SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,

AND SOCIETY

The course deals with

interactions between science
r
and technology and social,
cultural, political, and
economic contexts that
shape and are shaped by
them. (CMO No. 20, series
of 2013)
Technological progress?
 1. DEFINE SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIET

 SCIENCE- concerted human effort to understand, or to understand

better, the history of the natural world and how the natural world
works, with observable physical evidence as the basis of that
understanding.
 Technology- is the application of scientific knowledge for practical
purposes. (Oxford Reference)
 Society- is a grouping of individuals, which is characterized by
common interest and may have distinctive culture and institutions. A
"society" may refer to a particular ethnic group (New World Encyclopedia)
Social: relating to society or its organization.
Social organisms, including humans,
live collectively in interacting populations (Dictionary)
Cultural: relating to the ideas, customs,
and social behavior of a society. ( Dictionary)
Political: relating to the government or
the public affairs of a country. (Wikipedia)
Economic: Economics is a social science concerned
with the production, distribution,
and consumption of goods and services.
(www.investopedia.com)
2. HOW IS SCIENCE USED IN TECHNOLOGY? Science
contributes to technology in at least 6 ways:

 new knowledge which serves as a direct source of ideas for new

technological possibilities;
 for more efficient engineering desource of tools and techniques sign
and a knowledge base for evaluation of feasibility of designs;
 research instrumentation, laboratory techniques and analytical
methods used in research that eventually find their way into design
or industrial practices, often through intermediate disciplines.
By; Harvey Brooks
of John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA
2. HOW IS SCIENCE USED IN
TECHNOLOGY?
Con….
 practice of research as a source for development and assimilation
of new human skills and capabilities eventually useful for
technology;
 creation of a knowledge base that becomes increasingly important
in the assessment of technology in terms of its wider social and
environmental impacts;
 knowledge base that enables more efficient strategies of applied
research, development, and refinement of new technologies

By; Harvey Brooks

of John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA
5. THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY in
Society
 alter the way people live, connect, communicate and transact, with profound effects on
economic development.
 key drivers to development, because technological and scientific revolutions underpin
economic advances, improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure.
 The technological revolutions of the 21st century are emerging from entirely new
sectors, based on micro-processors, tele-communications, bio-technology and nano-
technology.
 power to better the lives of poor people in developing countries
 differentiators between countries that are able to tackle poverty effectively by growing
and developing their economies
 engine of growth
 interventions for cognitive enhancement, proton cancer therapy and genetic
engineering