TABULA ROSA SYSTEMS: 2018-12-09

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Tabula Rosa Blog Of 12/15/18 - The Golden Mean Of Aristotle

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· Aristotle - the golden mean. Moral behavior is the mean between two extremes - at one end is excess, at the other deficiency. Find a moderate position between those two extremes, and you will be acting morally.

Golden Mean

The concept of Aristotle's theory of golden mean is represented in his work called Nicomachean Ethics, in which Aristotle explains the origin, nature and development of virtues which are essential for achieving the ultimate goal, happiness (Greek: eudaimonia), which must be desired for itself. It must not be confused with carnal or material pleasures, although there are many people who consider this to be real happiness, since they are the most basic form of pleasures. It is a way of life that enables us to live in accordance with our nature, to improve our character, to better deal with the inevitable hardships of life and to strive for the good of the whole, not just of the individual.

Aristotle's ethics is strongly teleological, practical, which means that it should be the action that leads to the realization of the good of the human being as well as the whole. This end is realized through continuous acting in accordance with virtues which, like happiness, must be desired for themselves, not for the short term pleasures that can be derived from them. This is not to say that happiness is void of pleasures, but that pleasures are a natural effect, not the purpose. In order to act virtuously, we must first acquire virtues, by parental upbringing, experience and reason. It is very important to develop certain principles in the early stages of life, for this will profoundly affect the later life. Aristotle's ethics is centered at a person's character, because by improving it, we also improve our virtues. A person must have knowledge, he must choose virtues for their own sake and his activities must originate from a firm and unshakeable character, which represents the conditions for having virtues. If we behave like this, our happiness will have a positive influence on other people as well, and will improve their characters.

The golden mean represents a balance between extremes, i.e. vices. For example, courage is the middle between one extreme of deficiency (cowardness) and the other extreme of excess (recklessness). A coward would be a warrior who flees from the battlefield and a reckless warrior would charge at fifty enemy soldiers. This doesn't mean that the golden mean is the exact arithmetical middle between extremes, but that the middle depends on the situation. There is no universal middle that would apply to every situation. Aristotle said, "It's easy to be angry, but to be angry at the right time, for the right reason, at the right person and in the right intensity must truly be brilliant." Because of the difficulty the balance in certain situations can represent, constant moral improvement of the character is crucial for recognizing it. This, however, doesn't imply that Aristotle upheld moral relativism because he listed certain emotions and actions (hate, envy, jealousy, theft, murder) as always wrong, regardless of the situation at hand.

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In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” has just been published and will be followed by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki

Anyone who would like to review the book and have it posted on my blog or website, please contact me paul@netiquetteiq.com.

In addition to this blog, I maintain a radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and PSG of Mercer County, NJ.

Additionally, I am the president of Tabula Rosa Systems, a “best of breed” reseller of products for communications, email, network management software, security products and professional services. Also, I am the president of Netiquette IQ. We are currently developing an email IQ rating system, Netiquette IQ, which promotes the fundamentals outlined in my book.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 1212/2018 - Maxims

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From whatis.com

Richard Nordquist

Updated March 20, 2017

Definition

A maxim is a compact expression of a general truth or rule of conduct. Also known as a proverb, saying, adage, sententia, and precept.

In classical rhetoric, maxims were regarded as formulaic ways of conveying the common wisdom of the people. Aristotle observed that a maxim may serve as the premise or conclusion of an enthymeme.

Etymology
From the Latin, "greatest"

Examples and Observations

Never trust a man who says, "Trust me."
You're either part of the solution or part of the problem.
"Nothing ever goes away."
(Barry Commoner, American ecologist)
Sherlock Holmes: Would you stand up?
Dr. John Watson: Whatever for?
Sherlock Holmes: It is an old maxim of mine that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Therefore, you are sitting on my pipe.
(John Neville and Donald Houston in A Study in Terror, 1965)
"Think sideways!"
(Edward De Bono, The Use of Lateral Thinking, 1967)

"Start with a phenomenon that nearly everyone both accepts and considers well understood--'hot hands' in basketball. Now and then, someone just gets hot, and can't be stopped. Basket after basket falls in--or out as with 'cold hands,' when a man can't buy a bucket for love or money (choose your cliché). The reason for this phenomenon is clear enough; it lies embodied in the maxim: 'When you're hot, you're hot; and when you're not, you're not.' . . .

"Everybody knows about hot hands. The only problem is that no such phenomenon exists."
(Stephen Jay Gould, "The Streak of Streaks," 1988)

"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it."
(George Santayna)
Maxims as Tools of Argument in Classical Rhetoric
- "In the Rhetoric, Book II, Chapter 21, Aristotle treated maxims as a prelude to his discussion of the enthymeme, because, as he observed, maxims often constitute one of the premises of a syllogistic argument. For instance, in an argument about financial matters, one can imagine a disputant saying, 'A fool and his money are soon parted.' The full argument suggested by this proverb would run something like this:

A fool and his money are soon parted.
John Smith is undeniably a fool when it comes to money matters.
John Smith is sure to lose out on his investment.

The value of maxims, according to Aristotle, is that they invest a discourse with 'moral character,' with that ethical appeal so important in persuading others. Because maxims touch upon universal truths about life, they win ready assent from the audience."
(Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press, 1999)

- "The orator, says [Giambattista] Vico, “speaks in maxims.” But he must produce these maxims offhandedly; as practical matters always require immediate solutions, he does not have the time of the dialectician. He must be able to quickly think in enthymemic terms."
(Catalina Gonzalez, "Vico's Institutiones Oratoriae." Rhetorical Agendas, ed. by Patricia Bizzell. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006)

"Too many cooks spoil the broth"
- "'Too many cooks spoil the broth'--so goes a proverb that is as familiar to most Americans as its meaning. The Iranians expressed the same thought with different words: 'Two midwives will deliver a baby with a crooked head.' So do the Italians: 'With so many roosters crowing, the sun never comes up.' The Russians: 'With seven nurses, the child goes blind.' And the Japanese: 'Too many boatmen run the boat up to the top of the mountain.'"
("Language: The Wild Flower of Thought." Time, March 14, 1969)

- "Having passed through several different studios over its 15-year development, sci-fi comedy Duke Nukem Forever sets a new precedent for how too many cooks really can get busy with the spoilage."
(Stuart Richardson, "Duke Nukem Forever--Review." The Guardian, June 17, 2011)

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Monday, December 10, 2018

Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 12/10/2018 - Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace Do You Know Who She Was?

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From whatis.com

Today is Ada Lovelace Day

Ada Lovelace (Augusta Ada King)

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was an English mathematician who is credited with being the first computer programmer. She is known for writing the first algorithm for a machine, inventing the subroutine and recognizing the importance of looping. Countess Lovelace lived from 1815 to 1852. Her birthday is December 10.
Ada, whose given name was Augusta Ada Byron, was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke Byron, an accomplished mathematician. Ada was educated in music and mathematics by a succession of tutors, including Mary Somerville, a noted mathematician and scientist during the Victorian era. In addition to publishing her own papers, Somerville was known for translating Mecanique Celeste by Pierre-Simon Laplace and adding her own notes to explain the mathematics used by the author.
In 1833, Somerville introduced Ada Byron to Charles Babbage, who demonstrated a working model of a steam-powered calculating machine he called a Difference Engine. According to contemporary reports, Ada was very interested in the Difference Engine, which was designed to calculate and print out tables, but was particularly fascinated by Babbage's plans for an Analytic Engine, a more complicated machine inspired in part by the mechanisms of the Jacquard loom. Babbage was impressed not only with Ada's mathematical knowledge and understanding of how both machines would work, but also with her ability to articulate her thinking.
Ada married William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace, and kept in touch with Charles Babbage. After the birth of her third child, she turned her attention back to mathematics. By this time, Babbage had received funding from the British government to build a full-size model of his Difference Engine. The British Navy was interesting in using Babbage's machine to ensure the accuracy of their navigation tables, but construction of the room-sized machine proved mechanically difficult and after ten years, funding was withdrawn. The Difference Engine was never completed, and Babbage turned his attention once more to his plans for an Analytic Engine.
To raise interest in funding the Analytic Engine, Babbage allowed Luigi Federico Menabrea to write a paper about the Analytic Engine. The paper was published in French and Ada Lovelace volunteered to translate it from French to English. Just as Mary Somerville added her own notes to the translation of Mecanique Celeste, Ada Lovelace added her own notes to the translation of Menabrea's paper. By the time Ada finished, her notes were three times longer than the original paper.
Ada understood how the punch cards a Jacquard loom used to create patterns could be used represent abstract ideas. This understanding allowed her to imagine how the Analytic Engine could be used in ways that Babbage hadn't thought of yet. For example, in her annotations, Ada described a method by which the Analytical Engine could be made to compute Bernoulli numbers. Her algorithm for computing Bernoulli numbers is considered to be the first computer program. Ada Lovelace's translation of Menabrea's paper, which included her notes, was published in 1843 under the name AAL.
Ada, the programming language created by the United States Department of Defense, is named in honor of the Countess of Lovelace. Since 2009, her contributions to science and engineering have been recognized each year on the middle Tuesday of October.

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Saturday, December 15, 2018

Tabula Rosa Blog Of 12/15/18 - The Golden Mean Of Aristotle

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Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 1212/2018 - Maxims

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Monday, December 10, 2018

Tabula Rosa Systems Blog Of 12/10/2018 - Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace Do You Know Who She Was?

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