Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

South La Union Campus

Agoo, La Union

GECC 105 – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

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Name: TAPAYA, JINKY Score _______________
Course & Year: BS PSYCHOLOGY 1-B

MODULE II – LESSON 3
ACTIVITY # 9
THE GOOD LIFE

Watch and reflect on the video clip entitled “Village of the Watermills” -
Akira Kurosawa found on the URL - https://vimeo.com/31359086. This video is the
last of eight short films that form the 1990 collection entitled "Dreams" by Akira
Kurosawa. In this film, a young man visits a village that has chosen to forgo modern
technology.

To those who have technical difficulties in watching the said video, refer to the
film transcript uploaded in a separate reading sheet of the same title.

Then answer the following questions to ponder on the essence of the

movie/reading to achieving The Good Life:

1. Why did the old man and his village choose not to use electricity? Is/are
his reason/s apparent today with other forms of modern technology? (15
pts)
They have chosen not to use electricity, according to the
old man in the film, because "people get used to convenience"
and believe that what is convenient is "better." As a result, "they
throw out what is good." The old man goes on to say that these
technologies go against nature's order. When asked about the
need for electrical lights at night, he responds, "Why should the
night be as bright as day?" I don't like nights that are so bright that
you can't see the stars.” He goes on to say that “people today
have forgotten that they are really just a part of nature...they
destroy the nature on which our lives rely.”

2. Compare the lifestyle of the Village of the Watermills with settlements

during the Agricultural Revolution as discussed in "The Waves of
Technology." (20 pts)
Based on the film, the people on the village uses natural
resources for their everyday life so that for their agricultural they
don’t need those tractors cultivate because they have their cows
and horses, for the fuel they used firewood, and the old man
added to say: “We do not feel right chopping down trees, but
 Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University
South La Union Campus
Agoo, La Union

GECC 105 – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

=================================================================
enough fall down by themselves.” “We cut them up and use them
as firewood.” “And if you make charcoal from the wood just a few
trees can give you as much heat as a whole forest.” “Yes, and
cow dung makes good fuel, too.” “That is the natural way of
life.” In short, they do not abuse nature chopping down trees for
firewood, as there are enough that fall down by themselves for
the people to use. Compared to the agricultural revolution, the
first wave began when people realized they could grow crops in
the ground. People remained in one location. The elderly, sick,
and frail remained with the family, and we devised treatments for
them. Families were extended, and generations shared the same
land. Their perception of time was cyclical, as seen in the
repeated cycles of the moon, crops, and seasons. Everyone
pitched in to help out on the farm.People were generalists,
capable of doing a variety of tasks. There was almost no waste.
Consider how a farm uses every scrap of a butchered hog to make
food, clothing, candles, and so on. Any products that were made
were done so by hand, by members of the family. Work was done
at home or on the farm, hence the term "cottage industry."The
medium of exchange was barter. Land was the most valuable
commodity, so it was taxed, usually as a percentage of the crops
grown on the land. Their tools included an inclined plane, a lever,
and a wheel and axle. They plowed with the blade. These devices
amplified human strength. The information available to people
during the First Wave was limited to some verbal narratives and
to what their senses apprehended (from which we get the Biblical
euphemism, he had knowledge of her). Since information came
from experience, people with more experience had more
information, and we valued age. So the similarities between them
is that they both used natural resources.

3. Is the film critical of scientists - if so, in what way? Based on the film, is
S&T really necessary to attain a good life? (20 pts)
Similar criticisms can be found in the film, such as the
portrayal of science as a religion and science as a source of power
over nature. For example, the old man claims that we worship
technological inventions as miracles. According to the film, the
main theme of the film, as I see it, is celebrating life and nature,
with a major critique of science and technology as harbingers of
pollution and misery. Of course, it is not technology itself that is
important, but what Man does with it, which means that this is
ultimately a film about the human spirit and its ability to both
 Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University
South La Union Campus
Agoo, La Union

GECC 105 – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

=================================================================
create and destroy at the same time. So what the film is trying to
say is that, in the end, it's just us and nature, from which we
came and to which we return, and if we try to remember that,
remember what the important things are, we might be able to
live in peace.

Reference link:

http://www.cbpp.uaa.alaska.edu/afef/BA635-third-wave.htm