Line, Shella Mae S.

BSNII-ORLANDO

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STS)

INSTRUCTION: Read and understand the questions carefully and write your answer after the
question given. (5 points each)

1. Explain modern technology and its role in human flourishing.

 Modern technology has a vital role part of human being. It gives significant meaning to
the life of a person making his/her way in the world.Modern technology is the current
improvement or advancement in comparison to the prior one, it provides revision and
variation of quality. Its role in human flourishing is that it helps us, humans, with regards
to our way of communication, broadens our knowledge and most importantly it helps us
restore lives. It also help in the field of medical research wherein scientific and
technological principles to come up with cure for diseases and ways to prevent illnesses
to ensure a good quality of life. Technology serves as a mode of revealing what is correct
that may lead us to what is true. It is where any factual information shall reveal and
experience new understandable mindset. Moreover, our skills and capabilities enhanced
and enable us to resolve the current issue the world is facing.

2. Explain Hickel’s paradigm of “de –development and differentiate it from the traditional
notions of growth and consumption.

 According to an anthropologist Jason Hickel the “de-development” is to eradicate

poverty and makes all human being progress. De-development is something that human
progress, and, indeed, the purpose of life itself. It is like asking people to stop moving
negatively thorough life. It is a step where in economics is the right direction and
growing in popularity, but it still doesn’t get the framing right. We need to reorient
ourselves toward a positive future, a truer form of progress. If the one country is
overconsumption it is putting the society at risk and the growth is slowly to progress. In
this framework, it is aimed to make richer countries “catchdown” to poorer countries
instead of the latter “catching up” to richer economies. It differs from the traditional
notions of growth and consumption
3. Explain the concept of good life as posited by Aristotle.

 According to Aristotle, happiness and having a good life is about virtue. He considers the
end of humans to be the good life. For most people, having a good life is being rich with
material possessions. Aristotle’s views on living well begin with a consideration of ends
and means. Aristotle states that the good life consists in the possession, over the course of
a lifetime, of all those things that are really good for us. Moreover, what is really good for
any one of us corresponds to the natural needs that are the same for all of us. Thus what is
good for one person is good for another; in other words, there is a right plan for living
well.

4. What is the importance of human rights in the face of changing social conditions and
technological development?

 The importance of human rights in the face of changing social conditions and
technological development is that all individual has the right to freedom of expression
and, in particular, the right to information, is enhanced. Everyone has the right to
recognition everywhere as a person before the law. It brings equal protection against
any discrimination in violation in any platforms and respect for the privacy of individuals
and integrity.We must discipline ourselves to promote well-progressive technology,
given the fact that technology could be a powerful tool for human rights. Moreover, the
human method of sustaining development emphasizes upgrading our access to gather
important information. Thus, a productive technique wherein supporting humanity
builds an abundant accomplishment and sets tranquility.

5. Describe the evolution of technology from the ancient times up to the present.

 In ancient times, western thinkers harnessed the force of nature. First sailing vessel that
worked through the power of the wind. Hero of Alexandria, for instance, invent a
primitive steam engine in the first century. In 15th century, the printing press is the
beginning of a true evolution. Through this technology, the ancient Greek idea that
knowledge should be shared and communicated among humans would actually be done
on a scale unimagined by its thinkers. Using the printing press, people on different sides
of the world could share their thoughts and ideas with each other, forming communities
if thinkers across space and time. Then, in 20th century, the World Wide Web through
the internet exist. It is a way of addressing data processing and information sharing
need among individuals. While the telegraph and telephone had allowed the
transmission of information to transcend physical boundaries. With the ease of sharing
information at present, its reliability becomes compromised.
6. Explain the process of genetic engineering.

 The process of genetic engineering is not a simple task, it requires complex machinery
and innovative minds. Since farming began, humans have been selectively breeding
different plants, doing so provided more food and better food for all. This process is
genetic engineering in much simpler terms than we think of it today.
 Now, when one thinks of genetic engineering, they are more likely to picture a
complicated science which involves altering the very building blocks of life. The are
several steps in the process of genetic engineering. Scientist follow a step by step process
in order to alter the DNA of an organism.

7. Define the major potential and realized impacts of nanotechnology on society.

 Nanotechnology has direct beneficial applications for medicine and the environment,
but like all technologies it may have unintended effects that can adversely impact the
environment, both within the human body and within the natural ecosystem. While
taking advantage of this new technology for health, environmental, and sustainability
benefits, science needs to examine the environmental and health implications. In the
future as nanoscience and nanotechnology progress, more breakthroughs are expected
to arise in the different fields of science, hopefully resolving the problems in health,
environment, and in security among others.

8. Describe gene therapy and its various forms.

 Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. In
the future, this technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a
patient’s cells instead of using drugs or surgery.Researches are testing several
approaches to gene therapy like replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a
healthy copy gene.

There are two different types of gene therapy depending on which type cells are treated:

1. Somatic gene therapy: transfer of a section of DNA to any cell of the body that doesn’t
produce sperm or eggs. Effects of gene therapy will not be passed on to the patients
children.
2. Germline gene therapy: involves the modification of the genes onside germ cells
(sperm or ova). During reproduction, these gametes cell fuse to form a zygote, which
would divide and pass on the modified gene into all other cells of the body during the
development of offspring.
9. Explain how climate change happens and provide pieces of evidence to affirm the presence of
climate change.

 The atmosphere today contains more greenhouse gas molecules, so more of the
infrared energy emitted by the surface ends up being absorbed by the atmosphere.
Human activity has increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since the industrial
revolution, leading to more heat retention and an increase in surface temperature.
Atmospheric aerosols alter climate change by scattering and absorbing solar and
infrared radiation and they may also change the microphysical and chemical properties
of clouds. One of the effect of global warming is the disturb weather patterns, it occurs
when the weather is not stable and it changes for a day or a week at a time.

10.What are the implications of climate change?

 Climate change destabilises the Earth’s temperature equilibrium and has far-reaching
effects on human beings and the environment. During the course of global warming, the
energy balance and thus the temperature of the earth change, due to the increased
concentration of greenhouse gases, which has a significant impact on humans and the
environment.