Science, Technology and

Society
 Course Description
 To instil reflective knowledge in the
students that they are able to live the
good life and display ethical decision-
making in the face of scientific and
technological advancement.
 Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge:
1. Articulate the impacts of S & T on society,
specifically Philippine society.
2. Explain how S & T affect society and the
environment and its role in nation-building.
3. Analyze the human condition to deeply reflect,
express philosophical ramifications that are
meaningful to student as part of society.
4. Define and demonstrate the impact of social
media on the students’ life and Philippine society
in general.
Values:
1. Imbibe the importance the importance of S &
T in the preservation of the environment and
the development of the Filipino nation.
2. Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the
progress of S & T such that that student may
be able to define for himself/herself the
meaning of the good life.
3. Foster the value of a healthy lifestyle toward
the holistic and sustainable development of
society and the environment.
Skills:
1. Creatively present the importance and
contributions of S & T to society.
2. Examine shared concerns that make up the
good life in order to come up with innovative
and creative solutions to contemporary
issues guided by ethical standards.
3. Illustrate how the social media and
information age impact their lives and their
understanding of climate change.
 Course Outline
Unit I Topics

GENERAL CONCEPTS AND STS HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS
1 Historical antecedents in w/c social
considerations changed the course of S & T

2 Intellectual Revolutions that defined society

3 S & T and nation building

 Course Outline
UNIT I Topics
4 The Philippine Government S&T Agenda

5 Major development programs and

personalities in S&T in the Philippines
6 Science Education in the Philippines

7 Selected indigenous science and technologies

 Course Outline
Unit II Topic

8 The Human Person flourishing in terms

of science and technology

9 Technology as a Way of Revealing

10 Human flourishing
11 The Good Life
12 When technology and humanity cross
 Course Outline
Unit II Topics
13 Why does the future not need us?

Unit III
14 The information Age (Gutenberg to
Social media)
15 . The Nano World
16 Gene therapy (stem Cells)
 Course Outline
MANDATED TOPICS
17-18 Climate Change and the Energy
Crisis
19 Environmental Awareness
20 Alternative Energy Resources ( e.g.
O-tech: Ocean Thermal Energy
Conversion)
 Preliminaries
SCIENCE
Scientia- Wisdom
Understanding Nature
Both a Content and a process
 Let’s start with Science
 Science: the human attempt to
understand the natural world, with or
without concern for practical uses of that
knowledge.

Practical
 Examples of the natural world:
Volcanoes
Gravity
Atoms
Plants
Metals
 SCIENCE as PROCESS

 Refers to dynamic interaction between

the theory and experiment in arriving at
concepts and principles governing a
particular domain of physical
phenomena
 SOCIAL CHARACTER OF SCIENCE
 Cumulative character where the output
of one is the input of another and so on
down the line
 Not personal endeavor detached from
the rest of humanity
 Science tries to discover facts and
relationships and then tries to create
theories that make sense of these facts
and relationships..

Hey, I’ve
discovered a
cycle!
 Assumptions of Science
*Assumptions- statements that embody a set of
information or attitudes that are readily
accepted without the need of verifying
authenticity.

assumptions about nature

assumptions about scientist’s objectivity
Characteristics of Nature (Borbon et
al., 2000)
1. The material universe is REAL
2. The material universe is RATIONAL
3. The material universe is
UNDERSTANDABLE
4. The material universe is MEASURABLE
5. The material universe is PREDICTABLE
 Limitations of Science
 Not all things can be subjected to science
 Metaphysical concerns are beyond the
grasp of scientific inquiry
 Science cannot confirm nor deny the
existence of God, soul, heaven, hell
 Very expensive
 TECHNOLOGY
 Using Nature
 Refers to combination of the software
(knowledge) and the hardware (machines and
processes) relevant in the manipulation of the
environment towards the manufacture of a
product or the provision of a service
And Now for some Tech:

Technology: the human attempt to

change the world . . . By creating products
that can help people.
 Examples of Technology:
 Machines
 CDs
 Pencil Sharpener
 Electronics
 Technology involves:
 Tools
 Techniques and
 Procedures for putting the findings of
science to use.
 TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY
1. Material Technology
- deals with extraction, fabrication,
processing, combination and synthesis of
materials.
2. Equipment Technology
- deals with the design and fabrication of
tools, instruments, devices and machines.
3. Energy Technology
- deals with the generation, conversion, and
distribution of various forms of energy
 TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY
4.. Information Technology- deals with
collection, storage, processing, retrieval,
transmission and utilization of information.
5. Life Technology
- deals with preservation, repair,
maintenance, reproduction and improvement
of living systems
6. Management Technology
- deals with the planning, organization,
coordination and control of social activities
Types of technology(based on its antiquity)
 Low Technology- refers to a process or
product derived from empirical know-how
(e.g. conventional plow)
 Medium Technology- refers to a process
or product derived from classical science
(e.g. electric motor or generator).
 High Technology- refers to a process
derived from quantum nature of matter
(e.g. microelectronics- discrete transistor)
 SOCIETY
 an organized group of persons associated
together for religious, benevolent, cultural,
scientific, political, patriotic, or other
purposes
 a body of individuals living as members of
a community
 Interconnections between S & T
 Science explores for the purpose of
knowing, while technology explores for
the purpose of making something useful
from that knowledge.
• Science drives technology by making
new technology possible through scientific
breakthroughs.
Technology
Science
Interrelationship of Science, Technology and Society

Science Technology

Society
 Material Benefits from S & T
 Improvement of health and well-being.

 Food, clothing, shelter, communication

 Detrimental impacts of S & T

1. Weaponry
2. Seductive appeal of science
technology without consideration of
ethical issues
3. Environmental effects