SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY and SOCIETY

- The study of how social , political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological
innovation and these in turn affect society , politics and culture

-refers to the endless cycle of co-dependence, co-influence, co- production of technology and society
upon the other.

MAN’s ACHIEVEMENTS in S and T 2 Elements

1. Discovery - the recognition and careful observation of new natural objects and phenomena

2. Invention – is a mental process wherein man’s various discoveries and observation , combined and
guided by experience , lead man to make some other new ways (operations) and means (tools) of
obtaining things useful or profitable

What is SCIENCE?

- knowledge acquired by careful observation, by deduction ( logic reasons to form a conclusion ) of the
laws which govern changes and condition and by testing theses deduction by experimentation

- the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through
observation and experimentation

Scientific Method

- is a series of processes that people can use to gather knowledge about the world around them,
improve that knowledge, and, through gaining knowledge, attempt to explain why and/or how things
occur.

Steps in Scientific Method

 Identifying the problem;

 Gather and study information about the problem;
 Formulate hypothesis;
 Test the hypothesis;
 Make the conclusion; and
 Verify the conclusion

BRANCHES OF SCIENCE:

1. Natural Science -seeks to understand the natural world and different processes

a) Physical Science (Chemistry, Physics, Earth… )

b) Biological Science (Zoology, Botany, Anatomy…)

2. Social Science– study of people, culture, societies ( Economics , Geography , History , …)

TECHNOLOGY - the use of science in industry , engineering . . .etc to invent useful things or to solve
problems

- entities both material and immaterial , created by the application of mental and physical effort in
order to achieve some value.

The term technology is mostly used in three different contexts:

1. when referring to a tool;

2. a technique
3. Cultural force

SOCIETY - is a group of individuals involved in persistent social inter action, or a large social group
sharing the same social territory.

Science and Technology in Society: Historical Perspective

 Stone Age
 Copper and Bronze Age
 Iron Age
 Ancient Civilization
 Medieval and Modern Technology
 Renaissance
 Industrial Revolution
 Nineteenth Century
 Twentieth Century
 Twenty First Century

Stone Age -The Stone Age marks a period of prehistory in which humans used primitive stone tools.
Lasting roughly 2.5 million years, the Stone Age ended around 5,000 years ago

-It is typically broken into three distinct periods: the Paleolithic Period, Mesolithic Period and Neolithic
Period.

 The Paleolithic was an age of purely hunting and gathering.

 The Mesolithic period the development of agriculture contributed to the rise of permanent
settlements.
 The later Neolithic period is distinguished by the domestication of plants and animals.
 All humans were hunter-gatherers
 1st major technologies were tied to survival, hunting and food preparation.
 Technological development during this period
1. Fire 3. weapons
2. Stone 4. Clothing
Copper and Bronze Age

 The Bronze Age spanned from 3,300 to 1,200 BCE and is characterized by the use of copper and
its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacturing of implements and weapons.
This period ended with further advancements in metallurgy , such as the ability to smelt iron
ore.
 Ancient Sumerians in the Middle East may have been the first people to enter the Bronze Age.
Humans made many technological advances during the Bronze Age, including the first writing
systems and the invention of the wheel. In the Middle East and parts of Asia, the Bronze Age
lasted from roughly 3300 to 1200 B.C., ending abruptly with the near-simultaneous collapse of
several prominent Bronze Age civilizations.

Iron Age

 The Iron Age was a period in human history that started between 1200 B.C. and 600 B.C.,
depending on the region, and followed the Stone Age and Bronze Age. During the Iron Age,
people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from
iron and steel. For some societies, including Ancient Greece, the start of the Iron Age was
accompanied by a period of cultural decline
 Involved the adaptation of iron smelting technology
 Generally replaced bronze and made it possible to produce tools which where stronger and
cheaper to make than equivalent.
 The Iron age was the last major step before the development of written language.

Ancient Civilization

 Ancient history as a term refers to the aggregate of past events from the beginning of writing
and recorded human history and extending as far as the post-classical history

The 10 Oldest Ancient Civilizations That Have Ever Existed

1. The Mesopotamian Civilization

Civilization Name: Mesopotamian civilization

Period: 3500 BC–500 BC

Original Location: Northeast by the Zagros mountains, southeast by the Arabian plateau

Current Location: Iraq, Syria, and Turkey

Meaning: Land between rivers (ancient Greek)

Major Highlights: First civilization in the world

2. The Indus Valley Civilization

Civilization Name: Indus Valley civilization

Period: 3300 BC–1900 BC

Original Location: Around the basin of the Indus river

Current Location: Northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India

Major Highlights: One of the most widespread civilizations, covering 1.25 million km

3. The Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Civilization Name: Egyptian civilization

Period: 3150 BC–30 BC

Original Location: Banks of the Nile

Current Location: Egypt

Major Highlights: Construction of pyramids

4. The Maya Civilization

Civilization Name: Maya civilization

Period: 2600 BC–900 AD

Original Location: Around present-day Yucatan

Current Location: Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and south
through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras

Major Highlights: Complex understanding of astronomy

5. The Chinese Civilization

Civilization Name: Chinese civilization

Period: 1600 BC–1046 BC

Original Location: Yellow River and Yangtze region

Current Location: Country of China

Major Highlights: Invention of paper and silk

6. The Ancient Greek Civilization

Civilization Name: Greek civilization

Period: 2700 BC–479 BC

Original Location: Italy, Sicily, North Africa, and as far west as France

Current Location: Greece

Major Highlights: Concepts of democracy and the Senate, the Olympics

7. The Persian Civilization

Civilization Name: Persian civilization

Period: 550 BC–331 BC

Original Location: Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through Mesopotamia to the Indus river
in the east

Current Location: Modern-day Iran

Major Highlights: Royal road

8. The Roman Civilization

Civilization Name: Roman civilization

Period: 550 BC–465 AD

Original Location: Village of the Latini

Current Location: Rome

Major Highlights: Most powerful ancient civilization

9. The Aztec Civilization

Civilization Name: Aztec civilization

Period: 1345 AD–1521 AD

Original Location: Southcentral region of pre-Columbian Mexico

Current Location: Mexico

Major Highlights: Nahuatl became the major language

10.The Incan Civilization

Civilization Name: Incan civilization

Period: 1438 AD–1532 AD

Original Location: Present-day Peru

Current Location: Ecuador, Peru, and Chile

Major Highlights: Largest empire in South America in the pre-Columbian era

Medieval Age -Birth of an idea, the rise of Islam

Renaissance -Is a French word which means rebirth.

-Refers to a period in European civilization that was marked by a revival of classical

learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation

- Age of exploration

Industrial Revolution - Characterized by the developments in the areas of textile manufacturing,

metallurgy and transport driven by the development of the steam engine

Nineteenth Century - saw the birth of science as a profession

- Rapid development of chemical, electrical, petroleum and steel technologies

connected with highly structured technology research.

Twentieth Century -one of the prominent traits of the 20th century was the dramatic growth of
technology.

Ten Amazing invention from ancient times

1. The ancient invention of the steam engine by the Hero of Alexandria

2. The Assyrian Nimrud lens

3. The oldest Calendar in Scotland

4. Ancient Roman Concrete

5. 2000 year old metal coating

6. The incredible 2000 year old earthquake detector.

7.Mythical sunstone used as ancient navigational device

8 . The baghdad battery

9. 1600 year old goblett shows that the Romans used nano technology

10. The ancient Antikythera mechanism

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Brief Historical Background

-The history of science and technology in the Philippines started way back before the country gained its
independence from the American Colonization

I. The Early inhabitants of the archipelago had their own culture and traditions.

Own belief system and indigenous knowledge

Keeps them organized and sustained their lives and communities for many years

II. PRE-SPANISH ERA ( 5000 – 1 521BC )

- MEDICINAL and THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES PLANTS and METHODS of EXTRACTING

- ALPHABET

- WEIGHING MEASUREMENT

- CALENDAR

- FARMING, FISHING

- SHIP BUILDING

II. SPANISH COLONIAL ERA (1521 – 1891 )

- FORMAL EDUCATION

- PARISH SCHOOL (religion , reading, writing , arithmetic , and music )

- MODERN AGRICULTURE

- STUDY OF MEDICINE

- BUILDING CHURCHES , ROADS ,BRIDGES , and PORTS

III.American Period

More influence in the Development of Science and Technology

Public Education System

Improved engineering works and health of the people

Mineral resources where exposed and exploited

IV. World war II

The country had a difficult time to rebuild itself from ruins of the war
V. New Republic

Focusing on using its limited resources in improving Science and Technology

Use of overseas development allocation to improve scientific productivity and technological capability

Human resource Development

FILIPINO SCIENTIST WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. ANGEL ALACALA - the National Scientist noted for his work in marine and aquatic biology.

- He was recognized on amphibians and reptiles diversity and marine biodiversity in the
country.

- He is behind the invention of artificial coral reefs to be used for fisheries in Southeast Asia

2. GAVINO TRONO - National Scientist of the Philippines for the contribution to the study of topical
marine phycology ( scientific study of algae)

3.EDUARDO QUISUMBING – a botanist who graduated MS in Botany at UP and PhD in Plant Taxonomy
Systematic and Morphology

4.DIOSCORRO L. UMALI – an agriculturist that was dubbed as the Father of Philippine Plant due to the
program he conducted.

Terms:

Taxonomy

– system of describing the way in which different living things are related by putting them in groups

Morphology – the study of the form and structure of animals and plants or any of its parts

LESSON 2

Technology: The Backbone of Progress

Technology: In the narrow sense, tools: its broader sense includes the knowledge, skills, and procedures
that people use to make and use those tools.

 the science of the application of knowledge to practical purposes

 applied science
 technical method of achieving a practical purpose

Technology = Tools + People

Tools represent the material part of technology. Low tech (baskets, pottery) vs. high tech (sensors,
cyborgs)

People represent the non-material part of technology. The part that includes values, ideologies,
attitudes, norms & beliefs --in short, society.
SCIENCE vs TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE concerns itself with knowing WHY

TECHNOLOGY concerns itself with knowing HOW

Kenneth Benne & Max Birnbaum (1978) -clarify the different aims of scientific & technological activities:

The Aim of the Scientist

 To produce tested knowledge

 Operate within the domain of knowledge

The Aim of the Technologist or Engineer

 Transform knowledge into techniques and artifacts for which there is human demand
 Operate within the domain of practice

And what is the relationship between them?

To some extent, public perception accurately reflects a situation in which there is a dynamic, robust &
useful interaction between science and technology

DISCOVERY

 Discovery is the act of detecting something new, or something "old" that had been unknown.
 It is the process of learning something that was not known before, or of finding someone or
something that was missing or hidden.

GROWTH LEAD BY DISCOVERY

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

1900: The milky way galaxy is the known universe. Newton's law explain the physical world. Matter is
composed of atoms.

Today: the milky way is just one galaxy among countless millions we have observed in the universe.
Atoms are made up of many subatomic particles.

INVENTION -A new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is
recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical
skill or craftsmanship.

GROWTH LEAD BY INVENTION

BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER

1900: The only way to view the Olympic games in Paris is in person. News about the games travel to
America via telegraph and is printed in newspaper.

Today: Millions worldwide will watch the Olympics on television, transmitted instantaneously by
satellite. The news will spread as well as by radio, newspaper and the world wide web.
DISCOVERY vs INVENTION

 Discoveries apply to those that have been long existent, while inventions, to those that have
never existed in the past.
 Discovery is made by providing observational evidence and attempts to develop an initial, rough
understanding of some phenomenon.
 To invent is to plan and produce something to meet a specific purpose.
 Invention does not necessarily involve exploration, whereas discovery necessarily involves
exploration.
 Invention is something you create by experimentation, whereas discovery is finding out
something that already existed but not known.
 Invention is a process whereas discovery is not a process.
 Invention has nothing to do with nature, where as discovery has everything to do with nature.
 Invention is scientific, whereas discovery is natural.
 A discovery pertains to natural occurrences while an invention, to man-made artifacts, tools,
processes etc.
 Invention is done for upgrading technology while discovery doesn’t have any one particular
purpose.
 The result of an invention is an artifact and the result of a discovery is a theory.
 Invention is synonymous with creation; Discovery is synonymous with a famous find.
 Discoveries are much more respected by the scientific community than inventions.
 The Nobel Prize is the most esteemed scientific acknowledgement and its selection procedure
depends heavily on the science community.
 The number of invention prizes and discovery prizes by decade on average, 77 per cent of all
Nobel Prizes in Physics were given to discoveries and 23 per cent to inventions.

EXAMPLES OF INVENTION

 Bulb
 Telephone
 Wheel
 Computer

EXAMPLES OF DISCOVERY

 The concept of black holes in outer space.

 Einstein introduces the general theory of relativity.
 Apollo astronaut land on the moon.
 Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines

TECHNOLOGY: BOON OR BANE

A. 10 Advantages of Technology
1. ENCOURAGES INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY
2. EASY ACCESS TO INFORMATION
3. IMPROVED COMMUNICATION
4. IMPROVED COMMUNICATION
 5. IMPROVED HOUSING AND LIFESTYLE
6. IMPROVED ENTERTAINMENT
7. EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY
8. CONVENIENCE IN EDUCATION
9. SOCIAL NETWORKING
10. CHANGED THE HEALTH INDUSTRY
B. 10 Disadvantages of Technology
1. INCREASED LONELINESS - Social Isolation is on the increase, people are spending more time
playing video games, learning how to use new modern technologies, using social networks
and they neglect their real life.
2. JOB LOSS- Modern technology has replaced many humans; robots are doing of the jobs
which used to be done by humans
3. REDUCE COMPETENCY- Increased dependency on modern tools like calculators has reduced
on our creativity.
4. WORLD DESTRUCTION WEAPONS- Modern technology has been the main aid in the
increasing and endless wars.
5. LESS VALUE IN HUMAN WORKERS- At the same time, human workers retain less value,
which is a disadvantage of technological advances.
6. DEPENDENCY- The more advanced society becomes technologically, the more people begin
to depend on computers and other forms of technology for everyday existence
7. CYBER BULLYING- Bullies use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target
another person.
8. CYBER SEX- It develops a measure of experiences of sexual harassment on the Internet. The
harassers use the Internet as a way to connect with acquaintances from off-line social
interactions ( or complete strangers, to perpetrate their victims through gender
harassment , and the exhibition of unwanted sexual attention
9. TECHNOLOGY MAKES LIFE LAZY- Because of technology you do not want to get out and do
something, but something comes over you.
10. TECHNOLOGY MAKES LIFE MORE COMPLEX- Machines do not have any emotions or moral
values. They perform what is programmed and cannot make the judgment of right or wrong.

LESSON 3
The Impact of Science and Technology to Society

SOCIETY -From a Latin root meaning “companion”

-An extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

-The whole web of living relationships among people, their culture, and their environment