General

SCIENCE, Education
TECHNOLOGY AND115
SOCIETY
Class Code: GEC 115

Prepared by:
Nora Riza C. Gullon-Mateo
Instructor I
Nora Riza C. Gullon-Mateo
Contact #: 0936-670-9268
Instructor
Facebook: I
Rizza Mateo
Email: rizagullon1108@[Link]
Contact #: 0936-670-9268
Facebook: Rizza Mateo
Email: rizagullon1108@[Link]
 Prologue

Science, Technology and Society is a compulsory course in the General

Education Curriculum for tertiary education. This course mainly focuses the students
to appreciate and understand the ways in which scientific, technological, and social
factors interact in order to shape modern life. The course brings together the
humanists, social scientists, engineers, and natural scientists and all other committed
fields to transcend the boundaries of their disciplines in a joint search for new insights
and new ways.
This module is intended for students to develop critical thinking skills and
ingenuity in discovering and confronting the realities that is brought by science and
technology in our society. Thus, this course seeks to instill reflective knowledge in the
students that they are able to live the good life and display ethical decision making in
the face of scientific and technological advancement.
This course includes the mandatory topics on climate change and
environmental awareness.
The topic of this module was anchored based from the CMO number 20, series
of 2013 at CHED Memorandum dated June 28, 2013.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

Knowledge
1. Articulate the impacts of science and technology on society, specifically
Philippine society.
2. Explain how science and technology affect society and the environment and its
role in nation-building.
3. Analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express
philosophical ramifications that are meaningful to the student as a part of
society.
4. Define and demonstrate the impact of social media on the students’ life and
Philippine society in general.
Values
1. Imbibe the importance of science and technology in the preservation of the
environment and the development of the Filipino nation.
2. Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology
such that the student may be able to define for himself/herself the meaning of
the good life.
3. Foster the value of a healthy lifestyle toward the holistic and sustainable
development of society and the environment.
Skills
1. Creatively present the importance and contributions of science and technology
to society.
2. Examine shared concerns that make up the good life in order to come up with
innovative and creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical
standards.
3. Illustrate how the social media and information age impact their lives and their
understanding of climate change.

Grading System:

Midterm Grade = 2/3 x Class Standing + 1/3 X Midterm Exam

Tentative FG = 2/3 x Class Standing + 1/3 X Midterm Exam
Final Grade = 2/3 x TFG + 1/3 x MG
 Table of Contents
(Midterm)

Chapter I: GENERAL CONCEPTS AND STS HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS

Lesson 1: Intellectual revolutions that defined society

Lesson 2: Science and technology and nation building
Lesson 3: Science education in the Philippines
Lesson 4: Indigenous Science and Technology Education in the
Philippines

Chapter II: STS AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

Lesson 1: The Human Person flourishing in terms of science and

technology
Lesson 2: The Good Life
Lesson 3: When technology and humanity cross
 CHAPTER
I
(General Concepts and Science, Technology and
Society Historical Developments)
 HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION
Science and Technology Studies (STS) is a relatively new academic field. Its
roots lie in the interwar period and continue into the start of the Cold War, when
historians and sociologists of science, and scientists themselves, became interested
in the relationship between scientific knowledge, technological systems, and society.
The best-known product of this interest was Thomas Kuhn’s classic 1962 study which
is the Structure of Scientific Revolutions. This influential work helped crystallize a new
approach to historical and social studies of science, in which scientific facts were seen
as products of scientists’ socially conditioned investigations rather than as objective
representations of nature. Among the many ramifications or consequences, Kuhn’s
work was a systematic effort by social scientists in order to probe how scientific
discovery and its technological applications link up with other social developments, in
law, politics, public policy, ethics, and even culture.

The development of Science, Technology and Society

Science, Technology and Society in the mid-to-late1960’s, students and faculty
social movements in the US, UK and European universities helped to launch a range
of new interdisciplinary fields that were seen to address relevant topics that the
traditional curriculum ignored. One such development was the rise of “science,
technology and society” programs which also acronym as (STS). Drawn from a variety
of disciplines, including anthropology, history, political, science and sociology,
scholars in these programs created undergraduate curricula devoted to exploring the
issues raised by science and technology.
The first immigrants are the first proof we have that our ancestors crossed a
substantial body of water is the presence of stone tools that date from 100,000 BP.
However, not much is known about the makers of the tools, but the mainland at that
time was probably inhabited by a late population of Homo erectus. The earliest settlers
must have traveled by raft or boat. Homo sapiens may have crossed a substantial
body of water on its way toward the desert where traces of human occupation have
been dated at 50,000 years BP.
Early people are thought to have paddled across the Indian Ocean in short hops
from one island to another. During the periods of low sea level before melting of ice
caps about 18,000 years BP, the oceans were about 130 m (425 ft) lower than at
present. Thus, early humans could have walked most of the way across what is now
before encountering deep waters that separated other islands.
There is scattered evidence that suggests that a few humans crossed the
Pacific some 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, traveling from Asia to South America. Most
authorities, however, believed that all regions except for Australia and islands were
populated via land. In this view, South America received its first people from North
Americans whose ancestors traveled from Asia about 12,000 to 18,000 years ago.
The main islands of the Mediterranean, including Sicily, Crete, Cyprus, Rhodes, and
many others, were all settled in Neolithic times (c. 10,000 BP), if not before. By the
Bronze Age several of these islands, notably Crete and the Cyclades, contained some
of the most advanced civilizations of the day, surely based mainly on trade and
shipping.
Basic Themes
The field of Science, Technology, and Society Studies covers several basic
themes which are the following:
1. CONSTRUCTIVISM
First and foremost, STS assumes scientific and technological
developments to be socially constructed phenomena. This view does not deny
the constraints imposed by nature on the physical reality of technological
artifacts, but it does maintain that knowledge and understanding of nature, of
science, and of technology are socially mediated processes.
2. CONTEXTUALISM
As a consequence, to the notion of constructivism, it follows that science
and technology are historically, politically, and culturally embedded, which
means they can only be understood in context. To do otherwise would be to
deny their socially constructed nature.
3. PROBLEMATIZATION
A view of scientific knowledge and especially technological development
as value-laden, and hence non-neutral, leads to the problematization of both.
In this view science and technology have societal implications, frequently
positive, but some negative, at least for some people. Thus, it is not only
acceptable, but, indeed, necessary to query the essence of scientific knowledge
and the application of technological artifacts and processes with an eye toward
evaluative and ethical prescription.
4. DEMOCRATIZATION
Given the problematic natures of science and technology, and accepting
their construction by society, leads to the notion of enhanced democratic control
of technoscience. Due to the inherent societal and ethical implications, there
need to be more explicit participatory mechanisms for enhancing public
participation in the shaping and control of science and technology, especially
early in the decision-making process, when the opportunity for effective input is
greatest. The ultimate goal is to structure science and technology in ways that
are collectively the most democratically beneficial for society.
LESSON 1

INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS THAT DEFINED SOCIETY

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Determine the interactions between S&T and society throughout history.
2. Evaluate the historical antecedents during ancient, middle and modern ages
in the World and in the Philippines.

INTRODUCTION
It is the goal of this lesson to express ways by society is transformed by science
and technology. It will shed light to the development of science and scientific ideas in
the heart of the society.
The age of the earth was once, and still is, a matter of great debate. In 1650,
Archbishop Ussher used the Bible to calculate that the earth was created in 4004 BC.
Later on, in the mid-nineteenth century Charles Darwin believed that the earth must
be extremely old because he recognized that natural selection and evolution required
vast amounts of time. It was not until the discovery of radioactivity when it began to
put a timescale on the history of the earth. Rocks often contain heavy radioactive
elements which decay over a long period of time, and the decay is unaffected. It is the
physical and chemical conditions and different elements that decay at different rates
that scientist could give an actual estimate of the age of the earth. And so, throughout
this century the race has been on to discover the oldest rocks in the world. The oldest
volcanic rock found so far has been dated at 3.75 billion years old.

Scientific Revolution
Science is a broad field of study focused on discovering how nature works and using
that knowledge to describe what is likely to happen in nature. While the immediate
goal of science is to build knowledge of the natural world, that knowledge can be
applied in a number of ways.
1. Science as an Idea
It is based on assumption that events in the physical world follow orderly cause-
and-effect patterns that can understood through careful observation,
measurements, and experimentations.
2. Science as an Intellectual activity
It is a possible and testable answer to a scientific question or explanation of
what scientists observe in nature.
3. Science as a body of knowledge
 Science is a subject of discipline, it is a field of study used to describe the
scientific methods and the importance of observation, experimentation, and
models.
4. Science as a personal and social activity
The most important and certain results of science done by human beings to
develop better understanding of the world around us is based on the large body
of evidence. This will lead to scientific theory as a means to improve
life and to survive in life.

The idea of scientific revolution is claimed to have started in the early

16th century up to the 18th century in Europe. Why in Europe? The probable
answer is the invention of the printing machine and the blooming intellectual
activities done in various places of learning, and the growing number of
scholars in various fields of human interests. This does not mean, however,
that science is a foreign idea transported from other areas of the globe. Anyone
who can examine the history of science, technology, medicine, and
mathematics is aware that all great civilizations of the ancient world had their
own sophisticated traditions and activities related to this discipline.

Some Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas

Scientist are not driven by clamor for honor and publicity. They are
ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Some scientist were never
appreciated during their times, some were sentenced to death, while others
were condemned by the church during their time. In spite of all the
predicaments and challenges they experienced, they never stop experimenting,
theorizing, and discovering new knowledge and ideas.
In this part of the lesson, eight notable scientists are discussed. For sure,
they were many scientists who worked before and after these individuals.
However, it is more important to note that these men, particularly through their
ideas have shaken the world.

A. Nicolaus Copernicus Biography: Facts & Discoveries

In the early 1500s, when virtually everyone believed Earth was the center of the
universe, Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus proposed that the planets instead
revolved around the sun. Although his model wasn't completely correct, it formed a
strong foundation for future scientists to build on and improve mankind's
understanding of the motion of heavenly bodies. Indeed, other astronomers built on
Copernicus' work and proved that our planet is just one world orbiting one star in a
vast cosmos, and that we are far from the center of anything.
Nicolous Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernik) was born on Feb. 19, 1473, in Warmia,
Poland and traveled to Italy at the age of 18 to attend college, where he was supposed
to study the laws and regulations of the Catholic Church and return home to become
a canon. However, he spent most of his time studying mathematics and astronomy.
Due to his uncle's influence, Copernicus did become a canon in Warmia, but he asked
to return to Italy to study medicine and to complete his law doctorate.
While attending the University of Bologna, he lived and worked with astronomy
professor Domenico Maria de Novara, doing research and helping him to make
observations of the heavens. Copernicus never took orders as a priest, but instead
continued to work as a secretary and physician for his uncle in Warmia.
In Copernicus' lifetime, most believed that Earth held its place at the center of
the universe. The sun, the stars, and all of the planets revolved around it. One of the
glaring mathematical problems with this model was that the planets, on occasion,
would travel backward across the sky over several nights of observation. Astronomers
called this retrograde motion. To account for it, the current model, based on the Greek
astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy's view, incorporated a number of circles
within circles- epicycles - inside of a planet's path. Some planets required as many as
seven circles, creating a cumbersome model that many felt was too complicated to
have naturally occurred.
In 1514, Copernicus distributed a handwritten book to his friends that set out
his view of the universe. In it, he proposed that the center of the universe was not
Earth, but that the sun lay near it. He also suggested that Earth's rotation accounted
for the rise and setting of the sun, the movement of the stars, and that the cycle of
seasons was caused by Earth's revolutions around it. Finally, he proposed that Earth's
motion through space caused the retrograde motion of the planets across the night
sky.
Copernicus finished the first manuscript of his book, De Revolutionibus Orbium
Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1532. In it, Copernicus
established that the planets orbited the sun rather than the Earth. He laid out his model
of the solar system and the path of the planets.
He didn't publish the book, however, until 1543-Just two months before he died,
he diplomatically dedicated the book to Pope Paul III. The church did not immediately
condemn the book as heretical, perhaps because the printer added a note that said
even though the book’s theory was unusual, if it helped astronomers with their
calculations, it didn’t matter if it wasn't really true. It probably also helped that the
subject was so difficult that only highly educated people could understand it. The
Church did eventually ban the book in 1616.
The Catholic Church wasn't the only Christian faith to reject Copernicus' idea.
"When ‘De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium' was published in 1543, religious leader
Martin Luther voiced his opposition to the heliocentric solar system model," says
[Link]. "His underling, Lutheran minister Andreas Osiander, quickly followed
suit, saying of Copernicus, ‘This fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside
Down. (Nola Taylor Redd, [Link] Contributor | March 19, 201810:12pm ET)
B. Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and
has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and
the flowers-all related. Darwin's general theory presumes the development of life from
non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic (undirected) "descent with modification".
That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time.
In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code,
the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival-a process known as
"natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation.
Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different
organism (not just a variation of the original, but an entirely different creature). While
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary
worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as
Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary
descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old
philosophy-a plausible mechanism called natural selection." Natural selection acts to
preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member
of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its
offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a slow gradual process. Darwin wrote,
“...Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she
can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though
slow steps." Thus, Darwin conceded that, “if it could be demonstrated that any complex
organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive,
slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." Such a complex organ
would be known as an "irreducibly complex system". An irreducibly complex system is
one composed of multiple parts, all of which are necessary for the system to function.
If even one part is missing, the entire system will fail to function. Every individual part
is integral. Thus, such a system could not have evolved slowly, piece by piece. The
common mousetrap is an everyday non-biological example of irreducible complexity.
It is composed of five basic parts: a catch (to hold the bait), a powerful spring, a thin
rod called "the hammer," a holding bar to secure the hammer in place, and a platform
to mount the trap. If any one of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not work.
Each individual part is integral. The mousetrap is irreducibly complex.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous

advances we've made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the past
fifty years. We now know that there are in fact tens of thousands of irreducibly complex
systems on the cellular level. Specified complexity pervades the microscopic biological
world. Molecular biologist Michael Denton wrote, "Although the tiniest bacterial cells
are incredibly weighing less than 10¯¹² grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-
miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate
molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far
more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in
the non-living world." And we don't need a microscope to observe irreducible
complexity. The eye, the ear, and the heart are all examples of irreducible complexity
though they were not recognized as such in Darwin's day. Nevertheless, Darwin
confessed, "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting
the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the
correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural
selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree."

C. Sigmund Freud-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory, personality develops through a
series of stages and each characterized by a certain internal psychological conflict.
Key Points
➢ Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human
behavior is the result of the interactions among three component parts of the
mind: the id, ego, and superego.
➢ This "structural theory" of personality places great importance on how conflicts
among the parts of the mind shape behavior and personality and these conflicts
are mostly unconscious.
➢ According to Freud, personality develops during childhood and is critically
shaped through a series of five psychosexual stages, which he called his
psychosexual theory of development.
➢ During each stage, a child is presented with a conflict between biological drives
and social expectations; successful navigation of these internal conflicts will
lead to mastery of each developmental stage, and ultimately to a fully mature
personality.
➢ Freud's ideas have since been met with criticism, in part because of his singular
focus on sexuality as the main driver of human personality development.
Key Terms
Neurosis: A mental disorder marked by anxiety or fear; less than psychosis because
it does not involve detachment from reality (e.g., hallucination).
Psychosexual: Of or relating to both psychological and sexual aspects.

Sigmund Freud: Freud argued that personality is formed through conflicts among
three fundamental structures of the human mind: the id, ego and superego. He
developed the psychoanalytic theory of personality development, which Sigmund
Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human behaviors are the
result of the interactions among the three component parts of the mind and this theory
is known as Freud’s structural theory of personality which places great emphasis
on the role of unconscious psychological conflicts in shaping behavior and personality.
The dynamic interactions among these fundamental parts of the mind are
thought to progress through five distinct psychosexual stages of development. Over
the last century, however Freud's ideas have since been met with criticism, in some
part because of his singular focus on sexuality as the main driver of human personality
development.

Freud's Structure of the Human Mind

According to Freud, our personality develops from the interactions among what
he proposed as the three fundamental structures of the human mind which is the Id,
Ego, and Superego. The conflicts among these three structures, and our efforts to find
balance among what each of them "desires" determines how we behave and approach
the world and the balance we strike in any given situation determines how we will
resolve the conflict between two main behavioral feelings: our biological aggressive
and pleasure seeking drives vs. our socialized internal control over those drives.

The Id
This is the most primitive among of the three structures because this concerns
with instant gratification of basic physical needs and urges. It operates entirely
unconsciously.
For example, if your id walked past a stranger eating ice cream, it would most
likely take the ice cream for itself. It doesn't know, or care, that it is rude to take
something belonging to someone else; it would care only that you wanted the ice
cream.
The Superego
The superego is concerned with social rules and morals which is similar to what
many people call their "conscience or their "moral compass." It develops as a child
learns what their culture considers right and wrong. If your superego walked past the
same stranger, it would not take their ice cream because it would know that would be
rude. However, if both the id and your superego were involved, and your id was strong
enough to override your superego's concern, you would still take the ice cream, but
afterward you would most likely feel guilt and shame over your actions.
The Ego
In contrast to the innate id and the moral superego, the ego is the rational,
pragmatic part of our personality. It is less primitive than the id and is party conscious
and partly unconscious. It is what Freud considered to be the “self” and its job is to
balance the demands of the id and superego in the practical context of reality. So, if
you walked past through the stranger with ice cream one more time your ego would
mediate the conflict between your id (l want that ice cream right now) and superego
("it's wrong to take someone else's ice cream) and decide to go buy your own
ice cream which this may mean you have to wait 10 more minutes, which would
frustrate your id and your ego decides to make that sacrifice as part of the
compromise-satisfying your desire for ice cream while also avoiding an unpleasant
social situation and potential feelings of shame.
Freud believed that the id, ego, and superego are in constant conflict and that
adult personality and behavior are rooted in the results of these internal struggles
throughout childhood. He believed that a person who has a strong ego has a healthy
personality and it imbalances in his system that could Iead to neurosis (what we now
think of as anxiety and depression) and unhealthy behaviors.

Cradles of Early Science

Development of Science in Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
The Coxcatlan caves in the Valley of Tehuacán provide evidence for agriculture
in components dated between 5000 and 3400 BCE. Similarly, sites such as Sipacate
in Guatemala provide maize pollen samples dating to 3500 BCE. It is estimated that
fully domesticated maize developed in Mesoamerica around 2700 BCE.
Mesoamericans during this period are likely divided their time between small hunting
encampments and large temporary villages. What would become the Olmec
civilization had its roots in early farming cultures of Tabasco, which began around 5100
to 4600 BCE.
The emergence of the Olmec civilization has traditionally been dated to around
1600 to 1500 BCE. Olmec features first emerged in the city of San Lorenzo
Tenochtitlán, fully merging around 1400 BCE. This rise of civilization was assisted by
the local ecology of well-watered alluvial soil, as well as by the transportation network
provided by the Coatzacoalcos river basin. This environment encouraged a densely
concentrated population, which in turn triggered the rise of an elite class and an
associated demand for the production of the symbolic and sophisticated luxury
artifacts that define the Olmec culture. Many of these luxury artifacts were made from
materials such as jade, obsidian, and magnetite, which came from distant locations
and suggest that early Olmec elites had access to an extensive trading network in
Mesoamerica. The aspect of Olmec culture perhaps most familiar today is their
artwork, particularly the Olmec colossal heads.

Development of Science in Asia

India: Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley civilization at its greatest extent
The Indus Valley civilization start around 3500 BC with what is referred to as
the Early Harappan Phase (3300 to 2600 BC). The earliest examples of the Indus
Script date to this period, as well as the emergence of citadels representing centralized
authority and an increasingly urban quality of life. Trade networks linked this culture
with related regional cultures and distant sources of raw materials, including lapis lazuli
and other materials for bead-making. By this time, villagers had domesticated
numerous crops including peas, sesame seeds, dates, and cotton; as well as animals,
including the water buffalo. 2600 BC marks the Mature Harappan Phase during which
early Harappan communities turned into large urban centers including Harappa,
Dholavira, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal, Rupar, and Rakhigarhi, and more than 1,000 towns
and villages, often of relatively small size. Mature Harappans evolved new techniques
in metallurgy and produced copper, bronze, lead, and tin and displayed advanced
levels of engineering. As seen in Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and the recently partially
excavated Rakhigarhi, this urban plan included the world's first known urban sanitation
systems. Within the city, individual homes or groups of homes obtained water from
wells. From a room that appears to have been set aside for bathing, waste water was
directed to covered drains, which lined the major streets. Houses opened only to inner
courtyards and smaller lanes. The house-building in some villages in the region still
resembles, in some respects, the house-building of the Harappans. The advanced
architecture or the Harappans is shown by their impressive dockyards, granaries,
warehouses, brick platforms, and protective walls. The massive walls of Indus cities
most likely protected the Harappans from floods and may have dissuaded military
conflicts. The people of the Indus Civilization achieved great accuracy in measuring
length, mass, and time. They were among the first to develop a system of uniform
weights and measures. A comparison of available objects indicates large scale
variation across the Indus territories. Their smallest vision, which is marked on an ivory
scale found in Lothal in Gujarat, was approximately 1.704 mm which is the smallest
division ever recorded on a scale of the Bronze Age. Harappan engineers followed the
decimal division of measurement for all practical purposes, including the measurement
of mass as revealed by their hexahedron weights. These chert weights were in a ratio
of [Link] with weights of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 units,
with each unit weighing approximately 28 grams, similar to the English Imperial ounce
and smaller objects were weighed in similar ratios with the units of 0.871. However,
as in other cultures, actual weights were not uniform throughout the area. The weights
and measures later used in Kautilya's Arthashastra (4tn Century BC) are the same as
those used in Lothal.
Around 1800 BC, Signs of a gradual decline began to emerge, and by round
1700 BC most of the cities had been abandoned and suggested contributory causes
for the localization of the IVC include changes in the course of the river, and climate
change that is also signaled for the neighboring areas of the Middle East. As of 2016
many scholars believe that drought led to a decline in trade with Egypt and
Mesopotamia contributing to the collapse of the Indus civilization. The Ghaggar- Hakra
system was rain-fed, and water-supply depended on the monsoons. The Indus Valley
climate grew significantly cooler and drier from about 1800 BC, linked to a general
weakening of the monsoon at that time. The Indian monsoon declined and aridity
increased with the Ghaggar-Hakra retracting its reach towards the foothills of the
Himalaya leading to erratic and less extensive floods that made inundation agriculture
less sustainable. Aridification reduced the water supply enough to cause the
civilization's demise, and the scattering of population eastward. As the monsoons kept
shifting south, the floods grew too erratic for sustainable agricultural activities. The
residents then migrated towards the Ganges basin in the east, where they established
smaller villages and isolated farms. However, trade with the old cities did not flourish.
The small surplus produced in these small communities did not allow the development
of trade, and the cities vanished. The Indo-Aryan peoples migrated into the Indus River
Valley during this period and began the Vedic age of India. The Indus Valley civilization
did not disappear suddenly and many elements of the civilization continued in later
Indian subcontinents and Vedic cultures.

China
Illustrating on archaeology, geology, and anthropology, scholars do not see the
origins of the Chinese civilization or history as linear story but rather the history of the
interactions of different and distinct cultures and ethnic groups that influenced each
other's development. The two specific cultural regions that developed Chinese
civilization was the Yellow River civilization and the Yangtze civilization. Early
evidence for Chinese millet agriculture is dated to around 7000 BC, with the earliest
evidence of cultivated rice found at Chengtoushan near the Yangtze River dated to
6500 BC and Chengtoushan may also be the site of the first walled city in China. By
the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution, the Yellow River valley began to establish
itself as a center of the Peiligang culture which flourished from 7000 to 5000 BC, with
evidence of agriculture, constructed buildings, pottery, and burial of the dead. With
agriculture came increased population, the ability to store and redistribute crops, and
the potential to support specialist craftsmen and administrators. Its most prominent
site is Jiahu. Some scholars have suggested that the Jiahu symbols (6600 BC) are the
earliest form of proto-writing in China. However, it is likely that they should not be
understood as writing itself, but as feature of a lengthy period of sign-use which led
eventually to a fully-fledged system of writing. Archaeologists believe that the
Peiligang culture was egalitarian, with little political organization. It would eventually
evolve into the Yangshao culture (5000 to 3000 BC), and their stone tools were
polished and highly specialized. They may also have practiced of silkworm cultivation.
The main food of the Yangshao people was millet with some sites using foxtail millet
and others broom-com millet, though evidence of rice has been found. Grinding stones
for making flour were also found. Later, the Yangshao culture was superseded by the
Longshan culture with its most prominent site being Taosi. The population expanded
dramatically during the 3rd millennium BC, with many settlements having rammed
earth walls and it decreased in most areas around 2000 BC until the central area
evolved into the Bronze Age Erlitou culture. The earliest bronze artifacts have been
found in the Majiayao culture site (3100 to 2700 BC).
Chinese civilization begins during the second phase of the Erlitou period (1900
to 1500 BC), with Erlitou considered the first state level society of East Asia. There is
considerable debate whether Erlitou sites correlate to the semi-legendary Xia dynasty.
The Xia dynasty (2070 to 1600 BC) is the first dynasty to be described in ancient
Chinese historical records such as the Bamboo Annals, first published more than a
millennium later during the Western Zhou period. Although Xia is an important element
in Chinese historiography, there is to date no contemporary written evidence to bronze
metallurgy and urbanization, and was a rapidly growing regional center with palatial
complexes that provide evidence for social stratification.
The earliest traditional Chinese dynasty for which there is both archeological
and written evidence is the Shang dynasty (T600 to 1046 BC). Shang sites have
yielded the earliest known body of Chinese writing the oracle bone script mostly
divinations inscribed on bones. These inscriptions provide critical insight into many
topics from the politics economy, and religious practices to the art and medicine of this
early stage of Chinese civilization. Some historians argue that Erlitou should be
considered an early phase of the Shang dynasty. The U.S. National Gallery of Art
defines the Chinese Bronze Age as the period between about 2000 and 771 BC; a
period that begins with the Elitou culture and ends abruptly with the disintegration of
Western Zhou rule. The Sanxingdui culture is another Chinese Bronze Age society,
contemporaneous to the Shang dynasty however, they developed a different method
of bronze-making from the Shang.

Mesopotamia
In Mesopotamia, the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers produced
rich fertile soil and a supply of water for irrigation. The civilizations that emerged
around non-nomadic agrarian societies. It is because of the Fertile Crescent region,
and Mesopotamia in particular, are often referred to as the cradle of civilization. The
period known as the Ubaid period (c. 6500 to 3800RC) is the earliest known period
on the alluvial plain, although it is likely that earlier periods existed, obscured under
the alluvium. It was during the Ubaid period that the movement towards urbanization
began and agriculture and animal husbandry were widely practiced in sedentary
communities particularly in Northern Mesopotamia, and intensive irrigated hydraulic
agriculture began to be practiced in the south.
Around 6000 BC, Neolithic on morphological, genetic, and archaeological data
have attributed these settlements to migrants from the Fertile Crescent in the Near
East returning during the Egyptian and North African Neolithic, bringing agriculture to
the region. Sumerian civilization coalesces in the subsequent Uruk period (4000 to
3100 BC) which named after the Sumerian city of Uruk, this period saw the emergence
of urban life in Mesopotamia and, during its later phase, the gradual emergence of the
cuneiform script. A Proto-writing in the region dates to around 3500 BC, with the
earliest texts dating to 3300 BC, and it was also during this period that pottery painting
declined as copper started to become popular, along with cylinder seals. Sumerian
cities during the Uruk period were probably theocratic and were most likely headed by
a priest-king (Ensi), assisted by a council of elders including both men and women. It
is quite possible that the later Sumerian pantheon was modeled upon this political
structure. The Uruk trade networks, started to expand to other parts of Mesopotamia.
As far as North Caucasus; and strong signs of governmental organization and social
stratification began to emerge leading to the Early Dynastic Period (c. 2900 BC).

Assessment:
1. Evaluate how did science shape society and how this society shape science?
2. How do social and human issues influence science?
3. Determine the politics and culture of the society that affect the development of
scientific culture, science activities, and science literacy?
4. Considering the present state of our society, do you think science literacy
among the people has contributed to the growth of our economy?
5. How can science and technology affect government policies?

Activity:
I. Evaluate the history of science and make a timeline giving importance the
major discoveries and developments in science.
 LESSON 2

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND THE NATION-BUILDING

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Determine the role of science and technology in Philippine nation-building
2. Evaluate government policies pertaining to science and technology in terms
of their contributions to nation-building
3. Discuss the actual science and technology policies of the government and
appraise their impact on the development of the Filipino nation.

INTRODUCTION
The colonization by the Spaniards of the Philippine islands, the natives of the
archipelago already had practices linked to science and technology. Filipinos were
already aware of the medicinal and therapeutic properties of plants and the methods
of extracting medicine from herbs. They, already had an alphabet, number system, a
weighing and measuring system and a calendar. Filipinos were already engaged in
farming, shipbuilding, mining, and weaving. The Banaue Rice Terraces was among
the sophisticated products of engineering by pre-Spanish era Filipinos.

Spanish Colonial Era

The colonization of the Philippines contributed to growth of science and
technology in the archipelago. The Spanish introduced formal education and founded
scientific institutions during the early years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. Parish
schools were established where religion, reading, writing, arithmetic, and music was
taught. Sanitation and more advanced methods of agriculture was taught to the
natives. Later, the Spanish established colleges and universities the archipelago
including the oldest existing university in Asia, the University of Santo Tomas.
The study of medicine in the Philippines was given priority in the Spanish era,
especially in the later years. The Spanish also contributed to the field of engineering
in the islands by constructing government buildings, churches, roads, bridges and
forts. Biology was given focus during this time because most contributors to science
in the archipelago during the 19th century were botanists such as, Fr. Ignacio Mercado,
Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Dr. Leon Ma Guerrero, chemist Anaclento del Rosario,
and medicine scholars Dr. Manuel Guerrero, Dr. Jose Montes, and Dr. Elrodario
Mercado.
The Galleon Trade was accounted in the Philippine colonial economy. Trade
was given more focus by the Spaniard colonial authorities due to the prospects of big
profits. Agriculture and industrial development on the other hand were relatively
neglected. The opening of the Suez Canal saw the influx of European visitors to the
Spanish colony and some Filipinos, who were probably influenced by the rapid
development of scientific ideals brought by the Age of Enlightenment were able to
study in Europe.
American period
The progress of science and technology in the Philippines continued under the
American rule of the islands. On July 1, 1901, the Philippine Commission established
the Bureau of Government Laboratories which was placed under the Department of
Interior. The bureau replaced the Laboratorio Municipal, which was established under
the Spanish colonial era. The bureau dealt with the study of tropical diseases and
laboratory projects. On October 26, 1905, the Bureau of Government Laboratories
was replaced by the Bureau of Science, and on December 8, 1933, the National
Research Council of the Philippines was established. The Bureau of Science became
the primary research center of the Philippines until World War I.
Science during the American period was inclined towards agriculture, food
processing, forestry, medicine, and pharmacy and not much focus was given on the
development of industrial technology due to the free trade policy with the United States
which nurtured an economy geared towards agriculture and trade.
In 1946, the Bureau of Science was replaced by the institute of Science. In a
report by the US Economic Survey to the Philippines in 1950, it was mentioned that
there was a lack of basic information which were necessities to the country's industries
there was also a lack of support of experimental work and minimal budget for scientific
research and low salaries of scientists employed by the government. In 1958, during
the regime of President Carlos P. Garcia, the Philippine congress passed the Science
Act of 1958 which established the National Science Development Board.

Post Commonwealth-Era
During the 1970s, which was under the time of Ferdinand Marcos' presidency,
the importance given to science grew. Under the 1973 Philippine Constitution, Article
XV, Section 1 scientific research and invention, the government's role in supporting
was acknowledged in 1974, a science development program was included in the
governments Four-Year Development Plan which covers the years 1974-1978.
Funding for science was also increased. The National Science Development Board
was replaced by the National Science and Technology Authority under Executive
Order No. 784. A Scientific Career in the civil service was introduced in 1983.
In 1986, during Corazon Aquino's presidency, the National science and
Technology Authority was replaced by the Department of Science and Technology,
giving science and technology a representation in the cabinet. Under the Medium-
Term Philippine Development Plan for the years 1987-1992, science and technology's
role in economic recovery and sustained economic growth was highlighted. During
Corazon Aquino's State Nation Address in 1990, she said that science and technology
development shall be one of the top three priorities of the government towards an
economic recovery.
 In August 8, 1988, Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Task Force for
Science and Technology which came up with the first Science and Technology Master
Plan (STMP). The goal of STMP was for the Philippines to achieve newly industrialized
country status by the year 2000. The Congress did not put much priority in handling
bills related to science and technology. The Senate Committee on Science and
Technology was one of the committees that handled the least amount of bills for
deliberation.
Former Science and Technology secretary, Ceferin Follosco, reported that the
budget allocation for science and technology was increased to 1.054 billion pesos in
1989 from the previous year’s 464 million pesos. However, due to the Asian financial
crisis, the budget allocation for the years 1990 and 1991 were trimmed down 920 and
854 million pesos respectively. The budget allocation was increased then to 1.7 billion
pesos in 1992.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
1. Paradigm shift: Towards an evergreen revolution
2. Investment in agriculture, agricultural sciences, and research and technology
development
3. Pro-poor science development and technology transfer: Science with a human
face
4. Science-led agricultural diversification
5. Building bridges for science: Strategic partnerships and regulatory framework
6. Globalization and liberalization: the role of science
7. Linking science, nutrition, and development
Expansions in science and technology have marked the onset of the Third
Millennium. If harnessed rationally and effectively, these could help eradicate hunger,
poverty, destitution, and indignity. The progress in the fields of biotechnology,
information and communication technology, medicine, space science, and
management science offer unprecedented opportunity for multifaceted development.
The industrialized countries and a few developing countries (in some of the areas) are
vigorously capturing these uncommon opportunities by innovating, adapting, and
regulating these technologies. But the majority of the developing countries are far
behind and are further falling behind, thus widening the technology divided based on
indicators of technology creation, diffusion of recent innovations, diffusion of old
innovations and human skills.
For the agriculture sector, as seen from the preceding section, science and
technology offer tremendous opportunities for enhanced and sustainable Production,
environmental protection, and income enhancement - leading to comprehensive food
security and overall prosperity. But, in order to effective in its service to humankind,
science and technology development must be guided in such a way that it meets the
needs and aspiration of people identified through participatory approaches. An
appropriate environment must be provided to realize the full potentials of new scientific
developments by formulating and implementing suitable policies and strategies.
From the foregoing analyses, it emerges that the most pressing need of the
Asia-Pacific region is the alleviation of hunger and poverty through enhanced and
sustained production, equitable distribution, and environmental protection. Science
and technology must specifically address the needs and prospects of majority small
and resource-poor farmers of the region and help the mainstream of the gender
concerns. Institutional, human, and policy supports must capture the positive effects
and minimize the negative effects of globalizations, liberalization, and revolutions in
biotechnology and information and communication technologies. Only a meaningful
interact between science and policy can bring the much-needed Congruence among
productivity, sustainability, profitability, and equity. Thus, it is not only biological and
physical sciences, but also economics and social science which must all interact
dynamically to yield wholesome results.
Roles of science:
• to generate knowledge and make it accessible to all
• Identify issues- such as the causes and consequences of hunger, food
insecurity and poverty
• Find facts to help resolve conflicts
• Provide technical, physical and social solutions to problems and new options
for human well-being. In the first stages of the fight against hunger, and
especially in creating the green revolution, science has been used mainly in
role
• It is now time to realize the other roles that science must play to aid the world
and to transform the Green Revolution into an Ever-green Revolution.
Famous Filipinos in the Field of Science
School science is filled with names of foreign scientists such as Einstein,
Galileo Galilei, Newton, Faraday, Darwin, and many other western scientists. We
rarely hear of Filipino scientists being discussed in science classes and Lee-Chua
(2000) identified 10 outstanding Filipino scientist who have made significant
contributions in Philippine science. These are also famous abroad especially in
different science disciplines like agriculture, mathematics, physics, medicine, marine
science, chemistry, engineering, and biology.
FILIPINO SCIENTIST:
1. Ramon Cabanos Barba - for his Outstanding research on tissue culture in
Philippine mangoes.
2. Josefino Cacas Comiso – for his works on observing the characteristics of
Antarctica by using satellite images
 3. Jose Bejar CruZ Jr. - Known internationally in the field of electrical
engineering; was elected as officer of the famous Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
4. Lourdes Jansuy Cruz -notable for her research on sea snail venom
5. Fabian Millar Dayrit - for his research on herbal medicine
6. Rafael Dineros Guerrero lll- for his research on tilapia culture
7. Enrique Mapua Ostrea Jr. - for inventing the meconium drugs testing
8. Lilian Formalejo Patena - for doing research on plant biotechnology
9. Mari-jo Panganiban Ruiz – for being an outstanding educator and graph
theorist
10. Gregory Ligot Tangonan - for his research in the field of Communications
Technology
11. Caesar A. Saloma - an internationally renowned physicist
12. Edgardo Gomez- famous scientist in marine science
13. William Padolina - chemistry and president of National Academy of Science
and Technology (NAST) in Philippines
14. Angel Alcala - marine science
There are other scientists in the Philippines who were not identified in the list. Yet,
the Philippines still need more scientists and engineers, and there is a need to support
scientific research in the country.
The University of the Philippines Los Banos is a science bliss for agriculture,
forestry, plant and animal science, and veterinary science. It has produced scientists
and various research in the fields mentioned not only in the Philippines but also
internationally.
The University of the Philippines Visayas is also a national center of marine
sciences, fisheries and other related sciences.
The University of the Philippine Manila is a center of excellence and has produced
health professionals, doctors, researchers and scientists in the field of medical and
public health.
The University of the Philippines Diliman has established a national science and
engineering complex to develop more research and produce more scientists and
engineers in the country. The government must find ways to establish more research
laboratories and research institutes. There is also a need to find ways on how their
researches are disseminated to the public.

Assessment:
1. What science and technology related policies could be developed and implemented
to solve some issues in the Philippines?
[Link] the importance of some science and technology policies and projects in the
Philippines and how they bring improvement to our society.
 LESSON 3

SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the concept of science education
2. Identify science schools established to promote science education in the
Philippines

INTRODUCTION
School Science Education is important because of its links to technology and
industry, which, from a national perspective, are areas of high priority for development.
Science provides ways of making sense of the world systematically. It develops
student’s scientific inquiry skills, values, and attitudes, such as objectivity, curiosity,
honesty, and habits of mind including critical thinking. All of these are useful to the
individual student for his own personal development, future career, and life in general.
These skills, values, attitudes, and dispositions are likewise useful to the community
that an individual student belongs to, and are further useful to the country that he lives
in. The learning of science is also important for the nation’s cultural development and
preservation of its cultural identity. Science is most useful to a nation when it is utilized
to solve its own problems and challenges, keeping a nation's cultural uniqueness and
peculiarities intact. Thus, in many countries, science teaching and learning-is linked
with culture.

Concepts of Science Education

In the Philippine context, some Filipino students have gained recognition for
their high level of accomplishments in the International Science and Engineering Fair,
Robotics Competition, and Physics Olympiad, to name a few. There are also reports
of students in far-flung rural schools scoring much higher than the international mean
in the case of the Third Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) or have gone beyond the 75% mastery level in the case of the National
Achievement Test (NAT)
In the Philippines and around the world, people are talking about science and
Technology-based world and a knowledge-based economy. Given expectations and
skills required to live successfully in such an environment and the varied problems of
science education in the country there is a need to rethink what the vision of science
education is. The current direction of curriculum development in many countries is
towards scientific literacy, where the science education needs all students who are
differentiated from those who have interest in scientific careers. An example is York
University's 21st Century Science, which has a Foundation Science subject to be taken
by all students, and a second optional subject and additional science for those
students who wish to proceed with disciplines in science in later years. Several
questions have been asked: Does the present science curriculum for basic education
address the needs of students from different communities who might drop out of
school at different grade or year levels? Does the science curriculum in basic
education provide avenues for students to engage in science and encourage them to
take science related careers? Does science in basic education help students become
informed citizen that they can participate in making wise decisions about issues that
science and technology now and when they become decision makers in government
and in industry?

Science education in basic and tertiary education

Science is a way of thinking about and investigating the world in which we live.
This component addresses those skills scientists use to discover and explain physical
phenomena. These skills include asking questions about the world, designing and
conducting investigations, employing different strategies to obtain information, and
communicating results. Activities such as scientific investigations, experiments,
project work, field work, group discussion, and debates allow students to be actively
engaged in the following processes.
In the early grades, students should be exposed to science as a "hands-on,
minds on process and encouraged to explore and raise questions about the world
around them. As they go up the grades, they should develop skills to design and
conduct investigations addressing self as well as teacher-generated questions, and
involving identifying and controlling variables. Through the grades, students should
develop abilities to systematically collect and organize data and communicate
investigations, culminating in abilities to formulae explanations or models based on
results of investigations.
Among the inquiry skills that should be developed through the years of
schooling is analyzing and evaluating information, procedures, and claims. A person
should accept every piece of information offered to him as true without some analysis.
When confronted with a certain claim, one should counter with, what is your basis for
saying so? How do you know? Why do you say so? With One should always ask for
supporting evidence, or search for further clarifying information. Moreover, one must
develop the skill to recognize faulty arguments or reasoning that lumps facts and
opinions together.

Science Schools in the Philippines and Philippines Science High

Schools Systems (PSHSS)
The PSHSS System offers an education that is humanistic in spirit, in
perspective, and patriotic in orientation. It is based on a curriculum that emphasizes
science and mathematics and the development of well-rounded individuals. The PSHS
System prepares its students for careers in science and technology and contributes to
nation building by helping the country attain a critical mass of professional technology.
Philippine Science High School System is an attached agency of the
Departnment of Science and Technology (DOST). The Board of Trustees (BOT) with
the DOST Secretary as the Chairman is the highest policy making body of the PSHS
System. Each PSHS campus is headed by a Campus director. The Executive
Committee (ExeCom) is composed of all campus directors, and headed by the
executive director. The ExeCom is a collegial body that recommends policies and
guidelines for the consideration of the BOT.

The Special Science Elementary Schools (SSES) Project of the Department of

Education (DepEd)
The Department of Education through the Bureau of Elementary Education is
implementing the Special Science Education (SSES) Project in pursuance to DepEd
Order No. 73, s. 2008, DepEd Order No. 51, s.2010 and the latest is a DepEd Letter
Unnumbered from the Director II, OIC. office of the Director IV dated August 2, 2011.
The SSES Project envisions developing Filipino children who are equipped with
scientific and technological knowledge, skills and attitudes, creative and have positive
values and lifelong learning skills to become Productive partners in the development
of the community and society. Its mission is to provide a learning environment to
science inclined children through a special curriculum which recognizes multiple
intelligences and is geared towards the development of God-loving, nationalistic,
creative, ecologically aware, scientifically and technologically oriented and skilled
individuals who are empowered through lifelong learning skills.
The program has three components: The School, The Learner and the
Curriculum.

The learners in the SSES must exhibit the following characteristic:

1. On Physical/Psychomotor- must generally be healthy, alert and active and
has heightened sensory awareness.
2. On Intellectual/academic Aspect- acquires knowledge fast and accurately
and has quick mastery and recall of factual information, and superior reasoning
ability, inquisitive and curious about a lot of things, observant and quick to note
details, read books within and above his/her age, has a ready grasp of
underlying principles and can make valid generalizations, has a wide and well
developed vocabulary, has a large storehouse of information about a variety of
topics, can concentrate for long periods of time, and can analyze ideas in
different ways and other varied solutions to problems.
3. On Social/Emotional/Motivational Aspect- must be adaptable, flexible,
independent, enjoys doing challenging and different tasks, prefers to work
 independently and requires little directions from teachers, and is self-motivated
in accomplishing his/her work and others.
4. On Leadership/Creativeness- the SSES pupil participates actively in
school/community activities, is self-confident with children of his/her o age as
well as adults, initiates worthwhile activities, creates new ideas and products,
gives original ideas or solutions to questions, has varied interest and abilities,
and etc.
Assessment:
1. What other government projects and programs are available for science education
in the Philippines?
2. Are there private schools with outstanding science education program? Identify and
compare their science education programs with public science schools.
LESSON 4

INDIGENOUS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the importance of indigenous science
2. Discuss the contribution of indigenous science in the development of science
and technology in the Philippines

INTRODUCTION
Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (TKSPs) are locally passed
orally by our ancestors from generation to generation. It was proven to be a scaffold
to sustainable development connecting the past, the present, and the future. However,
these knowledge systems and practices are at an escalating rate of deterioration due
to the consistent adaptation that resulted from the continuing loss of interest in these
practices from young people. Thus, empirical evidence to showcase the importance
of environmental protection and cultural preservation are encouraged. Likewise,
studies connecting these indigenous knowledge and practices to academic curriculum
are highly regarded to be influential in their preservation. According to Baguilat (2009),
IKSPs cover a broader scope that included all traditional skills, laws, philosophy,
rituals, livelihood, sciences and technologies of the community. IKSPs were
incorporated in several public secondary subjects (Kinomis. X 2016).

WHAT IS INDIGENOUS SCIENCE?

For Western Science (WS), Indigenous Science (IS) trusts upon direct
observation for projecting and producing predictions; its control lies in its ability to
make influence and observe patterns across vast cycles of space and time.
Indigenous scientists are skilled persons in various specializations such a herbalism,
weather observations, mental health, and time keeping, and there are tests to ensure
Indigenous science validity.
There is one marked difference between the two sciences: The data from IS is
not used to device the forces of nature, but it is used to device the forces of nature,
but it is used to find approaches and resources for accepting it.
Other critical distinctions apply to IS, including:
➢ Indigenous scientists are the central part of the research process and
there is a defined process for safeguarding this integrity.
➢ IS attempts to know and complete our relationships with all living things.
All of nature is considered to be smart and alive, thus an active research
partner.
➢ The aim of IS is to maintain balance.
 ➢ IS ends time and space; our fields of inquiry and participation extend into
and overlap with past and present.
➢ IS is complete, drawing on all senses, including the spiritual and psychic.
➢ The end-point of an IS process is precise balance where originality
Occurs.
Indigenous knowledge can be broadly defined as the knowledge that an
indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular
environment (Ryser RC. 2011).
These are available from: Indigenous Forestry Knowledge Systems that largely
encompass local technologies, innovations, know-how skills, practices, and beliefs
uniting local people to conserve forest resources and their cultural values. These have
developed over thousands of years of direct human contact with the environment
(Armstrong et al. 2006). Education and research opportunities for traditional ecological
knowledge. Traditional knowledge often refers to a more generalized expression of
knowledge associating people or peoples With 'time-honored" ideas and practices
associated with an individual or family (Rýser 2011,Rýser RC. 2011). This knowledge
is not limited to Know-how skills, innovations, practices, processes, learning and
teaching, but also includes knowledge that is associated with biodiversity, traditional
lifestyles and natural resources (WIPO, 2012). Indigenous Knowledge is often equated
or used interchangeably with the term traditional knowledge, local knowledge,
traditional forestry practices, Practices, and indigenous knowledge system.
Many indigenous peoples in the Philippines such as the Ifugao’s in the
Cordillera mountains continued to thrive in their relatively remote and as self-sufficient
communities. They were able to uphold their traditions as reflected in their music,
dances, rituals, folklore, wood carving, agriculture, forestry-practices. For instance,
they believe that many endemic trees such as Ficus spp. are associated with spirits
(anito), so they conserved (Lim et al. 2012). Traditional forest-related knowledge:
includes sustaining communities, ecosystems, and biocultural diversity. The
indigenous peoples also observe customary laws that lay the foundation for justice,
unity and peace within their tribes.
However, the advent of colonial rules from the early 1700s to the late 1940s
has led to the unabated influx of migrants into ancestral domains (Molintas J. 2004).
The Philippine indigenous peoples' struggle for land and life challenging legal texts.
This contributed to gradual changes in many local practices and beliefs. For instance,
are the ingress of Christian missionaries introducing new faith, agricultural
technologies to address food security, logging, construction of roads and other
infrastructures for better mobility, and formal educational systems.
The different indigenous knowledge systems for natural resource management
includes systems such as muyong and ala-a-systems. The ala- a-system is generally
located on lands not cultivated as swidden but on lands too far to be covered by private
claim or lands identified as hunting grounds, and used to gather products for
household or farm used (Camachoet al. 2012). These systems practiced by the
indigenous communities in the Cordillera, Philippines (i.e. Ifugaos, Isneg, Tingguians
and Ikalahans) have been described in some studies (Dolinen, 1995).
Assessment:
1. What is Indigenous science?
2. Give examples of Indigenous science practices that is being used or applied
nowadays.
3. Discuss the beliefs of people In Indigenous science.
4. Is Indigenous Science considered as a science? Why?
5. What is the importance of Indigenous science in the development of science
and technology?
 CHAPTER
II
(SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION)
LESSON 1

THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the different conceptions of human flourishing
2. Discuss the development of the scientific method and validity of science
3. Evaluate human flourishing vis-à-vis progress of science and technology

INTRODUCTION
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) is the most accomplished individual and the most
significant thinker who has ever lived. Citizens from the west owe an enormous debt
to Aristotle who is the source behind every achievement of science, technology,
political theory, and aesthetics (especially Romantic art) in today's-world. Aristotle's
philosophy has supported the achievements of the Renaissance and of all scientific
advances and technological progress to his very day.
Aristotle bases the understandability under consideration of the good in the idea
of what is good for the specific entity or value. "For whatever has a natural function,
the good is therefore thought to reside in the function." The natural function of a thing
is only determined by its natural end. There are particular ways of being that constitute
the perfection of the living thing's nature with respect to living things.
According to Aristotle, “of all actions that we perform which we desire for it,
there is an end”. This is what is known as “eudaimonia" which means flourishing or
successful or happiness which can be translated as desired for its own sake with all
other things being desired on its account. "Eudaimonia" when Considered good of
human activities and that toward which all actions aim, it may be called a success as
a human being. The best of made in life is one of excellent human activity.
According to the perspective of Aristotle, the good is what is good for purposeful
and the goal-directed entities. He describes the good proper to human beings as the
activities with which the life functions specific to human beings are most fully realized.
For Aristotle, the good personality of each human beings is associated to teleological
essential to other person. A person's nature as a human being provides him with
guidance with respect to how he should live his life. A basic fact of human nature is
the existence of individual human beings each with his own rationality and free will.
The use of one's choice of consciousness is a person's distinctive capacity and means
of survival.
There is only one life and the only life that a person has to live. Subsequently,
for Aristotle, the “GOOD” is what is objectively good for a particular man. Aristotle's
"eudaimonia" is formally egoistic or self-center in that a person's normative reason for
selecting particular actions come from the idea that he must pursue his own good or
happiness. Good means “good for” the individual moral agent. Egoism is a vital part
of Aristotle's ethics
Science, Technology and Human Flourishing
Science is taken in the extensive sense of “SCIENTIA”, which includes the
whole range of human knowledge. In contrast with standard of research grant, this
proposal deliberately spans a number of disciplines and seeks, in line with Sir John
Templeton's donor intent in which to gain new scientific and spiritual information that
will allow human flourishing or happiness or as an individual put it, "a better way of
life for all humanity".
The project is established around three crucial aspects of human flourishing
that are both correlated and corresponding: (A)the quest for new purposive and future-
minded understanding of the world (B)the recognition of the open-ended nature of
spiritual enquiry and (C) the promotion of positive character virtues. The research sub-
projects each including the structure of the physical world in which we lived, the nature
of human identity and human mystical experiences, character formation in adverse to
circumstances, the relationship between ancient scriptures and modern scientific
knowledge and the notion of purpose in biology.

Science as Method and Results

According to Bradford, 2017, science is the word for systematic and logical
approach to discovering how the universe works. It is also the body of knowledge
accumulated through the findings pertaining to the things in the universe. The word
science is commonly known as derivation from the Latin word “SCIENTIA” which
means “knowledge”. True to this definition, science is rather based on fact and not on
opinion or preferences and science aims for qualitative and quantitative results
acquired through testing and analysis. The process of science is designed to challenge
the dogma through research. One important aspect of the scientific process is that it
focuses only on the natural world, according to the University of California and
anything that is considered supernatural does not fit into the definition of science.

The scientific method

When conducting research, researchers use the scientific method to gather
measurable, empirical evidences or data in an experiment related to a hypothesis,
thus the results aims to support or contradict a theory.

The steps of the scientific method:

1. Find a problem essential to be addressed.
2. Create a hypothesis about the problem which should be proven by the
conclusions.
 3. List down objectives and set the limitations of the study.
4. Formulate the title.
5. Research articles, journals, and other related studies for the literature review.
6. Conduct the experiment and collect and analyze the data.
7. Derive conclusion

The Hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable, that is according to the North
Carolina State University. Falsifiable means that there must be a possible negative
answer to the hypothesis.
Research must involve deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Deductive
reasoning is the process of using true premises to reach a logical true conclusion
while inductive reasoning takes the opposite approach. An experiment should
include a dependent variable (which does not change) and an independent variable
(which does change). An experiment should include an experimental group and a
control group. The control group is what the experimental group is compared against
(Bradford, 2017).

Scientific theories and laws

A theory is almost never proven, though a few theories do become scientific
laws. Laws are commonly considered to be without exemption, though some laws
have been improved over time after further testing without discrepancies. For a
hypothesis to become a theory, accurate testing must occur, normally across multiple
disciplines by separate groups of scientists. In science, a theory is the framework for
observations and facts, Tanner told Live Science (Bradford, 2017).

Verification Theory
In decrypting words and language, communication may be vague and unclear
if they were not quantified with proper meanings. These meanings procure unbiased
focus that brings clarity to a subject and light for understanding words. However,
depending on the approach, one may interpret it individually. Thus, theories were
formed and subdivided into denotation and connotation. Denotation refers to the
specific meaning of associated idea whereas connotation is the implication of an
idea.
The first theory manifested in Vienna in the 1920s where, a group of scientists,
philosophers, and mathematicians known as Logical Positivists or Vienna circle
congregated over the disjunction of philosophy and metaphysical and normative
problems. For the purpose of clarity, the significance of making sense using language
was sought. But the solution by the principle of verifiability as a basis of fact and
meaning led to more uncertainty. The problem lies on the analysis of language when
applied in relation to Einstein's theory of relativity with its meaning on time and space.
Before an in-depth discussion, a brief background on the "theory of meaning”
was presented further. The wordings of the theory retain both an extension of things
that is true of and an intension of something internal or mental. The traditional semantic
theory further portrays two contribution of the determination of extension namely
society or the real worlds. Thus, an in-depth philosophical analysis is required for
examining linguistic meanings from words. Consequently, the basis of analysis is the
specification of meanings of linguistic expressions. The linguistic expressions may be
meaningful if it refers to something. They can be explained in three ways as
ideational, referential, and behavioral. The referential theory can be based on the
central meaning that the language is used about things; whereas the ideational and
behavioral theories are based on an equally fundamental insight that words have the
meaning they do only because of what human beings do when they use language
(Alston, 1964).
Every meaningful linguistic expression as exemplify in the referential theory of
meaning, encounters problems even in those areas where the referential theorist feels
more secure. This, of course, only goes to show that alternative mode of meaningful
explanation of words via language has to be devised. The verifiability theory of
meaning is a referential theory by its presuppositions and assumptions. It is also seen
as incorporating the canons of empirical science.

Assessment:
1. What is the importance of human flourishing to science and technology?
2. What do you think constitute human flourishing?

Activity:
I. Search a recent issue related to your course of study or field and make a
case study about that issue using scientific method as a format.
LESSON 2

THE GOOD LIFE

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss what is meant by good life
2. Discuss how humans can attain what is deemed to be a good life:
3. Know what are the possibilities available to human beings to attain the good
life?

INTRODUCTION
For Plato, the task of understanding the things in the world runs parallel with
the job of truly getting into what will make the soul flourish. In an attempt to understand
reality and the external world, man must seek to understand himself, too. It was
Aristotle who gave a definitive distinction between the theoretical and practical
sciences. Among the theoretical disciplines, Aristotle included logic, biology, physics,
and metaphysics, among others. Among the practical ones, Aristotle counted ethics
and politics. Whereas "truth" is the aim of the theoretical sciences, the "good" is the
end goal of the practical ones. Every attempt to know is connected in some way in an
attempt to find the "good” or as said in the previous lesson, the attainment of human
flourishing. Rightly so, one must find the truth about what the good is before one can
even try to locate that which is good. Among the theoretical in the previous lesson, we
have seen how a misplaced or an erroneous idea of human flourishing can turn the
table for all of us, make the sciences work against us rather than for us, and draw a
chasm between the search for truth and for the good.
Aristotle and Good Life
Aristotle is the first thinker of the problematization of the end of the goal of life
which is the happiness. Aristotle embarked on a different approach in figuring out
reality, he put everything back to the ground in claiming that this world is all there and
that this world is the only reality we can access. For Plato, change is so perplexing
that it can only make sense if there are two realities: the world of forms and the world
of matters yourself in front of the mirror, you normally say and think that you are looking
at yourself. Plato recognized change as a process and as a phenomenon that happens
in the world, that in fact, it is CONSTANT. However, Plato also claims that despite the
reality of change, things remain and they retain their ultimate "whatness".
Aristotle disagreed with his teacher's position and forwarded the idea that there
is no reality over and above what the senses can perceive. It is only by observation of
the external world that one can truly understand what is it really all about. Change is
a process that is fundamental in things. We, along with the other entities in the world,
start as potentialities and move toward actualities, every human being moves
according to some end. Every action that emanates from a human person is a function
of the purpose that the person has. Every human person, according to Aristotle,
aspires for an end. This end, we have learned is happiness or human flourishing.
No individual resists happiness. We all want to be happy. Aristotle claims that
happiness is the be-all and end-all of everything that we do. We may not realize it, but
the end goal of everything that we do is happiness. If you ask one person why he is
doing what he is doing, he may not readily say that it is happiness that motivates him.
When Aristotle claimed that we want to be happy, he does not necessarily mean the
everyday happiness that we obtain when we win a competition. What Aristotle actually
means is human flourishing or success; a kind of contentment in knowing that one is
getting the best out of life. A kind of feeling that one has maxed out his potential in the
world that he has attained the heart of his humanity. Happiness as the Goal of a Good
Life In the 18th century, John Stuart Mill, declared the greatest happiness principle by
saying that “an action is right as far as it maximizes the attainment of happiness for
the greatest number of people”. At a time when people were skeptical about claims on
the metaphysical, people could not make sense of the human flourishing that Aristotle
talked about in the days of old. Mill said that the individual happiness of each individual
should be prioritized and collectively dictates the kind of action that should be
endorsed. When an action benefits the greatest number of people, said action is
deemed ethical.
For example: Does mining benefit rather than hurt the majority? Does it offer
more benefits rather than disadvantages? Does mining result in more people happy
rather than sadness? If the answers to the said questions are in the affirmative, then
the said action, mining is deemed ethical.
Materialism
History has given birth to different schools of thought and all of which aim for
the good and happy life. The first materialists are the atomists in Ancient Greece.
Democritus and Leucippus led a school whose primary belief is that the world is made
up of and is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the world called Atomos or seeds.
For Democritus and his disciples, the world, including human beings is made up of
matter. Atomos simply comes together randomly to form the things in the world. Only
material entities matter. In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes us attain
happiness. We see this at work with most people who are clinging on to material wealth
as the primary source of the meaning of their existence.
Example: Materialistic persons (lovers of things, materials and etc.)
Hedonism
The Hedonists, for their part, see the end goal of life in acquiring pleasure.
Pleasure has always been the priority of hedonists. For them, life is about obtaining
and indulging in pleasure because life is limited. The mantra of this school of thought
is the famous, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Led by Epicurus, this
school of thought also does not buy any notion of afterlife just like the materialists.
Stoicism
Another school of thought led by Epicurus, the stoics espoused the idea that to
generate happiness, one must learn to distance oneself and be apathetic. For the
original term apatheia, precisely means to be indifferent. The stoics, happiness can
only be attained by a careful practice of apathy. Adopt the fact that some things are
not within our control. The sooner we realize this, the happier we can be.
Theism
Many people find the meaning of their lives using God as the fulcrum of their
existence. The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic country, is a witness to how
people base their life goals on beliefs that hinged on some form of supernatural reality
called heaven. The ultimate basis of happiness for theists is the communication with
God. The world where we are in is only just a temporary reality where we have to
maneuver around while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God.
Humanism
Another school of thought is humanism where it espouses the freedom man to
carve his own destiny and to legislate his own laws, free from the shackles of a God
that monitors and controls. To the humanist, man is literally the captain of his own
ship, inspired by enlightenment.
In the seventeenth century, humanists saw themselves not merely as stewards
of the creation but as individuals who are in control of themselves and the world
outsides them. This is the spirit of most scientists who thought that the world is a place
and a space for freely unearthing the world in seeking for ways on how to improve the
lives of its inhabitants.
The scientists of today, meanwhile, are ready to confront more sophisticated
attempts at altering the world for the benefit of society. Some people now are willing
to tamper with time and space in the name of technology.
Example: Social media (SocMed) has been, so far, a very effective way of
employing technology in purging time and space. Not very long ago, communication
between two people from two continents in the planet will involve months of waiting
for a mail to arrive. Today communication whether between two people wherever they
are, is not just possible, but easy.
Whether you agree or not with technological advancements, these are all
undertaken in the hopes of achieving a good life. The balance between the good life,
ethics, and technology has to be attained.

Assessment:
1. Discuss what is the good life is?
2. What is the relationship between the good life and science?
3. How will technology lead us to the good life? Why?
 LESSON 3

WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY CROSS

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Know the different technological advancements in society;
2. Discuss the history and development of science and technology:
3. Discuss the effects of the interplay between technology and humanity
through the problems they face;
4. Know the advantages and disadvantages of life after science and
technology studies thru case studies

INTRODUCTION
The history of technology is the development over time of systematic
techniques for making and doing things. The term technology is coined with two Greek
“technē” which means “art, craft," and logos which means “word or speech". When it
first appeared in English in the 17th century, it was used to mean a discussion of the
applied arts only, and gradually these "arts" themselves came to be the object of the
designation. In the early 20th century, there has been an increasing growth of the term,
processes, and ideas in addition to tools and machines.
By mid-century, technology was defined by such phrases as "the means or
activity by which man seeks to change or manipulate his environment." Even such
broad definitions have been criticized by observers who point out the increasing
difficulty of differentiation between scientific inquiry and technological activity. A highly
compressed account of the history of technology such as this one must adopt a difficult
methodological pattern if it is to do justice to the subject without grossly distorting it
one way or another. The plan followed in the present article is primarily chronological,
tracing the development of technology through phases that succeed each other in
time. Obviously, the division between phases is to a large extent arbitrary. One factor
in the weighting has been the enormous acceleration of Western technological
development in recent centuries.
Eastern technology relates to the development of modern technology. Within
each chronological phase a standard method has been adopted for surveying the
technological experience and innovations. This begins with a brief review of the
general social conditions of the period under discussion, and then goes on to consider
the dominant materials and sources of power of the period, and their application to
food production, manufacturing industry, building construction, transport and
communications, military technology, and medical technology. In a final section the
sociocultural consequences of technological change in the period are examined. This
framework is modified according to the particular requirements of every period
discussions of new materials, for instance, occupy a substantial place in the accounts
of earlier phases when new metals were being introduced but are comparatively
unimportant in descriptions of some of the later phases but the general pattern is
retained throughout.
General considerations
Essentially, techniques are methods of creating new tools and products of tools,
and the capacity for constructing such artifacts is a determining characteristic of
humanlike species. Other lower form of species makes artifacts like the bees build
hives to deposit their honey, birds make nests and beavers build dams. But these
attributes are the result of patterns of instinctive behavior and cannot be varied to suit
rapidly changing circumstances. Humanity, in contrast with other species, does not
possess highly developed instinctive reactions but does have the capacity to think
systematically and creatively about techniques. Humans can thus innovate and
consciously modify the environment in a way no other species has achieved. An ape
may on occasion use a stick to beat bananas from a tree, but a man can fashion the
stick into a cutting tool and remove a whole bunch of bananas. Somewhere in the
transition between the two, the hominid, the first manlike species, emerges. By virtue
of his nature as a toolmaker, man is therefore a technologist from the beginning, and
the history of technology encompasses the whole evolution of humankind. In using
rational faculties to devise techniques and modify the environment, humankind has
attacked problems other than those of survival and the production of wealth with which
the term technology is usually associated today. The technique of language, for
example, involves the manipulation of sounds and symbols in a meaningful way, and
similarly the techniques of artistic and ritual creativity represent other aspects of the
technological incentive. This article does not deal with these cultural and religious
techniques, but it is valuable to establish their relationship at the outset because the
history of technology reveals a profound interaction between the incentives and
opportunities of technological innovation on the one hand and the sociocultural
conditions of the human group within which they occur on the other.
Social involvement in technological advances
The awareness of this interaction is important in surveying the development of
technology through successive civilizations. To simplify the relationship as much as
possible, there are three points at which there must be some social involvement in
technological innovation: social need, social resources and a sympathetic social
ethos. In default of any of these factors it is unlikely that a technological innovation
will be widely adopted or be successful.
The sense of social need must be strongly felt, or people will not be prepared
to devote resources to a technological innovation. The thing needed may be a more
efficient cutting tool, a more powerful lifting device, a labor saving machine, or a means
of utilizing new fuels or a new source of energy. Or, because military needs have
always provided a stimulus to technological innovation as it may take the form of a
requirement for better weapons. In modern societies, needs have been generated by
advertising. Whatever the source of social need, it is essential that enough people be
conscious of it to provide a market for an artifact or commodity that can meet the need.
Social resources are similarly an indispensable prerequisite to a successful
innovation. Many inventions have sunk because the social resources are vital for them
like the capital, materials, and skilled personnel were not available. The notebooks of
Leonardo da Vinci are full of ideas for helicopters, submarines, and airplanes, but few
of these reached even the model stage because resources of one sort or another were
lacking. The resource of capital involves the existence of surplus productivity and an
organization capable of directing the available wealth into channels in which the
inventor can use it. The resource of materials involves the availability of appropriate
metallurgical, ceramic, plastic, or textile substances that can perform whatever
functions a new invention requires of them. The resource of skilled personnel implies
the presence of technicians capable of constructing new artifacts and devising novel
processes. A society, in short, has to be well primed with suitable resources in order
to sustain technological innovation.
A sympathetic social ethos implies an environment receptive to new ideas,
one in which the dominant social groups are prepared to consider innovation seriously.
Such receptivity may be limited to specific fields of innovation just like for example:
improvements in weapons or in navigational techniques or it may take the form of a
more generalized attitude of inquiry, as was the case among the industrial middle
classes in Britain during the 18th century, who were willing to cultivate new ideas and
inventors, the breeders of such ideas. Whatever the psychological basis of inventive
genius, can be no doubt that the existence of socially important groups willing to
encourage inventors and to use their ideas has been a crucial factor in the history of
technology.
It is worthwhile, however, to register another explanatory note This concerns
the rationality of technology. It has already been observed that technology involves
the application of reason to techniques, and in the 20th century it came to be regarded
as almost axiomatic that technology is a rational activity stemming from the traditions
of modern science Nevertheless, it should be observed that technology, in the sense
in which the term is being used here, is much older than science, and also that
techniques have tended to ossify over centuries of practice or to become diverted into
such para-rational exercises as alchemy.
Traditionally, however, the major mode of transmission has been the movement
of artifacts and Craftsmen. Trade in artifacts has ensured their widespread distribution
and encouraged imitation. Even more important, the migration of craftsmen whether
the itinerant metalworkers of early civilizations or the German rocket engineers whose
expert knowledge was acquired by both the Soviet Union and the United States after
World War II has promoted the spread of new technologies. The evidence for such
processes of technological transmission is a reminder that the material for the study
of the history of technology comes from a variety of sources. Much of it relies, like any
historical examination, on documentary matter, although this is sparse for the early
civilizations because of the general lack of interest in technology on the part of scribes
and chroniclers. For these societies, therefore, and for the many millennia of earlier
unrecorded history in which slow but substantial technological advances were made,
it is necessary to rely heavily upon archaeological evidence. Even in connection with
the recent past, the historical understanding of the processes of rapid industrialization
can be made deeper and more vivid by the study of "industrial archaeology." Much
valuable material of this nature has been accumulated in museums, and even more
remains in the place of its use for the observation of the field worker. The historian of
technology must be prepared to use all these sources, and to call upon the skills of
the archaeologist, the engineer, the architect, and other Specialists as appropriate.

ASSESSMENT:
1. Is technology really a necessity to people? Is it really a need? Defend your
answer.
2. How do you reconcile the need for technology and the dilemma/s it faces?
Explain your answer.
3. What do you think, should there be an ethics of technology? Yes or No? Why?