MODULE I (Part 1)

GENERAL CONCEPTS AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Lesson 1 lntroduction to Science, Technology, and Society

INTRODUCTION

This module introduces students to the study of Science, Technology, and Society
(STS) beginning with general concepts and its historical development. lt also covers the
impact of science and technology and their interactions of science and technology and their
interactions within various social contexts, with emphasis on the role of science and
technology in Philippine nation building.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading the module, you should be able to:
1. Discuss the interactions between Science and Technology and society throughout history;
2. Discuss how scientific and technological developments affect society and the environment;
and
3. ldentify the paradigm shifts in history

DIRECTIONS/MODULE ORGANIZER

Welcome to the world of children! Read thoroughly the module I (Lesson 1) in the four
different lessons. Assess the extent of knowledge, values, and skills you have acquired from
the module by performing the activities designed for the purpose.

Science comes from the Latin word scientia, meaning'knowledge.' lt 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 [aws. 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, [aws, and principtes
to produce services, materials, tools and machines aimed at solving real-world problems. lt
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 technotogical tool is, and the CEO of Facebook responded:
"What defines o 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 ond
makes it better."
 Wolpert (2005) made an interesting comparison between science and technology that
is helpful in the study of their interaction with society. ln his landmark paper, The Medawar
Lectur 1998: ls Science Dangerous? Wolpert explained that retiable knowledge has no moral
or ethical value. lt is meant simply to explain how nature and the universe work and that the
obligation of scientists, besides studying the nature of the universe, is to explain the possible
uses and applications of such scientific knowtedge. Along this line, Wolpert made it clear that
science is not the same as technology. The scientist is not responsible for the application of
knowledge in technology. He further exptained that the very nature of science is that it is not
possible to predict scientific discoveries and how these discoveries may be applied. While
scientists are responsible for the reliable conduct of the scientific inquiry and its honest
interpretation and dissemination, technological applications of science are influenced by other
sectors such as politics and governance, religion, and business. With this distinction, one can
surmise the need for the study of the various ways in which science and technology act and
are enacted in society. This is a particutarty timely and relevant concern because of the
advancements in science and technology today.
Nowadays, advancements in science and technology have become pervasive. They
are manifested in the activities that humans pursue and the tools they use every day. The
beauty of this is that pursue and the tools they use every day. The beauty of this is that
advancement builds upon Itseif . As such, humans today live more productive and more
exciting lives than their predecessors. With the way, things go it, could be expected that this
generation,s children and the children of their children have the chance to lead even better
lives than this generation atready does'
However,the dynamism and immensity of scientific and technological progress also
pose challenges and drawbacks to the way humans live' The introduction of machine
tremendously cut the need for the human work force and gave rise to questions about
whether machines will eventually replace humans. The invention of drugs that cured the
previously incurable diseses introduced new strains of bacteria and viruses that are resistant
to the very same drugs that once fought them - take an antibiotic resistant strain of gonorrhea
as an example' The rise of social media drastically changed the way humans communicate,
interact' and share information; however, this fends to put people's. privacy at risk'- lndeed'.
Science and technology have served a predominantly doubte-edged function' This is
succinctly captured in a famous tine of poputar American scientist' Carl Sagan, quoted in Tom
Head's (2006) book:
"We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have
cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understand science and technology' That's a
clear Prescription for disaster, "
As problems in science and technology continue to rise and become more observable, the
need to pay attention to their interactions with various aspects of life, e.g.,-social, political, and
economic' becomes ever more necessary. How the different aspects of society shape.and
influence the progression and further development of science and technology is the area
concern relatively new academic discipline called Science, Technology, and Society.
 Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is a relatively young field that combines
previously independent and older disciplines' such as the history of science, philosophy of
science, and sociology of science. As an academic field, STS according to Harvard
University's Kennedy Schoot. (2018), traces its roots from the interwar period and the start of
the Cold War. lt was during, this period when historians and scientists found interest in the
interconnections of scientific knowledge, technotogical systems, and society. The rise of STS
as an academic field resulted from the recognition that many schools today, do not really
prepare students to respond criticatty, reftectivety, and proactively to the challenges posed by
science and technology in the contemporary world.
ln general, STS applies methods drawn from history, philosophy, and sociology in the
study the nature of science and technology and ultimately judge their value and place in
society. As an interdisciplinary field, the emergence of STS was a result of questions about
science and technology's dynamic interaction with various aspects of society and was thus
viewed as a socialty embedded enterprise. Thus, as the Kennedy Schoot effectively
encapsulates, STS seeks to bridge the gap between two traditionally exclusive - humanities
(interpretative) and natural sciences (rational) - so that humans will be able to better confront
the moral, ethical, and existential dilemmas brought by the continued developments in
science and technotogy.
The John J. Retty Center for Science, Technology, and Values of the University of
Notre Dame is responsible for tlsting the ten emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in
science and technology every year. Below is the list for 2018.

1. Helix - a digita 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 as 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 plans to adopt)
7. Google Clips - a hands-free camera that let 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 digita 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.
 Even though several items in the list sound unfamiliar to many, it can be a useful
springboard in the study of science and technology' The list points to the ever'growing
challenges, questions, and issues that need to be addressed and resolved when science and
technology and humanity intertwine. However, methods of critiquing these emerging ethical
dilemmas may come from similar methods used in previous critiques. of science and
technology issues. For exampte, one can use methods used in critiquing the rise of clinical
trials of gene therapy in the 1990s. Today's approaclh in critiquing emerging science and
technotogy issues, such.as the ones listed above, may be inftuenced by how scientists and
non-scientists evaluated the positive and negative implications of clinical trials of gene
therapy in the 1990s. For this purpose, one can continue to specifically draw from the tenets
of history, philosophy, and sociology in making informed and critical judgments of the ethical
and moral values of these innovations in science and technology.

LEARNING IN ADVANCE
Be and Eager Learner

FOR THE NEXT LESSON RESEARCH ON THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY