SCIENCE,etTECHNOLOGY, and SOCIETY SY 2020-21

INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, and SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION

This section introduces Science, Technology, and Society (STS) as a field of study. After defining
science and technology, the section traces the historical roots of STS as an academic field. It also
enumerates emerging ethical dilemmas that reinforce the importance of the study of STS in an age of
scientific progress and technological development.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this section, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss the general concepts related to science and technology:
2. Explain the scope of the study of STS; and
3. Demonstrate preparedness and readiness in the study of STS.

Learning Content

Science comes from the Latin word scientia, meaning 'knowledge.’ It refers to a systematic and
methodical activity of building and organizing knowledge about how the universe behaves through
observation, experimentation or both. According to the famous American science historian, John
Heilbron (2003, p. vii), "Modern science is a discovery as well as an invention." Heilbron considered
science as a discovery of regularity in nature, enough for natural phenomena to be described by
principles and laws. He also explained that science required invention to devise techniques,
abstractions, apparatuses, and organizations to describe these natural regularities and their law-like
descriptions.

Technology, for its part, is the application of scientific knowledge, laws, and principles to produce
services, materials, tools, and machines aimed at solving real-world problems. It comes from the Greek
root word techne, meaning 'art, skill, or cunning of hand.’ During a live public Q&A in December 2014,
one member of the audience asked Mark Zuckerberg what his definition of a technological tool is, and
the CEO of Facebook responded:

“What defines a technological tool-one historical

Definition-is something that takes a human's sense or
Ability and augments it and makes it more powerful. So,
For example, I wear contact lenses or glasses; that is a
Technology that enhances my human ability of vision
And makes it better."
The John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values of the University of Notre Dame is
responsible for listing the ten emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in science and technology
every year. Below is the list for 2018:

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SCIENCE,etTECHNOLOGY, and SOCIETY SY 2020-21

1. Helix - a digital app store designed to read genomes

2. BlessU-2 and Pepper - first robot priest and monk
3. Emotion Sensing Facial Recognition - a software being developed to assess your reactions to
anything such shopping and playing games
4. Ransomware - a way of holding data hostage through hacking and requiring a ransom to be paid
5. Textalyzer - a device that analyzes whether a driver was using his or her phone during an accident
6. Social Credit System — a system of scoring citizens through their actions by placing them under
constant surveillance (which China plays to adopt)
7. Google Clips — a hands-free camera that lets the user capture every moment effortlessly
8. Sentencing Software - a mysterious algorithm designed to aid courts in sentencing decisions
9. Friendbot - an app that stores the deceased's digital footprint so one can still "chat" with them
10. Citizen App - an app that notifies users of ongoing crimes or major events in a specific area

What is STS?
The study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological
innovation and how these in turn affect society, politics and culture.

Social values in our society are the things they want or needs or feel they need. Scientific Research
promotes what science researches what science learns about. And then when science learns they end
up making it into a technology that people can use and that changes what society values again and the
cycle never ends

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SCIENCE,etTECHNOLOGY, and SOCIETY SY 2020-21

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
A. SEATWORK

Name: Date:
Course:
Instructions: paste a photograph (photo from Internet, magazine, newspaper, or print out) that
depicts an issue or problem in science and technology. Then, answer the questions that follow.

1. What is the issue or problem depicted in the photograph?

2. How does this particular issue or problem impact the well-being of humans today?
3. Why is it important for people to study STS as an academic field, especially in addressing the
issue or problem depicted in the photograph?

B. ASSIGNMENT

Name: Date:
Course:
Instructions: Research for the list of John J. Reilly’s ten emerging ethical dilemmas and policy
issues in science and technology for the year 2019 & 2020. At least 10 each year.

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