for most cases, the file system will suffice when we want to refer to a file. There are a couple of noteworthy types of folders and files in a directory structure, and there are several formats for the way the files are organised within the structure.

Root Directory
The root directory or root folder is the one folder in which all other folders in a file system reside. Your root folder doesn't exist inside of anything else. Here are some ways you could symbolise a root directory; some of them may be familiar: / C:\

Hard Links
A hard link is something that gives a file its name. When a file gets saved on a hard drive, it's there, but it doesn't exist in the file system yet. When a hard link is created to the file somewhere in the file system, the file gets a home in the file system. Every file you see on your computer is in fact a hard link, representing a file. Your computer usually takes care of this automatically for you.

Symbolic Links
Symbolic links are a neat kind of file that make a reference to another file or folder, They are similar to a hard link, but instead of referencing a file on a disk, the way a hard link does, a symbolic link represents a file by representing a hard link. Lets say that /imASymbolicLink is a symbolic link to /folderA/folderB/thisFile Whenever we navigate to the path /imASymbolicLink the computer automatically takes us to /folderA/folderB/thisFile This is handy for moving around complicated file systems efficiently.

File System Formats

 * HFS
 * NTFS
 * FAT16
 * FAT32

Users & Permissions
Users were created because more than one person may use a single computer. Having multiple user accounts allows different people to use a computer. Through the magic of networking, some computer kernels allow multiple users to use a single computer at the same time. Permissions were created to help ensure privacy and security for the users of a computer. A file or folder can have three types of permissions placed on it, which can vary based on the relationship a user has with a file or folder.

The three types of permissions a user can have are the ability to read a file, the ability to write a file, and the ability to execute a file. Reading a file simply entails being able to see a file's contents. Right now, you have permission to read this Wikiversity resource. You also have the ability to write to it, by editing it. the last permission, executable, refers to applications. If you have a copy of a calculator program and you changed its executable permission, you would no longer be able to run the program.

These permissions can change based on whether or not you were the person that created the file, or if you are someone else. If you created the file, you are considered the owner of it. Everyone else is considered everyone; you can change the permissions that the public has to the files. There is a third category that a user can fit into, which is group.

Users can belong to groups. At a school, there might be teachers and students. The teachers don't want the students to see their testing materials, so they set the permissions for everyone on their testing materials to have no permissions at all. The teachers might want to be able to collaborate on their material, so they can set their group, teachers, to be able to read and write. The students, when they're given a test, don't want their classmates cheating off them, so they might set only their owner permissions for the test, and disable reading and writing for everyone.

Root User
A special type of user is the root user. It's a different concept from the root directory, but it does have something in common. A root user has the ability to use and access all of the files on a computer, no matter who they belong to. Root access exists so we never get locked out of things. Theres not too many cases we need to use it, but sometimes we do, like if the police found out a student was cheating, they might need the ability to check the students computer for the illicit material (a stretch, but the point is made).

Communicating with the Kernel
A shell is a program that lets a user communicate with a kernel, therefore allowing communication with the computer's hardware. These are most common different types of kernels that you'll typically encounter. While it's possible to complete most tasks on a computer without a shell, it's often faster to perform them in a shell. The rest of this course will cover the basics of using a shell. Back to the course page.
 * On Linux, The kernel is Linux
 * On Mac OS, the kernel is UNIX
 * On modern versions of Windows, the kernel is Windows NT

title: The Heart of Your Computer


text:
User talk:Egm6936.f10.dtn

 Hello Egm6936.f10.dtn, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 12:36, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Egm6936.f10.dtn


text:
User talk:Joshua.thomas.bird

Thanks for the tips, guys, I kind of have a concentrating problem so I definitely skip around a lot and forget things. Ill try to keep the summaries in mind, but I'm having a hard time consolidating some of the edits I'm making. I think I'll get the hang of it sooner rather than later. joshua.thomas.bird 10:28, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Hello Joshua.thomas.bird, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 12:37, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Capitalization of page names
The general convention here is that page names aren't capitalized after the first letter. There are exceptions when a page name is a proper name, and we haven't been completely consistent. Please don't keep moving pages just for this, unless you establish consensus by discussion. Thanks. --Abd 01:19, 10 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Great stuff on computers, Joshua - thankyou. Can I also suggest as per Abd that the page name capitalisation convention for WV is lower case - MoS and Naming conventions? Not a big deal, but it is preferred. To rename, pages can be moved and a redirect can be left to the new page name. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:00, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

 * Seems to me that the preference is that School names are capitalized, i.e, your interest, Joshua, is the School of Computer Science, i.e., School:Computer Science. Certain academic conventions would have the name of a journal be capitalized, but individual articles are in sentence case. I've moved a couple of pages. If you want to help with that, you are welcome, but I'll do it, and I can delete the redirects formed. I'm taking care to change links, and it seems to me I noticed you did change one yourself. Thanks. (I found it from "What links here," then I opened the page and searched for it, and it wasn't there. I figured out what had happened. Thanks for your work, looks good. --Abd 20:19, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

Making lots of edits
Thanks for working so hard to improve resources. However, there are two issues I need to mention. The first is that you seem to be using many edits, instead of using Preview and making reasonably sure you are done before hitting Save. The second is that you are not using edit summaries. I wouldn't mention it except for the volume of edits. Both issues make more work for those who review Recent Changes or who want to study the history of a page. So, there is a template about the edit summaries, I'm substituting here. Thanks. --Abd 21:16, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Joshua.thomas.bird


text:
User talk:Suren108

 Hello Suren108, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 12:39, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Suren108


title: File:Fourier.4.A.DFT.20110809.pdf


text:
User talk:Eml5526.s11.team01/Hwk2

Display problem
I was cleaning up images that have been moved to commons and I noticed that the Figure 9.3 was not displaying. I've given it the Commons filename, but don't have time to figure out why it's not displaying, I don't see the problem immediately, I'd have to play with it. --Abd 14:05, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Eml5526.s11.team01/Hwk2


text:
User talk:Ana.mervar

 Hello Ana.mervar, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 14:28, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Lea fatur moved to your user space
User:Ana.mervar/Lea fatur.

This page is in Slovenian and is not appropriate for the English Wikiversity. As you are the only author, you could easily place this page content where it might be more appropriate. I don't think there is a Slovenian Wikiversity yet, but pages in Slovenian are welcome on beta.wikiversity, see Beta Wikiverity Category:SL. I've moved the page to your user space, to User:Davidberke/Ervin Fritz. When you have copied the content, please place a speedy deletion tag on it, like this:

While there is no rush, the sooner the better. I've removed the deletion tag.

I have no opinion on the suitability of this page for beta.wikiversity, but at least the language won't be a problem there. Thanks. --Abd 14:32, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Ana.mervar


text:
Category:Non-English pages for review

This category is to assist in maintenance, where a page is not appropriate for Wikiversity because of being non-English, and not part of a language course. As a substitute for deletion, the page may be user-fied and this category added, to allow the user time to recover and move the content to an appropriate wiki, such as beta.wikiversity.

title: Category:Non-English pages for review


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User talk:Sandrakolar

 Hello Sandrakolar, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 14:50, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Other Language Editions of Wikiversity moved to your user space.
User:Sandrakolar/Other Language Editions of Wikiversity

This page is in Slovenian and is not appropriate for the English Wikiversity. As you are the only author, you could easily place this page content where it might be more appropriate. I don't think there is a Slovenian Wikiversity yet, but pages in Slovenian are welcome on beta.wikiversity, see Beta Wikiverity Category:SL. I've moved the page to your user space, to User:Davidberke/Ervin Fritz. When you have copied the content, please place a speedy deletion tag on it, like this:

While there is no rush, the sooner the better. I've removed the deletion tag, but this page will be reviewed later, and probably deleted.

I have no opinion on the suitability of this page for beta.wikiversity, but at least the language won't be a problem there. Thanks. --Abd 14:54, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Sandrakolar


text:
User talk:Reid Morris

 Hello Reid Morris, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 15:54, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

your signature at Motivation_and_emotion/Participants
which you reverted. It looks to me like you hit the Edit button for the whole page (top of screen?) rather than the edit link for the section with participant names, and then you added your signature to the bottom, which didn't work, of course. I fixed it, but if you really don't want to sign up, let me know here, or remove the name. Again, welcome to Wikiversity. --Abd 15:57, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for helping out the newbie Motivation and emotion participants, Abd, much appreciated. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:41, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

 Hi! Our name is Vicky-Verity. We are twins and are Wikiversity mascots. We think Wikiversity is a great place to learn and make friends (when we aren't sleeping). Leave us a message!

Welcome to Motivation and emotion
Hi. Welcome to the unit and to Wikiversity! I look forward to learning with you and I hope that you find the topic and the unit rewarding. Please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or would like help at any point along the way. Sincerely, James Neill, -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:41, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Reid Morris


text:
Automata theory/Finite automata

Now that we've formalized the language that we use for strings and such, we need to introduce a few terms to describe our machines.

Components

 * Input - A string fed to a machine which the machine will determine whether it is part of the language that the machine was designed for. The string must only be made up of symbols from the machine's alphabet (e.g. it doesn't make sense to feed a 3 to a machine that only reads 0's and 1's). An input is read by a machine in a forward fashion, one symbol at a time.
 * Return - The results of running the machine on a given input. Initially, this will either be accepted or rejected, indicating whether the input string is respectively part of the language or not. Later, we will introduce machines capable of generating an output string to return in addition to its standard return value.
 * State - A resting place while the machine reads more input, if more input is available. States are typically named. Canonical names for states (which we will get to later) commonly consist of the lowercase letter 'q' followed by a number, e.g. q0. State names must be unique. Graphically, states are represented by a circle with the name inside.
 * Start State - For programmers, this is known as the program entry point. It is the state that the machine naturally starts in before it reads any input. The name for the start state will usually either be S or, canonically, q0 (it is numbered with the lowest number of all the states). Graphically, the start state is represented as a state with an unlabeled arrow pointing from nothing to it. [[Image:AT_start_state.png]]
 * Accepting State or Final State - A set of states which the machine may halt in, provided it has no input left, in order to accept the string as part of the language. Throughout this course we will exclusively use the term Accepting because I think it is a more descriptive term, but be aware that other places will use the term Final to mean the same thing. Graphically, accepting states are indicated distinctly from other states in any of a number of ways. Common ways include bolding or underlining the name, or using a double circle instead of a single. If the machine has only 1 accepting state, it is oftentimes named with the letter A. [[Image:AT_accept_state.png]] It is worth noting that a machine with no accepting states does not accept any string as part of the language (not even the empty string) - it is essentially the Empty Language, ∅.
 * Rejecting State - Any state in the machine which is not denoted as an accepting state. The string is only rejected if the machine halts in a rejecting state with no more input left. Rejecting states have no special representation, because every state is either accepting or rejecting.
 * Dead State - A rejecting state that is essentially a dead end. Once the machine enters a dead state, there is no way for it to reach an accepting state, so we already know that the string is going to be rejected. Graphically, the dead state is often omitted and assumed for any input that the machine does not have explicit instructions on what to do with. A machine may have multiple dead states, but at most only one dead state is needed per machine.
 * Transition - A way for a machine to go from one state to another given a symbol from the input. Graphically, a transition is represented as an arrow pointing from one state to another, labeled with the symbol or symbols that it can read in order to move the machine from the state at the tail of the arrow to the tip of the arrow. Transitions may even point back to the same state that they came from, which is called a loop.

Using this terminology, we can logically deduce that a Finite State Automaton or Finite State Machine (FSM) is a machine that has a finite number of states.

Deterministic Finite Automata
Machines are categorized into different types. Each type behaves radically different from other types, and tend to appear graphically different (especially the labels for the transitions). The first type we will deal with is the Finite Automata (FA), and specifically, the Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA), since it is one of the simplest types. It is called a Finite Automata because we know that given a finite input, the machine will execute in reasonable finite time and give us a result. This is called Halting, and we will get into that more in depth much later. It is Deterministic in that every state has exactly one transition per symbol, so there are no ambiguities as to which state to go to on a given symbol of input. In the next section, we will introduce the Non-deterministic Finite Automata (NFA).

Formal Representation
Again, different sources will represent this differently. I will use the form that I find most logical.

Formally, a DFA is represented by a 5-tuple. M = (Q, ∑, δ, q0, A) where
 * Q is a finite set of states.
 * ∑ is the alphabet that the input and the machine will use.
 * δ is a transition function mapping Q × Σ → Q. That is, given any state in Q and any symbol in Σ, our transition function will give us a state in Q to transition to.
 * q0 is the start state such that q0 ∈ Q.
 * A is the set of accepting states such that A ⊆ Q.

Because the transition function can quickly become a rather large mapping, we rarely write out formal machines. Instead, we tend to let computers and algorithms handle it for us, write mathematical/set rules that define a machine, or use the graphical representation. If we do need to write out the transition function, we usually do so in a table format, called a transition table, where rows and columns are the states and symbols to transition from, and the entries are the states to transition to.

Reading a Finite Automata Diagram
This is probably the part that most of you have been waiting for.

Remember that states are circles and transitions are arrows. The first step is to identify the Start State. As a reminder, this is the state with an arrow pointing to it from nowhere. It looks like this:

Next, identify any accepting states. Remember, they are either bold, underlined, or double circled.

Now let's put this machine in motion. In order to do this, we will need a string for input. Let's take the following strings:
 * "011"
 * "01"
 * "10"
 * "110"

For the first input, "011", we read the first symbol, 0. From our start state, we see a loop transition on 0 back to the start state. The next symbol of input is 1. We are currently still in the start state, and we see a transition on 1 to state q1. The final symbol of input is 1. From q1, we see a transition on 1 to state A. We have no more symbols left in our input, and we are in state A, which we determined is an accepting state. Therefore, the string "011" is accepted by this machine.

The next 3 strings will demonstrate strings that are not part of our language, and are appropriately rejected (not accepted) by our machine.
 * "01" starts with a 0, so it takes the loop from the start state back to itself. The next symbol is a 1, which takes the transition to state q1. At this point, we've run out of input, and we are in state q1. q1 is not an accepting state, so we reject.
 * "10" starts with a 1, so it takes the transition from the start state to q1. The next symbol is a 0, but we don't have any transitions from q1 for 0. This means that there is an implied dead state that we would transition to. In other words, we reject the string.
 * "110" takes the 1 to q1. From q1, the next symbol of input we read is a 1, so we transition to state A. Beware, just because we are in an accepting state does not mean that we accept. We have to run out of input, too. We still have one symbol left in our input, 0. There are no transitions for 0, so there is an implied dead state that we would transition to. The input is not accepted.

As a quick exercise to the reader, create some strings of your own consisting only of 0's and 1's, and test them on this machine. Keep a record of which are accepted and which are not accepted. Try to recognize the pattern and determine, in plain English, what kind of strings this machine accepts.

Answer: As it turns out, this machine accepts strings with any number of 0's followed by at least two 1's. Or formally, L = 0i111j

Notation
There is a formal notation for processing a given input on a given machine. To do this, we must introduce a few more vocab words, a tuple, and a symbol.

Configuration
A configuration pairs the current state the machine is in with the remaining input that it still has to process. This configuration can be represented with the tuple  where:
 * q ∈ Q is the machine's current state.
 * s ⊆ w is the remaining input.

When you start a machine, the initial configuration is  where q0 is the start state, of course.

Assuming a machine reaches an accepting state with no input, and thus accepts the string, the final configuration would be. Remember that A denotes the set of accepting states and ϵ denotes the empty string (no more input left). This is called an accepting configuration. A rejecting configuration would then be.

Yields
Yields represents the transition from one configuration to another.

 * Yields in one step is a transition to the next state over 1 symbol of input. This is indicated by the yields or right tack symbol: ⊢ . Sometimes it is useful to disambiguate which machine you are computing, in which case you simply subscript the machine, ⊢M.

 * For abbreviating the transition across multiple steps, like a closure (skipping to the last computation), you may use the yields symbol followed by the Kleene star: ⊢*M.

Computation
A computation is combining configurations with yields. The full set of steps taken by a machine on a given input is called the computation history. It can be denoted.

Here is the computation history of the string "011" of our aformentioned machine: (S,011) ⊢ (S,11) ⊢ (q1,1) ⊢ (A,ϵ)

As an exercise to the reader, generate the computation histories of the other strings from before, assuming the dead state is D, and remember that D ∉ A. Indicate whether each final configuration (along with our first string's final configuration (A,ϵ)) is an accepting or rejecting configuration, and why.

title: Automata theory/Finite automata


text:
User talk:Bmenking

 Hello Bmenking, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. All users are expected to abide by our Privacy policy, Civility policy, and the Terms of Use while at Wikiversity.

To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.
 * Explore Wikiversity with the links to your left.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.
 * Follow Wikiversity on twitter (http://twitter.com/Wikiversity) and identi.ca (http://identi.ca/group/wikiversity).

You don't need to be an educator to edit. You only need to be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage. See you around Wikiversity! --Abd 18:23, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Bmenking


text:
Roof coating

Adhesion Test
An adhesion test must be done to ensure compatibility with the existing substrate. To perform adhesion tests in the field, the fabric pull test is recommended. The initial adhesion measured in this test does not mean that long term adhesion is assured but it does provide a strong indication of adhesion performance.

 * 1) Clean test area thoroughly and let dry.
 * 2) Do not perform an adhesion test on a rusted surface without rust treatment or primer. Silicone coatings should be mechanically removed from substrate.
 * 3) Apply 15 mils of roof coating on the prepared or primed surface (min 6″x6″).
 * 4) Embed a 2″x6″ swatch of polyester fabric into the roof coating. Allow 2″ of the fabric to hang free.
 * 5) Apply another 15 mils of roof coating on the fabric until it is completely concealed.
 * 6) Allow roof coating to dry and cure for at least 3 days. (10 days recommended to avoid false positives.)
 * 7) Test for coating adhesion by pulling the fabric at a 90° angle to the substrate surface.
 * 8) Some roof coating should remain on the substrate (see picture above). A clean pull indicates weak coating adhesion on the tested substrate.

Preparation
Inspect the roof for flaws, loose fasteners, cracks, gaps or tears. These need to be fixed before the roof is pressure washed. The roof surface must be thoroughly cleaned by pressure washing using a biodegradeable detergent. Allow the roof to dry thoroughly before applying any coating.

Priming
Primers improve the adhesion between the existing roof substrate and topcoat. On some roofs, priming may be optional but they are a small price to pay for peace of mind. If in doubt, always use a primer.

Coating Application
The roof coating is usually applied in 2 to 3 separate layers. To aid waterproofing, each layer should be applied at a 90° angle to the previous layer and polyester fabric can be used on seams and flashings. Always let the last coat dry before applying another one on top. The base coat may be tinted to facilitate drying and to ensure even coverage of the finish coat.

title: Roof coating


text:
Computer Science Course Listing

Welcome to the full course listing for courses in The School of Computer Science

''This is only a tentative listing of courses. If there's a course you'd like to see here, just add an empty link to it the course offering below. The sky is the limit. Well, not really, because we can't compute that.''

Courses
If you're not sure where to start, begin with Introduction to Computers, and work your way through courses and their prerequisites.

Computer Programming

 * Computer programming
 * Introduction to Programming
 * Introduction to Programming Logic
 * Object-oriented programming
 * Dynamic programming
 * Algorithms
 * Programming Languages
 * Theory of programming languages
 * Compilers and language theory
 * DirectX
 * Lisp
 * OpenGL
 * Shell Scripting
 * Python
 * libavg
 * pyOpenGL
 * JavaScript
 * jQuery
 * PHP
 * Ruby
 * Java
 * Introduction to Programming in Java
 * Java tutorial
 * Web programming, an example
 * Smalltalk
 * C
 * Objective-C
 * C++, .NET
 * Assembly
 * VHDL
 * Software/Application engineering
 * Software project management
 * Databases
 * Modelling
 * User interfaces
 * Software testing
 * Software quality assurance test
 * Service Oriented Architecture
 * Computer Graphics Programming

Information Science

 * Information theory
 * Data compression
 * Data structures
 * Information security
 * Cryptography
 * Information Management.

Networking

 * Networking
 * Wireless systems
 * Information security
 * Cryptography
 * Client/Server and other types of communication
 * Server administration
 * Data Management
 * Server content : Files and Databases
 * Databases

Operating Systems

 * Operating Systems
 * Kernel internals (e.g. Linux, BSD, MINIX)

Artificial Intelligence

 * Artificial intelligence
 * Natural Language Processing
 * Machine learning

Theory, Logic and Design

 * Algorithms
 * Introduction to algorithms
 * Numerical Algorithms
 * Number Theory
 * Introductory Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
 * Computer Engineering (The Art of Making Computers)
 * Computer architecture
 * Introduction to Computer Architecture
 * Service Oriented Architecture
 * Electronic Design
 * Logic Design
 * VHDL
 * Processor Architecture
 * Data Logic
 * Computer Logic
 * Statistics
 * Graph theory
 * Information theory
 * Computer Science Theory
 * Introductory Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
 * Automata theory
 * Complexity theory

Multimedia

 * Multimedia
 * Graphic design with computers
 * Computer-aided Geometric Design

Applied Computer Science

 * Scientific computing
 * Bioinformatics
 * Geoinformatics (i.e. GIS)
 * Graphic design with computers
 * Web Services
 * Websites
 * Web development
 * XML, HTML, XHTML, CSS.
 * JavaScript
 * jQuery
 * Web_programming,_an_example
 * PHP/MySQL
 * .NET
 * Python
 * Ruby
 * Web design
 * User interfaces
 * Web Applets
 * Programming Wikidata

Other Courses

 * Design Physics
 * Business process management
 * Computational geometry
 * Computational linguistics
 * Digital Libraries
 * Information systems
 * Very Small Information Systems
 * Nonkilling Technology
 * Quantum computing
 * Software freedom
 * Device Utilization
 * Parallel computing
 * Concurrency and real-time programming

title: Computer Science Course Listing


text:
Virtues/Politeness

Introduction:
Virtue needs to start somewhere, and politeness provides a starting point. Good manners prepare us for good deeds. But politeness is not a virtue; it is simply following rules without requiring any moral judgment. Politeness is an artifice. The essence of politeness is form; the essence of virtue is character.

“Politeness,” La Bruyère notes, “does not always produce kindness of heart, justice, complacency, or gratitude; but it gives to man at least the appearance of it, and makes him seem externally what he really should be.”

Politeness does not care about morality. A polite bastard is still a bastard, and a well-bred one at that. What is upsetting is the contrast between the appearance of virtue and the prevalence of vice.

When taken too far, politeness becomes insincerity. Truth is not always kind.

With all its frailties, politeness does form a foundation for moral development. Children learn to follow the rules of etiquette before they understand the reasons for the rules. As children grow older and begin to question rules of all sorts, they begin their own moral development. Adolescents may dismiss politeness as arbitrary and superficial, however, they only do so as they begin to think for themselves and understand the difference between polite, impolite, good, and evil.

Politeness maxims, formulated by Geoffrey Leech, lists these six principles of polite conversation: tact, generosity, approbation (approval), modesty, agreement, and sympathy.

Civility is the true virtue beyond the facade of politeness.

Assignment:
Part 1: Notice whenever you compromise honesty, authenticity, sincerity, or justice for the sake of politeness.

Part 2: Examine the rules of politeness you have adopted to understand if they result from showing respect for others, or have some other moral or arbitrary origin.

Part 3: Notice how politeness affects intimacy. When does politeness promote intimacy? When does it inhibit intimacy? Does politeness as you practice it work to strengthen relationships or act to inhibit intimacy and keep others at a distance?

Part 4: Read the accompanying essay on civility to understand the distinctions between politeness and civility, and then consider the following situation. An atheist and an evangelical Christian walk into a bar. After exchanging pleasantries, the evangelist advances the conversation by stating, “The only path to world peace is for every person to accept the love of Jesus Christ, our savior.” What would be a polite response from the atheist? What would be a civil response? How might you handle the situation? (You may wish to switch roles and have the atheist confront the evangelical, or recast this using other religious examples more relevant to you if that makes you more comfortable.)

This assignment is most effective when it is approached as a deep and personal reflection. However, if you are inspired to write about your thoughts from this assignment, feel free to share them by linking them to this list of reflections on the virtue of politeness.

title: Virtues/Politeness


text:
Virtues/Fidelity

Introduction:
Fidelity is the virtue of consistency. It is the basis for reliable thought, reason, morality, trust, and loyalty. It allows us to predict future behavior based on the history of past behavior.

Fidelity is most valuable when it is applied to the most worthy ideas, deeds, principles, or affiliations.

The Virtue of Fidelity
Fidelity is neither fickleness—an arbitrary and unwarranted change—nor obstinacy—unfounded persistence or stubbornness. It is a consistency of thought, reason, morality, and loyalty that persists until some more profound truth, greater good, or more worthy affiliation becomes clear.

Fidelity provides a consistency essential for coherent thinking, reliable behavior, and durable affiliations.

Everyday Fidelity

 * 1) Do what you say – Keep your promises. Act reliably. Be impeccable with your word. Trustworthiness is fidelity to your word. Be trustworthy.
 * 2) Abstain from hypocrisy – Align your actions with your words. Be consistent. Strive for congruence in what you believe, what you say, and what you do.
 * 3) Be consistent – What you state today as your beliefs should be consistent with what you professed yesterday and what you plan to profess tomorrow.  Change those beliefs, and your representations of those beliefs, only when you come to a new understanding that is more consistent with reality.
 * 4) Be true to those who matter most – Keep your marriage vows, and maintain strong relationships with the most worthy people and organizations in your life. As a couple, seek love and longevity in your relationship.
 * 5) Seek truth—since truth is correspondence with reality, and reality is self-consistent, seeking truth aligns your thinking with reality and increases your fidelity with the real world.  Reason is fidelity to truth.
 * 6) Seek insight—close the gap between appearances and reality. Become consistent with reality.
 * 7) Know how you know—Adopt and apply a robust theory of knowledge. Your theory of knowledge is how you decide what to believe. As you mature and learn more your beliefs will necessarily change. A robust theory of knowledge will help your beliefs converge steadily toward reality.

Assignment
Part 1: Notice your adherence to fidelity, everyday, as described above. Notice when you are inconsistent. What may be causing that inconsistency? What can you do to increase your fidelity?

Part 2: Additional assignments relevant to fidelity are described in the integrity module of the course on What Matters. Complete those assignments.

title: Virtues/Fidelity


text:
Virtues/Wisdom

Introduction:
Wisdom is the virtue of good judgement.

Wisdom is an advanced state of personal development that relies on extraordinary knowledge. Wisdom is rooted in perspectives, interpretations, values, and courageous actions. Wisdom extracts meaning and significance from information by understanding interrelationships and their implications. Wisdom is a profound understanding of our existence, the human situation, our possibilities, and especially our limitations. Wisdom is a way of interpreting knowledge by viewing it from a variety of illuminating perspectives and using human values and holistic priorities to make better sense of it. Wisdom applies this knowledge and takes creative and courageous action to solve problems, create opportunities, and increase the well-being of all. Philosopher Nicholas Maxwell defines wisdom as “the capacity, the desire, and the active endeavor to realize what is of value in life, for oneself and others.” Prudence is a close synonym of wisdom.

Values are at the core of wisdom, some say that human values will determine the future. Wise values begin by recognizing the interrelatedness of all things and follow these mutual influences to great length. This leads to openness to experience, widening of personal concerns, and a desire to increase the well-being of all. The foolish values of ignorance, selfishness, hate, greed, envy, and revenge are rejected in favor of empathy, truth, honesty, justice, cooperation, peace, compassion, universal well-being, creativity, courage, and comprehensive knowledge. These promote flourishing—optimal development as part of the whole—of all beings. Subtle and sensitive wisdom appreciates the beauty of nature, living beings, and all stages of life, art, humor, craftsmanship, and remarkable efforts. It also enjoys being in the mysterious cosmos. Wisdom is love—wanting the best for others—and is quite clever and skilled at obtaining it.

We can each intentionally develop and increase our wisdom. Wisdom requires progression in clear thinking, committed action, and emotional regulation. As we develop and increase our learning and maturity our focus can shift from survival, to success, and eventually to transformation. Wisdom emerges from the fusion of thinking, feeling, and acting at their highest levels of maturity. Cognitive skills require an intelligent, knowing, and pragmatic observer. Reflection requires introspection and intuition based on a true and deep understanding of the world and human-based values. Affective skills require a gentle peace, compassion, and understanding based on empathy for others. This deep thought, reflection, and feeling is expressed through action that is always committed, passionate, and generous.

In addition to studying and experiencing life, some practitioners recommend certain psychological and spiritual practices—such as investigative meditation—to help us explore our own psyche, quiet our mind, and make it more receptive to appreciating the laws of our subjective life: ethical understanding, moral behavior, and expanding our circle of caring in space and time. Taken to their limit, meditation, contemplative prayer, and related practices can help people reach the pinnacle of wisdom—an understanding of what is eternal and what is ephemeral, as well as a profound sense of the oneness that pervades all.

Dealing effectively with life’s difficult situations can help develop wisdom. Many wise people have a history of overcoming adversity. Like many others, they have faced great challenges in their lives. But instead of feeling diminished and victimized by their circumstances, they dealt with them in positive ways and grew past them.

The Virtue of Wisdom
Wisdom is a virtue. The deliberation, decision, and action of wisdom guide the other virtues toward the good.

Prudence—knowing what to do—is one of the four classic western cardinal virtues. Aristotle recognized prudence is what makes it possible to decide correctly what is good and what is bad for man. Wisdom tells us what best to do—what we should do—for the good

Wisdom is the good judgment to consider how today’s choices may determine how we confront the future. It is the good sense to go to the dentist today, enduring the brief inconvenience and pain, to avoid more trouble later. Wisdom differentiates action from impulse, and heroes from hotheads. Wisdom seeks to do for our future what memory does for our past.

To Socrates and Plato, philosophy was literally the love of Wisdom (philo-sophia).

Everyday Wisdom
Practice the virtue of wisdom every day in these various ways:
 * Notice the many decisions you make every day. These might include what to eat, what to buy, whether to save or spend money, what to do, how to spend your time, decisions on health and fitness, and risk taking. Notice if you are using a short-term or a long-term planning horizon in making each decision. Strive to extend the planning horizon for these decisions.
 * Identify the next big decision you expect to make. This might be:
 * Deciding what classes to take in school
 * Deciding what to do after graduation--more education, choosing a college, or perhaps a job.
 * Deciding on a job opportunity or choosing a career.
 * Deciding to change jobs, buy a house, or move.
 * Deciding who to spend time with, who are your friends.
 * Deciding to get a tattoo or body piercing.
 * Deciding how to spend money, how to save and invest money.
 * Deciding on romantic relationships, who to become close to, who to move away from.
 * Deciding to stop smoking, reduce drinking, drive sober, or stop other risky behavior.
 * Family planning.
 * Consider the various alternatives for each. Imagine how each is likely to turn out 1, 5, 10, or more years from now. The wisest choice is probably the one with the best long-term outlook. Make the wise choice.

 * Write a short story describing what your life is like 5 or 10 years from now. Be optimistic without abandoning reality. Describe your family and home life, your job, what you like to do, and how you spend your time. Now, what decisions do you have to make now, each day, and in the future to make this possibility a reality? Make those decisions wisely as they become timely.
 * Take time each day to reflect quietly on:
 * Your recent experiences; what did you learn?
 * Your recent decisions, what were the wise ones? What did you learn from the others?
 * What contributes to your flourishing? What detracts from it?
 * What risks are you facing? How can they be reduced?
 * What opportunities are available? How can you best develop them?
 * Reviewing your own Character Strengths and Virtues. How can you best apply them to solving problems and developing opportunities?
 * What do you want to have happen in the near, intermediate, and distant futures?
 * What decisions are you facing soon?
 * How can you make those decisions most wisely?
 * Are you focusing your time and attention on what matters?
 * What do you need to do next to act wisely?
 * Choose to live wisely.

Assignment
The goal of this assignment is to understand where you currently are on the path to wisdom, and to move one step closer to wisdom along each of the three tracks.
 * 1) Study the wise path essay and target diagram.
 * 2) For each of the three paths described (thinking, feeling, and doing), decide where (at what level of coherence) you are currently living. Note that these paths are largely independent, for example you might find you are at the “factually informed” level of thinking, while only at the “reactive” level of feeling.
 * 3) For each of these three levels, navigate to the next level (indicated under the “moving on” text in the detailed description of that level, or simply appearing one level closer to the center of the circle.)
 * 4) Study the “being there” text for each of your next levels.
 * 5) Carry out the steps described under the “getting there” header of each of these three next levels.
 * 6) Complete the Wikiversity course on Living Wisely.

title: Virtues/Wisdom


text:
Virtues/Temperance

Introduction:
Temperance is the virtue of moderation.

It is easy to become consumed by our desires; children do it all the time. I want this, give me that, more candy, more soda, more toys, more play time. However if we choose to exercise self-control we can become the master of our desires. We can choose our pleasures rather than indulging mindlessly in limitless excess. We can choose to enjoy what we have rather than succumbing to an unending quest for all that we do not have.

Temperance is not abstinence, it is moderation. It is choosing enough rather than relentlessly pursuing more. It is exercising our ability to master our desires. It is learning to cope with abundance.

Temperance is the decision to savor pleasure—intensifying its sensation—by shunning excess and thereby enjoy what we have so much more. It is choosing quality over quantity. It is choosing the middle way.

Aristotle described temperance as the mean between the excess of prodigality—wild extravagance—and the deficiency of insensibility—insensitivity to deficiency.

The Virtue of Moderation
Aristotle described virtue as a mean—a balance—between deficiency and excess. Moderation, therefore, is essential to all virtue.

Everyday Temperance
Find a healthy and gratifying balance between deprivation and indulgence. Consider adopting some of these simple guidelines to practice moderation each day.

Food

 * Don’t eat between meals
 * Enjoy dining with your family or friends. Eat slowly.
 * Enjoy savoring smaller portions.
 * Eat home cooked food.
 * Moderate or eliminate caffeine consumption, including coffee, tea, and energy drinks.
 * Moderate or eliminate sugar consumption, including soft drinks, candy, sweets, and other highly sweetened foods.
 * Follow the advice of Michael Pollan and: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants".
 * Follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin and "Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."

Alcohol

 * Limit alcohol consumption to one glass of wine or beer daily.
 * Never drink and drive.

Sexual Activity

 * Eschew pornography.
 * Be faithful to your committed partner.
 * Limit sexual activity to occasions initiated by your spouse.

Shopping

 * Turn off the shopping channel.
 * Don't use shopping as a pastime, palliative, or form of entertainment.
 * Don't buy on impulse. Delay purchases until you can make a dispassionate decision about your true needs.
 * Save rather than borrow. Pay your credit card bill in full each month. Don't make purchases that require you to increase your personal debt.
 * Follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin and "Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.”

Other

 * Stop smoking.
 * Stop gambling.
 * Stop talking about yourself. Let your accomplishments speak for themselves. Don’t regard yourself as more special than others. Talk less while saying more.
 * Follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin and "Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
 * Balance work, family activities, and play.
 * Integrate exercise into your daily activities. Turn off the TV, get off the couch, walk more.
 * Sleep 8 hours every night.
 * Moderate your "screen time" including video games, computer use, and smart phone use.
 * Exercise your self control and self discipline. Work to increase your impulse control; earn that second marshmallow.
 * Increase your emotional competency.
 * Control your temper.
 * Apologize.
 * Forgive.
 * Overcome hate.
 * Get professional help if you suffer from any addictions or harmful compulsions such as tobacco use, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, inappropriate sexual activities, gambling, eating disorders, fanaticism, or excessive shopping.
 * Meditate, contemplate, and reflect.
 * Find the middle way.

Assignment
Part 1: Choose one of the guidelines from the list above to integrate into your daily life.

Part 2: Track your progress for one week, then for one month.

title: Virtues/Temperance


text:
Virtues/Courage

Introduction:
Courage is the resolve to act virtuously, especially when it is most difficult. It is acting for the good, when it would be much easier not to this time.

A courageous person understands danger, and chooses to overcome their fear and proceed to face the danger and act according to their values. It is not fearlessness, recklessness, or rashness. It is a well-considered, wise, and brave decision to behave constructively despite the fear, discomfort, temptation, or dilemma. Courage is a strength drawn from a wise balance between the weaknesses of cowardice and recklessness. It is the discipline to act on wisely-chosen values rather than an impulse.

Courage may be manifest as:
 * Valor and bravery - Often called physical courage.
 * Perseverance, industry, or diligence - often called endurance.
 * Integrity, genuineness, or honesty - often called moral courage.

Aristotle believed that the epitome of courage is facing noble death at the hands of the enemy during your offensive attack in a just war for the people. Demonstrating physical prowess, overcoming fear—especially fear of death, and launching an attack or an offensive effort are often considered the hallmarks of courage.

Sometimes the most difficult obstacles we face are fatigue, boredom, and other chronic stressors such as relentless bad weather, lack of food or shelter, disrespect, uncertainty, and other annoyances and difficulties. Enduring in the face of these obstacles requires courage.

Ordinary people courageously persevere over fatigue, temptation, and hardship to benefit others. The single mother who gets her children dressed for school each day before she goes to work herself, the unskilled worker who endures a low-paying, demeaning, and exhausting job to earn the money to send his children off to college, and the alcoholic who never indulges in a drink are all choosing to do the right thing despite the hardships.

In the nineteenth century Henry Sidgwick first defined moral courage as: “facing the pains and dangers of social disapproval in the performance of what they believe to be duty.” The moral hero often overcomes shame and humiliation, rejects conformity, risks ostracism, jeopardizes career and status, and sets out alone to take an unpopular stand and do the right thing. Moral courage is choosing to risk embarrassment rather than tolerate injustice.

Examples of moral courage include:
 * Women's suffrage activist Emmeline Pankhurst was arrested seven times before women gained the right to vote in the United Kingdom,
 * The December 1, 1955 refusal of 42-year-old Rosa Parks to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. She was arrested and unlike previous individual actions of civil disobedience, Parks' action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
 * And moral courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and the “tank man” who stopped a line of tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 are all legendary examples.

The Virtue of Courage
Because courage allows us to act on our values rather than our impulses, its virtue has long been recognized and identified.

Courage is one of the four classic western cardinal virtues. Aristotle recognized courage as the virtue at the mean between rashness and cowardice. Courage requires moderation. The risks incurred must be in proportion to the ends sought. Courage is morally neutral. Executing a daring bank heist requires bravery, but is morally reprehensible. Bravery can be demonstrated in the name of good or evil. Courage is a virtue when we choose to do good, especially when that is most difficult. Courage most demands our respect when it incurs risk without selfish motivation. Courage is moral strength in the face of danger.

Courage is most virtuous when it is combined with knowledge, wisdom, and opinion. All of the virtues are interdependent, and they all depend on courage.

This synthesized Socratic dialogue on the topic “Is courage a moral virtue?” examines the nuances of courage as a moral virtue.

Everyday Courage
Without risking imprisonment or making headlines, you can exercise the virtue of courage every day by:
 * Being impeccable with your word,
 * Doing your best,
 * Acting on your well-chosen values; exercising the virtues.
 * Demonstrating commitment to a good cause through your active participation,
 * Refusing the temptation to comply with, assist with, or ignore: dishonest, unfair, coercive, cruel, bigoted, wasteful, or deceptive words or practices encountered during your everyday activities.
 * Be willing to speak truth to power to right a wrong.
 * Doing the right thing when faced with defining moments in our lives, and every day. Don't accept bribes, cheat on your taxes, or pad your expense vouchers.
 * Courageously overcoming or at least controlling addictions.

Assignment

 * Complete the Wikiversity course on Finding Courage.
 * Recall a time when you knew the right thing to do, it was difficult, yet you found the resolve to do the right thing. Describe the internal struggle and dialogue that allowed your values to prevail over your fears or other difficulties.
 * Recall another time when you knew the right thing to do, it was difficult, and you did not get it done. Describe the internal struggle and dialogue that allowed you to subordinate your values in the face of fears or other difficulties.

Further Reading:
Students interested in learning more about courage may be interested in the following materials:

title: Virtues/Courage


text:
Virtues/Justice

Introduction:
Justice is the virtue of fairness.

The concept of symmetry is at the core of most theories of justice.

Many informal calls for justice are appeals for symmetry. For example: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, “settling the score”, “getting even”, “turnabout is fair play”, “its only fair”, and the scales of lady justice all seek to restore a balance. The idea that a fair exchange is just is also an appeal to symmetry.

Abusing power—an asymmetrical relationship—is typically the cause of injustice. A shift in power, including state sponsored sentencing or home-grown revenge is often used in an attempt to restore justice.

Preventing and Remediating Loss
Many legal constructs are intended to prevent loss. For example, traffic regulations help to prevent traffic accidents, contracts help to clarify expectations and avoid misunderstandings about an impending transaction.

When a loss occurs, steps are taken to remedy the loss. Returning stolen goods, paying fines, or imposing some pain or suffering on the offender intended to be equivalent to the pain inflicted on the victim.

The Virtues of Justice
The symmetry demanded by justice affirms the inherent equality of all people.

John Rawls claims that "Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought."

Religious Teachings
Justice is a fundamental concept in many religions, and various religious traditions provide teachings and guidance on ethical behavior, fairness, and the pursuit of justice.

Consider reading this essay on /religious teachings/ regarding justice.

Theories of Justice
Efforts to provide universal rules for determining justice have resulted in several theories of moral justice. These include:

 * Utilitarianism ̶ an ethical theory holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes the overall "good" of the greatest number of individuals. This consequentialism theory contrasts with the concept of categorical moral principles ̶ which hold that there are some things we simply don't do.
 * Explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 1 and Episode 2
 * Libertarianism ̶ the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society.
 * Explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 3
 * Philosopher John Locke argued that individuals have certain unalienable rights—to life, liberty, and property—which were originally given to us as human beings in the “state of nature.”
 * Explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 4 and Episode 5

 * Philosopher Immanuel Kant advocated a strict concept of freedom, based on the concept of autonomy—acting according to laws you give yourself. This is contrasted with heteronomy, having to act according to (often selfish) desires you have not chosen.

 * Kant also advocated a strict conception of morality where the moral worth of an action depends on motive. You must do the right thing for the right reason. The only moral motive is a sense of duty, not selfish inclination.

 * Furthermore, Kant objects to considering humans only as means to an end, and believes humans are ends in themselves. This is the origin of the respect and dignity people intrinsically deserve. He considered the reason you do something important and distinguishes between hypothetical imperatives—instrumental actions undertaken as a means to an end—and categorical imperatives—actions taken without reliance on any further purpose.

 * Kant stated three formulations of the categorical imperative that he considered equivalent:
 * 1) The formula of Universal Law: “Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it could become a universal law.”
 * 2) The formula of Humanity as End: “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time, as an end.”
 * 3) The formula of Kingdom of End: This is a theoretical end goal where all citizens behave and act rationally.

 * Together these three contrasts form Kant’s supreme principle of morality.
 * 1) Motive: The only moral motive is duty, not an inclination.
 * 2) Will:  The only moral will is autonomous choice, not heteronymous acquiescence.
 * 3) Reason: The only moral reason for acting is a categorical imperative, not a hypothetical imperative.
 * Kant's ideas are explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 6 and Episode 7

 * Modern Philosopher John Rawls wrote A Theory of Justice where he develops the theory of Justice as fairness. The moral force of a contract depends on obligation (autonomous consent) and mutual benefits (reciprocity). However in real contracts one of the parties typically has unfair bargaining power or benefits from differences in knowledge. This prevents attaining a true symmetry. Therefore Rawls invokes the mechanism of the veil of ignorance to attain an original position of equality in conceiving a hypothetical contract between equals.
 * Rawls' ideas are explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 7

While compelling logic supports each of these theories, troublesome examples demonstrate their limitations.
 * John Rawls’ egalitarian theory of Distributive Justice is based on principles developed from considering an original position of equality conceived behind a veil of ignorance. This leads to his Difference Principle that only allows those inequalities to persist that help the least well off. He states the Difference Principle as: “Those who have been favored by nature, whoever they are, may gain from their good fortune only on terms that improve the situation of those who have lost out.”
 * These ideas are explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 8
 * Aristotle believed justice requires giving people their due; what they deserve. He used teleological reasoning—reasoning from the goal or purpose—to best allocate scarce resources.  The best flutes, for example, should go to the best flute players, because the purpose of a flute is to be played well.
 * These ideas are introduced late in Episode 9 and continued in Episode 10
 * Communitarians argue that, in addition to voluntary and universal duties, we also have obligations of loyalty to community and family members.
 * Explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 11
 * Attaining moral justice requires us to discuss different conceptions of what good is. The method of Reflective Equilibrium may help us advance toward a shared concept of good.
 * Explored in "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do", Episode 12
 * Retributive justice is a theory of justice that considers punishment, if proportionate, is a morally acceptable response to crime, justified by the satisfaction and psychological benefits it can bestow to the aggrieved party, its intimates and society.
 * Restorative justice (also sometimes called "reparative justice") is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender.

Assignment
Part 1: Study each of the theories of justice listed above.

Part 2: Which theory comes closest to describing your own intuitive sense of justice? Why?

Part 3: Choose a case from this list of /thought provoking cases/ or some other documented and difficult case to study. Apply the theory of justice you identified in part 2 to this case. What outcome would that theory of justice arrive at? Is that the outcome the courts arrived at? Comment on your intuitive sense of justice in this case and how that agrees with or differs from the theoretical and actual outcomes.

Part 4: What mechanisms, if any, work to align legal justice with moral justice?

title: Virtues/Justice


text:
Virtues/Generosity

Introduction:
Generosity is the virtue of being liberal in giving. Generosity is giving to another person something of yours as an act of freewill, without obligation. Generosity requires an awareness of your own freedom—I choose to give this gift—and the decision to make good use of that freedom—I choose to do good.

Although you may think first of generosity in monetary terms, often non-monetary gifts, such as time, encouragement, hope, laughter, hospitality, service, and forgiveness, may have the most value.

If you are giving to right a wrong then you are acting from justice, not generosity.

If you are giving out of a sense of obligation you are acting from reciprocity, not generosity.

If you are giving out of a sense of loyalty you are acting from solidarity, not generosity.

If you are giving out of a sense of self-interest, it is selfishness, not generosity.

If you are giving to someone you love, then you are acting from love, not generosity.

Generosity is your decision to act in opposition to hate, contempt, envy, anger, and even indifference.

Generosity keeps good company, as the following combinations of virtues show:
 * Generosity + courage = heroism
 * Generosity + justice = equity
 * Generosity + compassion = benevolence
 * Generosity + mercy = leniency
 * Generosity + gentleness = kindness

The Virtue of Generosity
In his book Ethics, Baruch Spinoza advises us to “act well and rejoice”

Aristotle describes generosity as the mean between wastefulness and stinginess.

Religious Teachings
Generosity is a virtue that is often emphasized in various religions around the world. Different religious traditions offer teachings and guidelines on generosity as part of their moral and ethical frameworks.

Consider reading this essay on /religious teachings/ regarding generosity.

Everyday Generosity

 * 1) Help when you can.
 * 2) Perform random acts of kindness such as these examples.
 * 3) Give without hope of reward and without anticipation of gratitude.
 * 4) Enjoy the virtue of generosity.

Assignment
Part 1: Perform some random act of kindness. Notice how it makes you feel.

Part 2: Study the module on Altruism in the course on What Matters.

title: Virtues/Generosity


text:
Virtues/Compassion

Introduction:
Compassion is our concern and regret for the suffering of others. Compassion is the opposite of cruelty—taking pleasure in the suffering of others—and of egoism—being aloof to that suffering.

Compassion is a way of thinking and being that results in a spontaneous readiness to act for the benefit of others.

Pity is a sadness we feel as a result of another’s suffering. Compassion differs from pity because it is born of love and generosity toward the sufferer. Pity is a form of sadness; compassion can be a source of joy. Buddisht Monk Matthieu Ricard regards compassion as the route to deep and enduring happiness.

Mercy forgives a person who is suffering because he has made an error. Compassion differs from mercy because it regrets the suffering, regardless of cause.

Sympathy is not compassion. Sympathy is a feeling, a sharing in the pain, while compassion is an action, a compulsion to do something to relieve the pain.

The Virtue of Compassion
Compassion is the decision to become attuned to suffering. Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer's moral theory proposed that of three primary moral incentives, compassion, malice and egoism, compassion is the major motivator to moral expression. Malice and egoism are corrupt alternatives.

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

Religious Teachings
Various religions around the world often emphasize the importance of compassion as a fundamental virtue. While the specific teachings may vary, the underlying message is generally centered on empathy, kindness, and the alleviation of suffering.

Consider reading this essay on /religious teachings/ regarding compassion.

Everyday Compassion
The key to compassionate action is this: everybody needs someone to be there for them, simply to be there.

Practice the virtue of compassion every day in these various ways:
 * Refuse to inflict pain on others. Instead, act to alleviate suffering.
 * Do not act or speak violently to others. Instead, show others your kindness.
 * Do not harass, exploit, or denigrate others. Instead, show others your respect.
 * Do not deny human rights to anyone. Instead, act to protect human rights for all.
 * Refuse to hate. Instead, practice the virtue of tolerance.
 * Pledge to follow the golden rule. Treat all others as you wish to be treated, every day.
 * Performing other actions chosen from this /Acts of Compassion/ list.

Assignment

 * Decide that you want to be kinder, more generous, and more compassionate.
 * Work to overcome these /Obstacles to practicing compassion/.
 * Read and study the Charter for Compassion. Practice compassion as described in that charter.
 * Practice Loving Kindness meditation.
 * Practice Compassion meditation.
 * Read the essay toward compassion.
 * Imagine how it can be if we worked toward compassion.
 * Deliberately practice feeling compassion for various people in your life, especially people you find difficult or who seem different from yourself.
 * Find a volunteer opportunity, perhaps through the Points of Light Institute, or similar volunteer coordination organization, and begin helping.

title: Virtues/Compassion


text:
Virtues/Mercy

Introduction
Mercy is the virtue of forgiveness. It is the decision to stop hating and to renounce vengeance. It is about your choice, not other's choice.

Mercy does not nullify the evil, and it does not give up the fight against evil; it is your refusal to be drawn into evil, to add to the hate, or to continue the violence.

Forgiveness does not forbid punishment, what it forbids is punishment out of hatred.

Mercy differs from clemency and amnesty. Clemency and amnesty renounce punishment while taking no stance on hatred. Mercy renounces hatred while taking no stance on punishment.

Mercy differs from compassion. Compassion works to relieve suffering, and suffering is usually innocent. Mercy forgives wrongdoing, which is rarely innocent. Mercy is more difficult than compassion; it is easier to regret the suffering of another, especially when you can feel their pain, than it is to reflect on the futility of hatred, especially when you have been maliciously harmed.

The Virtue of Mercy
Mercy is good because it halts the spread of hatred and its attending evils.

Portia, speaking in The Merchant of Venice, said it poetically: The quality of mercy is not strain'd. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. Mercy also includes the concept of the withholding of punishment, even if it is deserving. A person who does not take revenge or impose a just punishment is considered merciful. It may be within the rights of the law that a person exacts revenge or punishment on a perpetrator who committed a crime against them, but they decide not to do so, not because of any 'good' or deserving aspect of the perpetrator, but because of the virtue of mercy within themselves.

Everyday Mercy
The basic advice is don't take the bait and let it go.

Practice the virtue of mercy every day in these various ways:
 * When you are unable to love, at least cease to hate.
 * When another driver cuts you off in traffic, continue to drive safely yourself, continue your constructive activity. (It may be helpful for you to assume they are rushing a critically injured child to the hospital, or have some other urgent and important reason for driving unsafely.) Later on if you find some way to improve effective safe driving programs or reduce road rage, your participation could lead to real and permanent improvement.
 * Don't attribute stupidity, ignorance, or the thoughtlessness of others to their evil intent.

Assignment
Assignment 1:

Part 1: Recall a situation where you have been mistreated, insulted, treated unjustly, or otherwise wronged.

Part 2: Begin with an acknowledgement and careful analysis of your hurt, anger, or hatred resulting from the mistreatment. What happened; what are the facts of the event? What do you perceive as the injustice? How do you apportion responsibly for the injustice? Who do you blame? What was your role? What role did others play? Why did they act as they did? Can you understand their point of view?

Part 3: If you are still feeling hatred you are not yet ready to forgive. Wait and repeat Part 2.

Part 4: Make a decision and to choose to forgive. A key step is your decision to put aside any claim to revenge, regardless of how justified or subtle it may be. Until you are able to totally let go of your thoughts, feelings, or intentions for revenge, you are not yet ready to forgive. You may need more time, more information, more dialogue, or you may need to consider the offender's perspective from a more compassionate point of view. To be ready to forgive you must decide to bear (dissipate, dissolve, endure, overlook, tolerate, absorb, let go of) your own pain rather than pass it on.

Assignment 2:

Part 1: Study the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Part 2: Was this an example of amnesty, or mercy? Was it a prudent exercise of mercy? Were the outcomes good, considering the victims, perpetrators, other South Africans, and all others? What alternative plan, if any, would have been likely to have had a better outcome?

Further Reading:
Students interested in learning more about mercy may be interested in the following materials:
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.
 * Materials from the Emotional Competency treatment of Forgiveness.

title: Virtues/Mercy