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CH 4 Lesson 1 PDF
CH 4 Lesson 1 PDF
ENGAGE
Unravelling Cellphone Culture
Based on the photo beside, in your opinion, how
was cellphone culture revealed in the modern
world?
http://3hb16247e7cw396nr92x2pjx78n.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/12/141229100742-400x267.jpg
DISCUSSION
The Essence of Technology
It cannot be denied that science and technology are responsible for the ways society is
continuously being modernized. Science and technology continuously seep into the way people go
about their daily lives. However, the omnipresence of science and technology must not eclipse the
basic tenets of ethics and morality. Instead, it should allow the human person to flourish alongside
scientific progress and technological development. In order to spark the discussion on the role of ethics
and social morality in science and technology, it is necessary to go back to the very essence of
technology, i.e., its definition.
The essence of technology can be captured in its definition. In his treatise, The Question Concerning
Technology, Martin Heidegger (1977) explains the two widely embraced definitions of technology:
(l) instrumental and (2) anthropological
Both definitions, i.e., instrumental and anthropological, are correct. However, neither touches on the
true essence of technology.
Heidegger stressed that the true can only be pursued through the correct. Simply, what is
correct leads to what is true. In this sense, Heidegger envisioned technology as a way of revealing—a
mode of ‘bringing forth.’ Bringing forth can be understood through the Ancient Greek philosophical
concept, poiesis, which refers to the act of bringing something out of concealment. By bringing
something out of concealment, the truth of that something is revealed. The truth is understood through
another Ancient Greek concept of aletheia, which is translated as unclosedness, unconcealedness,
disclosure, or truth.
Thus, for Heidegger, technology is a form of poeisis—a way of revealing that unconceals
aletheia or the truth. This is seen in the way the term techne, the Greek root word of technology, is
understood in different contexts. In philosophy, techne resembles the term episteme that refers to the
human ability to make and perform. Techne also encompasses knowledge and understanding. In art,
it refers to tangible and intangible aspects of life. The Greeks understood techne in the way that it
encompasses not only craft, but other acts of the mind, and poetry.
Heidegger, in The Question Concerning Technology, posited that both primitive crafts and
modem technology are revealing. However, he explained that modem technology is revealing not in
the sense of bringing forth or poeisis. Heidegger made a clear distinction between technology and
modem technology in that the latter ‘challenges’ nature. Modern technology challenges nature by
extracting something from it and transforming, storing, and distributing it.
The challenging forth of modern technology is seen everywhere: in the rise and depletion of
petroleum as a strategic resource; the introduction and use of synthetic dyes, artificial flavorings, and
toxic materials into the consumer stream that bring about adverse effects on human health; and the
use of ripening agents in agriculture that poses threats to food safety and health security.
References:
Labana, R. V., Reboa, A. C., Pedral, J. G., & Bautista, A. B. (2019). Science, Technology and Society. Quezon City: MaxCor
Publishing House, Inc.
Quinto, E. M., & Nieva, A. D. (2019). Science, Technology, and Society. Quezon Cuty: C&E Publishing, Inc.
Name:_______________________________________________________
Program, Yr., and Section:___________________
ACTIVITY 12: Answer the following. Detach the worksheet once finished.
Do the photos (a) bring forth or (b) challenge forth? Write your answer on the
space below then explain your answer.
https://phyohankyaw19.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/factory-smoke- https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2020/7/community-impact/reduce-
pollution-g-001.jpg exposure/img894813.jpg
https://www.hydrotech-
group.com/files/ckeditor/najkrajsie%20vodne%20priehrady/vodne-priehrady- https://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_pictrure_780x520_/public/articles/20
08.jpg 18/12/20/yq-manilabay-19122018.jpg?itok=KR7YGRbO×tamp=1545300152