STS: Science, Technology and Society

Science, Technology and Society (STS)

The intellectual roots of STS lie in the history,
philosophy, and social study of science and technology,
an arena where often-controversial issues and choices
interface with values and influence public policy. STS
prepares students to understand both the technical and
social dimensions of science and technology, helps
them become more thoughtful and better-informed
citizens of our high-tech society, and develops their
critical interdisciplinary thinking, research, and
communication skills. Students flourish intellectually in
an environment where critical questioning is encouraged
and opportunities for research are abundant.  The STS
program maintains a full slate of guest speakers, often
co-sponsored by other departments, for the benefit of
students and the larger community. 
 On a personal level, STS is…

Interdisciplinary education for life.

Relevant to every field of study.
A great major or double major or “the minor for all
majors”.
A way to improve your writing and communications
skills, problem-solving abilities, and ability to adapt
to changes in science and technology.
Attractive to potential employers.
Needed at all levels, in education, government, the
private sector, and internationally.
 STS is…

Interdisciplinary study of the interaction of

science and technology with society and
culture.
The realization that discoveries and
inventions are shaped by historical forces
and in turn influence values, aspirations,
events, and institutions, thus shaping the
course of history.
S and T in social and cultural context.
Both academic and activist.
 ACADEMIC STS
Scholarly Study of Science and Technology.
History, Philosophy, Sociology of S & T.
Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.
Perennial and structural problems of history,
philosophy, and human nature.
Science dynamics
Technological dynamics
Informs activist STS issues.
 ACTIVIST STS
Gets involved in current issues.
Covers a broad social spectrum (not just academic).
Builds coalitions:
1. Awareness of a problem
2. Need to take responsibility
3. Draw on external expertise
4. Make decisions and take actions
(demonstrate, litigate, educate, legislate, etc.).
Strengths —relevance, empowerment, democratic.
Weaknesses — ad hoc, emotional, NIMBY.
Examples: nuclear power, toxic wastes, health care,
climate change action.
The Two Cultures
What does it mean to be human?

Two Possibilities

Homo sapiens sapiens

Primates who think (a lot)
Contemplative
Homo farber
Primates who make things
Manipulative
 Science is. . .
Natural knowledge
Natural philosophy
Natural history
Systematic inquiry into nature
A human cultural activity
A total societal enterprise
With vast social consequences
Organized, well-founded knowledge of nature and human
nature
“A sophisticated intellectual version of Esperanto or the
universal language that the heroes of the scientific
revolution imagined as an instrument of global
communication”
“The cutting edge of ignorance”
 How do we define science?
CONTENT Body of organized knowledge about nature
From Latin scientia - knowledge

METHOD Of obtaining that knowledge, experiment,

observation, hypothesis, theory, law

ATTITUDE Organized and systematic skepticism

GOALS Explanation, understanding, prediction, control

LANGUAGE Mathematics and technical vocabulary

TOOLS Uses Instruments and technologies

COMMUNITY Discipline, education, credentials,

careers, patrons, societies, “turf”

PROCESS Organized, but very diverse activity shaped by

social forces and historical change
 In general:
Science is an organized, hierarchical activity that
investigates nature and human nature by experiment
and observation.
Its goals are explanation, understanding, prediction, and
control.
It tests its theories by logical, mathematical, and
technological means.
Science is shaped by social forces and historical change.
While seeking objectivity, science also shapes culture.
Stereotypes

Newton,

John Hershel,

Darwin
Stereotypes
 Technology
a. Artifacts or Hardware. Products fabricated by
humans to meet specific needs. Tools,
machines, implements.
b. Knowledge and Methods. A system of tacit and
explicit knowledge, techniques, and materials
utilized in using, making, or repairing a certain
kind of artifact.
c. A human cultural activity or profession. e.g.
military or civil engineers, crafters, machinists.
d. A total societal enterprise. e.g. “American
technological know-how.” R&D, invention,
patronage, mass production and mass
consumption.
 What is Technology?
A discourse or treatise on an art or arts;
The scientific study of the practical or industrial arts.
Techne (art, craft, skill), Logos (word).

Some other attempts at definitions:

• A system based on the application of knowledge, manifested in physical
objects and organizational forms, for the attainment of specific goals —
Volti
• Cumulative sum of means used to satisfy human needs and desires and to
solve specific problems —Markert
• The sum total of systems of machines and techniques that underlie a
civilization —Nye
• Not merely a system of machines with certain functions, but an expression
of a social world —Nye
• The production of superfluities – today as in the Paleolithic age —Ortega y
Gasset
• “The seeping false-hearted death” —DeLillo
Technologies of the Past

TECHNOSPHERES
Can we define “Technology?”
Does Technology control us?
Is Technology predictable?