General Education Subject: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Chapter 4 - Technology as Way of Revealing
❑ Comparing the lives of the people before and
now will make anyone realize the CHANGES
happened in society in terms of culture,
language, or rights
❑ ALSO, change happened in people’s way of life
due to the existence of science and technology
❑ It is a challenge for people in the field of science
and technology to make these technology more
accessible and less confusing for people who
are not as young anymore
❑ In addition people live easier with technology,
develop the skills of people and makes the
people enjoy to see what feature of technology
may cause to the lives of people.
TECHNOLOGY AS WAY OF ‘REVEALING’
❑ Reality is 'revealed' in a particular way by
entering into a certain relation with it.
❑ This is where technology enters the picture, as it
is the mode of revelation that best represents
our age.
❑ Technology represents a particular kind of
world-revealing in which people exert control
over reality.
HUMAN CONDITION BEFORE SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
❑ Homo erectus have been using fire to cook,
chipping to produce a spark, and without
realizing the laws of friction and heat
❑ People discover minerals and began forging
metal work just like their jewelries considered
to be a luxury for them such as bones of animals
they hunt
❑ Different tribes, different Gods as people who
lived in the past know how to provide their
needs by rituals or ceremonies to their gods
❑ Mayari was the daughter of Bathala,
the supreme creator, to a mortal
woman. Mayari is the goddess of
revolutions, war, hunt, weaponry,
beauty, strength, moon and night. She is
known as the most beautiful deity in Bathala's
court.
❑ Tala is the goddess of the evening and morning
stars.
❑ Anitun the goddess of wind and rain.
❑ Bathala was said to be the creator of all things
- the sky, the earth and all the vegetation around
us
❑ Aman Sinaya the ancient Philippine goddess of
the sea.
❑ Aswang evil God and rival,
❑ Apo Laki God of the Sun and War
COMMON ERA
❑ Humans were content of their relationship with
nature
❑ Earliest case of man-made extinction occurred
over 12,000 years ago, possibly brought upon by
hunting and territorial disputes.
❑ The Holocene Extinction is an ongoing
extinction and is a result of human activity
❑ The ongoing extinction of the Earth's flora and
fauna due to human activities is termed as
holocene extinction. This is the sixth mass
extinction since the existence of Earth in 450
million years.
❑ Growing population, overhunting and
overfishing are endemic therefore it can cause
extinction of resources.
❑ They began to hunt, farm and produce with
prospect of profit
❑ Technology has been instrumental in all of
these because in searching for the good life,
people were able to come up with creations
that would make life easier, more comfortable
and more enriching
❑ Advancements in medicine, technology, health
and education ushered in humanity’s best yet,
and show no sign of stopping
General Education Subject: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
NOTABLE COMPARISONS IN THE USAGE OF
TECHNOLOGY OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT ERAS
1. Mortality rate – medical care for premature
infants allows them to survive and develop
normally, while proper maternal care ensures
that mothers can fully cover remain empowered
2. Average lifespan – science is able to prolong
lives by enhancing living status and discovering
different remedies to most diseases.
3. Literacy rate – access to education provided to
more individuals generally creates a more
informed public that could determine a more
just society
4. Gross Domestic Product – determine the value
of the country’s goods and services produced
within the territory given a certain time period
TECHNOLOGY
Technology can be defined as the advancement of
scientific knowledge to solve simple to complex
problems or the manner in which a task is finished using
different technical processes.
ESSENCE OF TECHNOLOGY
❑ Humanity has indeed come a long way from our
primitive ways and has a general rule, we are
more “develop” than we were before.
❑ We see ways and means from nature to utilize
and achieve growth a goal that we believe
would bring forth betterment
❑ Martin Heidegger a philosopher argued that the
essence of technology, or purpose, and being
are different from each other.
❑ To achieve man’s end and second which
constitutes human activity
❑ Man acclaimed for his works on metaphysics,
phenomenology, and existentialism
❑ Best known for his essay, The Question
Concerning Technology (1954) that criticizes
technology because of its limiting nature that
prevents further understanding of its true
essence
❑ Heidegger sees reality as a result of causes or
means which is parallel to Aristotle's four causes
This is the danger presented by too much reliance on
technology:
Human lose track of things that matter thus, reducing
their surrounding to their economic value
Book Reference:
Casas, John Miller et.al (2020). Science, Technology and
Society. C&E Publishing, Inc.
Chapter 5- The Good Life
DIFFERENT THEORIES ON THE ‘GOOD’ LIFE
1. Hedonistic Theory
One’s “good” is a matter of how he or she feels
regarding the quality of his or her experiences.
It identifies self-interest with happiness that
hedonists define as the presence of pleasure
and absence of pain
2. Preference Theory
A person’s “good” is what one wants most for
himself or herself.
For example, some people prefer material
wealth over prestige, fame or a good
reputation.
3. Objective List Theory
A person’s “good” includes at least some
elements that are independent of personal
preferences and consists of “valuable”
experiences such as meaningful relationships,
friendships, accomplishments, etc.
Antonia Macaro (2018)
❑ Listed some components of a good life based on
the writings of Aristotle
❑ Criteria that constitutes a good life:
a. Success and material comfort
b. Pleasure
c. Relationships
d. Reason and virtues
e. Character and spirituality
General Education Subject: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
A. SUCCESS AND MATERIAL COMFORT
• Success is defined differently by
different people
• The 5P’s of successful life according to
Dr. Ron Jenson’s book Make a Life not
Just a Living (1995) – power, prestige,
pleasure, position and prosperity
• Success is not the ultimate good
because it is still dependent on the
validation of society.
• Aristotle considered that a moderate
quantity of material comfort is also
necessary for one’s well-being
B. PLEASURE
• Pleasure is not the ultimate good, but it is
good in moderation
• Pleasure does not automatically translate
to a good life
• The desire for pleasure is a form of
hedonism in the view which pleasure is the
highest goal. This self-focused pleasure is
not long-term happiness.
• The best kind of pleasure is derived from
being involved in some worthwhile activity.
• A good life is a balance between value and
pleasure
C. RELATIONSHIPS
• Relationships are essential to a good life
• Meaningful pleasant relations with mutual
admiration are necessary in a good life.
• Cultivating good relationships within
different aspects of one’s life (i.e., faith,
family, work and community) contributes to
the quality of one’s life
D. REASON AND VIRTUES
• One of the elements of the ultimate good is
a reason.
• Theoretically, reason is the contemplation of
unchangeable truths.
• Practically, it is the capacity to make
decisions in the sphere of what can be
changed.
• Theoretical and practical reasons are
intellectual virtues that are central parts of
the good life.
• In order to flourish as human beings, the
development of virtues of character
includes learning to act according to reason
E. CHARACTER AND SPIRITUALITY
• An individual’s character is the root of his or
her inner strength (Ron Jenson, 1995)
• King Solomon authored the Book of Ecclesiastes
in which he stated that to fear God and keep His
commandments are fundamental duties of man.
These statements encompass spirituality and
character
• King Solomon urges the cultivation of one’s
character and spirituality, which are essential
elements to a good life.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE A
GOOD LIFE
❑ Science and technology throughout the course
of time have changed the way we live, work,
communicate, and connect with one another.
❑ Their progress can be seen as parallel to how
humans move toward what is perceived as a
good life.
❑ A “good life” is a moral concept, human virtues
must constantly be kept in mind
❑ The ultimate good is the measure of the value
of all human activities and the ultimate value of
life measures how well one has lived up to his
or full potential as human being.
❑ Technological progress as a means to achieve a
good and fulfilled life must necessarily equate
to advancements that are anchored in balance
and human values.
Book Reference:
• Casas, John Miller et.al (2020). Science,
Technology and Society. C&E Publishing, Inc.
• Various online references