Republic of the Philippines

Sultan Kudarat State University

College of Industrial Technology
Isulan Campus

GE704
Science, Technology & Society

Family Name: Gumabong Given Name: Philip Andrei Middle Initial: L.

Program: BTVTEd-FSM Year: 3rd Year Section: A Score: ________

THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Introduction:

Among the animals on earth, we, humans, identify ourselves as the ones who
have higher intellectual capacity. We have learned that things around us hold potential
when combined with other things or when used in ways that these things are innately
inclined to be used. Through time, passionate search, experiment or even accidental
encounter, a lot of things were discovered, and we are determined to use, produce,
and manipulate nature. This lesson explains briefly the attributes and capacity of man
and his role in relation to technology and to society. It begins with St. Augustine’s idea
that human beings were created by God, the Supreme Good, and that He has
endowed us with intellect and the freedom to choose what is good and ultimately go
back to Him. The journey towards God necessitates graces from Him in order for us,
humans, to choose to do and innovate things for each other and for everyone’s good.
This lessons also establishes some philosophical considerations on how technology
can be construed as a tool for higher purposes aside from the usual idea of it being the
provider of more efficient and comfortable ways of achieving and doing things.
(adoniskathleen, 2019)

https://www.coursehero.com/file/39153379/STSdocx/

Course material

THE HUMAN PERSONFLOURISHING IN TERMS OFSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and being a human
activity.
 It has long filled the word. Everyday routines are marked with technological
advances that reflect what a society is good or known for. Technology has
well advanced since the middle of the20th
 Century especially after the end of World War II. It is not unexpected for
technology to involve question of knowledge which lead to its formation as
 one of the branches of
philosophy. This also led to the furtherance of technology based on how it is
viewed and understood. But there is more to that.
 Aristotle, was born 304 B.C. an ancient Greek philosophy scientist and one of
the most significant thinkers and who contributed so much to science,
technology, political theory, and aesthetics world; followed that knowledge of
the world begins by looking and examining that which exists. To understand the
human person flourishing in terms of science and technology, it is good to first
examine technology in its essence.

What is Happiness?

 In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which

can be defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from
contentment to intense joy.

 To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when

we do something good or positive.

 To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones

released in the brain as a reward for behavior that prolongs survival.

 The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of

suffering, the presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of
this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which
minimizes misery.

 Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit" to
describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming
a better person. Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or
by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people.

Aristotle

--> Aristotle believed that human flourishing requires a life with other people. Aristotle
taught that people acquire virtues through practice and that a set of concrete virtues
could lead a person toward his natural excellence and happiness.

--> According to Aristotle, there is an end of all of the actions that we perform which we
desire for itself. This is what is known as eudaimonia, flourishing, or happiness, which
is desired for its own sake with all other things being desired on its account.
Eudaimonia is a property of one's life when considered as a whole. Flourishing is the
highest good of human endeavors and that toward which all actions aim. It is success
as a human being. The best life is one of excellent human activity.

Eudaimonia
  “good spirited”

 Coined by Aristotle

 Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is attainable by humans.

 “human flourishing”

 From Nicomachean Ethics (philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good
life for a human being.)

– human flourishing arises as a result of different components such as

• Phronesis

• Friendship

• Wealth

• Power
• In ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring these will surely bring the seekers
happiness, which in effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of what we call
the Good.

• As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed.

•People found means to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more
products, and make more money.

• Humans of today are expected to become “man of the world”.

• Supposed to situate himself in a global neighborhood, working side by side among

institutions and the government to be able to reach a common goal.

Principles of Human Flourishing

 Dignity of the Human person - innate personal values or rights which demands
respect for all people, regardless of race, social class, wealth etc.

 Common Good - sacrificing self-interest to provide for the basic human

needs of everyone makes the whole community flourish.

 Preferential Option for the Poor - when decisions are made by first considering the
poor.

 Subsidarity - when all those affected by a decision are involved in making it.

 Universal Purpose of Goods - the Earth's resources serve every person's

needs, regardless of who "owns" them.

 Stewardship of Creation - duty to care for the Earth as a (God-given) gift is a

personal responsibility for the common good.

 Promotion of Peace - everyone has the duty to respect and collaborate in

personal relationships, and at national and global levels.

 Participation - everyone has the right and the duty to take part in the life of a
society (economic, political, cultural, religious)

 Global Solidarity - recognition that we are all interconnected, part of one human
family.

Different Conceptions of Human

Flourishing Eastern

• Focus is community-centric

• Individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of society

• Chinese Confucian system

• Japanese Bushido
• Encourage studies of literature, sciences, and art for a greater

cause Western

 More focused on the individual

 Human flourishing as an end

 Aristotelian view

 Aims for eudaimonia as the ultimate

good Science, Technology and Human

Flourishing

 Every discovery, innovation, and success contributes to our pool of human

knowledge.

 Human’s perpetual need to locate himself in the world by finding proofs

to trace evolution.

 Elicits our idea of self-importance

 Technology is a human activity we excel in as a result of achieving science.

 Good is inherently related to the truth.

SELECTED VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY

 It has been said they there are many views or ways as to how technology is
understood. These philosophies contributed on how technology is understood
and utilized by the society. Some of it will be discussed briefly below.

TECHNOLOGICAL PEMISSIMISM

 This view is extremely supported by French philosopher Jacques Ellul (1912-

1994).
 Technological Pessimism holds that technology is progressive and beneficial in
many ways, it is also doubtful in many ways. It is said that technology is a means
to an end but this views, technology has become a way of life. Technique has
become a framework which human cannot escape. It has introduced ways on
how to make things easy. Ellul's pessimistic arguments are: (1) Technological
progress has a price,(2) technological progress creates more problems, (3)
technological progress creates damaging effects, and (4) technological progress
creates unpredictable devastating effects.
 Although Ellul has strongly spoken of his arguments, they are still found to be
weak
and not true at all times. Like when he said that technological progress can
create more problems than it solves, he seems to have underestimated the
objective decisions a technicians, and other technological agencies makes
regarding the technology where they weigh the good and bad effects it can have
in the society.
TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM

 This view is strongly supported by technologist and engineers and also by

ordinary people who believe that technology can alleviate all the difficulties and
provide solutions for problems that may come. It holds that even though
technological problems may arise, technology will still be the solutions to it. The
extreme version of this philosophy is technocratism which holds technology as
the supreme authority on everything.

EXISTENTIALISM

 The main concern of this view is the existence or the mode of being of someone
or something which is governed by the norm of authenticity. This view basically
investigate the meaning of existence or being and is always faced with the
selection must make with which the existence will commit himself to.
 Martin Heidegger, a philosopher who was briefly introduced in Unit 1is one of the
most known supporters of this philosophy. He did not stop defining what
technology is but has dealt with its essence. To Heidegger, the real essence of
technology lies in enframing, the gathering of the setting upon which challenges
man to bring the unconcealed to unconcealment and this is a continuous
revealing. The next section will further discuss the view of Heidegger that
technology is a way of revealing.

MARTIN HEIDEGGER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Martin Heidegger (1889-1996), a well-known German philosopher, examined the two

usual definitions of technology; means to an end and a human activity, because he
believed that this kind of confusing and there are question to it that we easily overlook.
These two definitions cannot be separated from each other. He called it the
instrumental and anthropological definition of technology or simply means by which the
human ends are realized. To Heidegger, this may not be a false definition but it is a
misleading one because this limits our thinking.

THE INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION OF TECHNOLOGY

 According to Heidegger, the instrumental definition of technology encourages us

to view technology from different periods of time as not having fundamental
differences. But he claimed that this does not show the true essence of
technology. He explained that while technology is geared towards meeting a
human need, still there is a difference between older handicraft technologies
with modern technology. As it is, "a saw mill on a secluded valley of the Black
Forest is a primitive means compared with the hydroelectric plant on the Rhine
River” (Heidegger,1977,p.I). Heidegger also argued that “technology is by no
means technological" and should not be seen as merely neutral. The problem
begins when humans see it only as a means to an end and disregard the fact
that there is a good technology and a bad technology
 Another problem Heidegger saw in the instrumental definition of technology is
that it only invites man to a continual desire to master it which unconsciously
may be making technology go out of hand. Heidegger said," Everything
depends on our manipulating technology in the proper manner as a means.
We will, as we say, 'get' technology
 'spiritually in hand'. We will master it. The will to mastery becomes the more
urgent the more technology threatens to slip from human control." (Heidegger,
1977,p.I) with this, the argued that the problem does not fall on making
technology better but on how man sets upon technology, his thoughts that
makes him blind to the real essence of technology.
 For Heidegger, this correct definition of technology is insufficient as it does not
bring out its real essence. He said, "In order that we may arrive at this, or at least
come close to it, we must seek the true by way of the correct. We must ask: what
is the instrumental itself? Within what do such things as means and end belong?
(1977,p.2) In answering these question, Heidegger arrived at a discussion of
causality which to him in reality initially involves four ways that leads for
something to exist or to be "caused".

ARISTOTLE’S FOUR CAUSES

Heidegger further studied Aristotle's Four causes and illustrated it using a silverchalice
which he said owes its make up from the four causes.

1. Causa materialis or the material cause

 The material by which the silver chalice was made of silver.
2. Causa Formalis or the formal cause
 The form of the shape that gave the silver chalice its image.
3. Causa Finalis or the final cause
 The purpose or the primary use by which the silver chalice was made
for to be used during the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine that
represent the blood of Christ
4. Causa Efficient or the Efficient Cause

The agent that has caused for the silver chalice to come about: the silversmith.

HEIDEGGER’S TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF

REVEALING

Heidegger believed that the genuine substance or the real essence of technology is
found in enframing. This is the continuous bringing forth into unconcealment that which
is concealed. This is a non-stop revealing. Heidegger saw technology as a way of
revealing and continues to demand for something to be bought out into the open. This
bringing forth into the open is a two- way relationship: the concealed is calling out for
someone to set upon it and bring it to unconcealment and the one who receives the call
sets upon and acts upon to unconceal the concealed.

To further illustrate this, he gave some examples through contrasting ancient and
modern technology. First he talked about the ancient windmill which only relies on the
wind blowing and does not store energy which can be for immediate use and can also
be stored up for future use. Second, was about the peasant planting seeds who only
waits for the bringing forth of the planted seed because there is no challenge set upon
soil. Modern technology of cultivation on the other hand, challenged the field that has
caused for agriculture to be revolutionized. Now,
food is not only produced for immediate use but can be stored as well for future use and
could cater more population. Third, is about the wooden bridge is built to join river for
banks for hundreds of years without challenges being set upon the river. While on the
other hand, the hydroelectric plant that was set on Rhine River dammed the river into the
hydroelectric plant so that electrical energy can be stored and distributed

THE MODE OF REVEALING IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Heidegger explained that technology as a mode of revealing does not stop and
continues to be seen in modern technology but not in the bringing-forth sense. This is
a nonstop revealing.
Modern technology is revealed by challenging nature, instead of bringing forth, it is
setting upon challenges or demands on nature in order to:

 Unlock and expose. It carries the idea that nature wills not reveal it
unless challenge is set upon it. This is true with the hydroelectric
plant set upon the Rhine River which unlocked the electricity
concealed in it.
 Stock piles for future use. As technology is a means to an end, it aims to
meet future demands; the electricity produced by the hydroelectric plant
set upon the Rhine River is being stored for future use in the community.
Modern technologies are now able to get more from nature by
challenging
it. As Heidegger (1997) said, "Such challenging happens in that energy
concealed in nature in unblocked is transformed, what is transformed is
stored up, what is stored up is distributed , and what is distributed is
switched about ever a new"

THE ESSENCE OF TECHNOLOGY

 The continuous revealing takes place as man allows himself to be an agent in the
setting upon of challenges to nature but Heidegger(1977) argues that this is not
more human doing. Man is able to set upon which was already unconcealed
as he responds to the call of unconcealment but "when man, investigating,
observing , pursues nature as an area of his own conceiving, he has already
been claimed by a way of revealing that challenges him to approach nature as an
object of research, until even the object disappears into the objectlessness of
standing-reserve.
 This gathering of the setting-upon which challenges man to bring the
unconcealed to unconcealment is called enframing with which according to
Heidegger, also shows the essence of modern technology. Enframing is basically
putting in order whatever is presented to the man who sets upon the
unconcealed but it is a two-way relationship: man cannot set himself upon
unconcealment without unconcealment's call and the unconcealed will not going
to unconcealment without the man responding to its call. This makes modern
technology not a mere human doing and with this Heidegger argued that the
 essence of technology lies in enframing.

THE DANGER OF THE NONSTOP REVEALING

  As said earlier, the mode of revealing does not stop in modern technology. It
continually calls man to respond to what is presented to him or to the demand for
a better and efficient means to an end. With this comes the continuous
challenging forth for the unconcealed to be unconcealed even more. Here lies
the danger that Heidegger talked about.
 Revealing opens up a relationship between man and the word but an opening up
of something means a closing down of something which means as something is
revealed, another is concealed. An example given by Heidegger on this "the rise
of a cause-effect understanding of reality closes" off an understanding of God as
something mysterious and holy: God is reduced to 'the god of the
philosophers"(Cerbone,2008).

THE SOCIETY IN THE FACE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

When one looks around him now, he will see that man tends to find his
happiness in the works of modern technology. Smart phones, tablets, laptops that come
in different shapes and sizes with distinct features seem to be the measure of man's
value. Social media has also affected the life on many. Face to face social interactions
are being lessened and people keep working hard to update their gadgets. There
seems to be no contentment as every time a new product is released, man finds
another need that can only be answered by a new product. These new products also
tend to replace man in the society as the demand for manual labor is becoming less
and less because of the availability of machineries

The human condition is not of without hope. Heidegger argued that this can be
prevented if man will not allow himself to be overwhelmed with the enframing that he
was set upon, but he pause for a while and reflect on the value of what is presented
before him. A balance has to be struck between technology being instrumental and
anthropological. One has to understand that technology does not only concern the
means but also the end as one proverb goes, "The end does not justify the means" For
Heidegger, the solution for this is that man would not be controlling and manipulative of
what he was set upon but to also allow nature to reveal itself to him. With this, according
to Heidegger , man will have free relationship with technology.

References

 https://www.academia.edu/41160955/
THE_HUMAN_PERSON_FLOURISHING_IN_TERMS_OF_SCIENCE
 Jaivy Marie Dy December 2, 2019
 https://prezi.com/p/xbd-d0uu9dcz/the-human-person-flourishing-in-terms-of-
science-and-technology/
 Irish Nicole Roura
 Updated Jan. 24, 2019
 https://www.slideshare.net/annaestardo/bspsts-pt4
anna estardo Aug 9, 2018

Introduction to Good life

The Good life

Watch Video: What is "the good life"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=vSjghuddlQk

In Ancient Greece, the need to understand the world and reality was bound with the
need to understand the self and the good life.

For Plato

The task of understanding the things in the world runs parallel with the job of truly
getting into what will make the soul flourish. In an attempt to understand reality and the
external world, man must seek to understand himself.

For Aristotle

 There is a definitive distinction between the theoretical and practical sciences.

 Theoretical disciplines include logic, biology, physics, metaphysics, etc.
 Practical disciplines include ethics and politics.
 He stated that the “truth” is the aim of the theoretical sciences and the “good” is
the end goal of the practical ones.
 Every attempt to know is connected in some way in an attempt to

find the “good”. Aristotle and How We All Aspire for a Good Life

Plato

 He thought that things in this world are not real and are only copies of the real
in the world of forms.
 For him, change is so perplexing that it can only make sense if there are two
realities:
o World of Matter – things are changing and impermanent
o World of Forms – entities are only copies of the ideal and the models
 He recognized change as a process and as a phenomenon that happens in
the world and is constant.
 He also claims that despite the reality of change, thing remain and they retain
their ultimate “whatness”.
  He was convinced that reality is full of seemingly contrasting manifestations
of change and permanence.

Aristotle

 He is the first thinker who dabbed into the complex problematizing of the end
goal of life: happiness.
 He puts everything back to the ground in claiming that this world is all there is to
it and that this world is the only reality we can all access.
 He believes that change is a process that is inherent in things.
 He claims that happiness is the be all and end all of

everything that we do. Happiness = Human Flourishing

 A kind of contentment in knowing that one is getting the best out of life.
 A kind of feeling that one has maxed out his potential in the world, that he has
attained the crux of his humanity

Happiness as the Goal of a

Good Life According to John

Stuart Mill

 In the 18th century, Mill declared the Greatest Happiness principle by saying
that an action is right as far as it maximizes the attainment of happiness for the
greater number of people.
 Individual happiness of each individual should be prioritized and collectively
dictates the kind of action that should be endorsed.

Materialism

 Atomist in Ancient Greece were the first materialists.

 Democritus and Leucippus led a school whose primary belief is that the world is
made up of and is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the world called
atomos or seeds.
 In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes us attain

happiness. Hedonism

 This school of thought led by Epicurus see the end goal in life in acquiring
pleasure.
 Life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure because life is limited.
 Their mantra is “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
 They do not believe in the notion of

afterlife. Stoicism
 Also led by Epicurus, it espoused the idea that to generate happiness, one
must learn to distance himself and be apathetic.
 For them, happiness can only be attained by a careful practice of apathy.
  They adopt the fact that some things are not within

their control. Theism

 They use God as a fulcrum of their existence.

 The ultimate basis of happiness for them is the communion with God.
 The world where we are in is only just a temporary reality where we have to
maneuver around while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God.

Humanism

 They espouse the freedom of man to carve his own destiny and to legislate his
own laws, free from the shackles of a God that monitors and controls.
 For them, man is literally the captain of his own ship.
 This is the spirit of most scientists who thought that the world is a place and a
space for freely unearthing the world for seeking ways on how to improve the
lives of its inhabitants.

Summary

 Throughout history, man has worked hard in pointing out what amounts to a good,
happy life.
 At present, we see multitudes of schools of thought that all promise their key to
finding happiness.
 Science and technology has been at the forefront of man’s attempt at finding
happiness.
 The only question at the end of the day is whether science is taking the right
path toward attaining what it really means to live a good life.

References

Serafica, J., Pawilen, G., Caslib, B., & Alata, E. (2018). Science, Technology, and
Society. Quezon City: Rex Printing Company.

Assessment:

Reflections Paper: 1. In your own opinion, what constitutes a good life?

2. How is the progress in science and technology a movement towards

the good life? https://www.slideshare.net/liwaycruz/the-good-life-

170252540

Published on Sep 9, 2019 Prof Liwayway

Memije-Cruz When technology and

humanity cross

Introduction

Our world is entering a period of truly transformative change and many of us will be
surprised by the scale and pace of developments we simply hadn’t anticipated.
Tremendous potential lies in these
exponential technological advances, yet with these new opportunities also come
tremendous new responsibilities. An avalanche of technological changes will reshape
the very essence of humanity and touch every aspect of life of our planet. (Gerd
Leonhard, July 2016)

Watch Video: The future of technology and Humanity: a provocative film by Futurist
Speaker Gerd Leonhard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uo1FlcQENk

https://www.techvshuman.com/read-preview/

https://www.slideshare.net/annaestardo/bspsts-pt6

Why the future doesn’t need us?

https://prezi.com/7hyrj4_lkaxh/why-the-future-doesnt-

need-us/