BICOL UNIVERSITY

College of Science

NAME: ACULAN, Omar L. BLOCK: AB Political Science – 2B

DATE: March 5, 2021

GEC 17 – Science, Technology, and Society

ACTIVITY NO. 4

Think about these questions.

1. What is a good life?

The meaning of a good life when asked would solicit different answers. Everyone has his
or her idea of what it is to have a good life and how “good” is quantified. To some, eating the
food they like without getting fat brings them pleasure, while for others it’s hitting the gym and
having a good body physique. There are those who think life is good when we get to make
choices without thinking too much of the consequence. Whereas, a good life may also mean
achieving one’s long-term ambitions and dreams. Even the greatest of thinkers and
philosophers have developed varying and sometimes contrasting views as to what constitutes a
good life. Aristotle introduced the Greek term “eudaimonia”, which can be roughly translated as
a life well-lived. It is a life of striving, where value is placed on hard work and effort to achieve
such good life. It is the happiness that one feels after a continuous struggle, hard work, and
perseverance. Eudaimonia is more than just the giddy feeling we get when we receive a gift
from a loved one. It is the stage where we attain success and contentment. In order to attain
such a good life, one must start by “living and doing well.” Aristotle emphasized the essence of
virtues as our guiding force. For a person to become virtuous, he must “do the right thing, at the
right time, the right way, in the right amount, towards the right people.” It is not an easy feat to
accomplish, as many individuals face difficulties in maintaining a balanced disposition in life.
However, by constant practice and a change in point of view, we may be able to attain the so-
called “golden mean” – the midpoint between extreme goodness and extreme badness called
vices. When we finally learn to become a virtuous individual, goodness will come out
effortlessly. If one is virtuous, he can attain eudaimonia because he possesses good attitudes,
good disposition, and good perspective in life. Thus, the virtue ethics theory was born.

There are also other groups of philosophers who pondered on different meanings as to
what really is a good life. The followers of materialism believe that only the material entities
matter. In other words, it is only through material things such as wealth, clothes, and other forms
of luxury that we can find true happiness. Such philosophy is greatly upheld in Western
societies, where capitalist ideologies reign. Hedonism is the principle stating a good life is lived
by pleasuring oneself. This could mean eating all the food we want to consume, drinking until
we get wasted, and enjoy all worldly things because life is too short. Indeed, a quote that can
fittingly depict this belief is something that goes like this, “You only live once.” In stoicism, one
must learn to distance himself or herself from everything in his surroundings and learn to be
apathetic to generate happiness. Meanwhile, theism is the belief that living a good life is by
communing with God. Finally, humanism is a philosophy that perceives freedom of man to
carve his destiny to be a key to happiness and a good life. It rejects the theistic notion of a
Higher Consciousness and renders man as the captain of his own ship.

2. What is the relationship between good life and science?

There is a direct relationship between science and good life. One can go so far as
saying that it is because of science that we can live a good life or even aspire to attain such a
well-lived life. The knowledge that is continuously sought after by scientists and the inventions
made by engineers and innovators have solved problems the world has long been facing. We
create technology to apply our knowledge from science. And from such equipment,
apparatuses, inventions, and ideas, we are able to live a better and easier life than before.
Science and technology has changed all aspects of everyday life—from household chores, to
transportation, to modes of communication, health, and even leisure. Convenience is one of the
greatest gifts that the pursuit of knowledge has given to mankind. On the other hand, the quest
for a good life is the driving force of science. Researchers, inventors, and developers constantly
ask the question, “What shall benefit mankind?” in every discovery and technology they make.
We are able to aspire for greatness, success, and living a life with the highest possible amount
of happiness because our lives have never been easier and more convenient. New ways,
techniques, and practices have solved key issues that have long haunted us for generations.

3. Does technology always lead us to the good life? Support your answer.

No, technology will not always lead us to the good life. The aim of technology is to put
into motion what we have learned from experimentation and research. On one side, it leads to a
good life as it is responsible for the progress and development in all aspects of life. The
advancements of technology has made possible the unthinkable fifty or a hundred years ago.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, it contributed to us achieving a life that is full of
happiness and convenience. However, we cannot negate the fact that technology can also pose
dangers and be a threat to mankind. The technology that paved the way for economic boom in
first-world countries is the very same thing that developed weapons of mass destruction which
have caused catastrophic events and horrifying deaths across the globe. Greed has driven man
to develop means to accumulate power, seize control, and demonstrate influence. The
untapped potentialities of artificial intelligence and robotics can easily raise frightened eyebrows
due to the capability of automated machines to almost think and act like the average human
being. As a result, many people are stripped off from their jobs since machines are more
efficient at producing positive economic impacts. Social media is another product of technology
that can bring forth negative consequences, attributed to high dependence, which disrupts
normal conduct of daily affairs, and vulnerability to fake news. At some point, technology is
pulling us away from being able to cultivate virtues such as hard work, perseverance, honesty,
among others. Thus, technology does not always provide an opportunity to achieve a
meaningful and well-lived life.