Scribd
Upload
342 views4 pages

STS Learning Material - Lesson2 - Intellectual Revolution

This document provides an overview of a course on science, technology, and society at Camarines Norte State College in the Philippines. The course examines the interactions between science/technology and social contexts. It aims to help students understand and critically reflect on the impacts of scientific and technological advances on individuals, communities, and global society. Topics covered include major intellectual revolutions that changed views in areas like celestial mechanics, evolution, and psychoanalysis. Students will learn about revolutionary scientists like Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud and analyze how their theories were initially controversial but later widely accepted.

Uploaded by

Jenny Pereyra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
342 views4 pages

STS Learning Material - Lesson2 - Intellectual Revolution

This document provides an overview of a course on science, technology, and society at Camarines Norte State College in the Philippines. The course examines the interactions between science/technology and social contexts. It aims to help students understand and critically reflect on the impacts of scientific and technological advances on individuals, communities, and global society. Topics covered include major intellectual revolutions that changed views in areas like celestial mechanics, evolution, and psychoanalysis. Students will learn about revolutionary scientists like Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud and analyze how their theories were initially controversial but later widely accepted.

Uploaded by

Jenny Pereyra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE


F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY


GEC 6 – 1ST SEMESTER, SY 2020-2021

 The course deals with interactions between science and technology and social, cultural,
political, and economic contexts that shape and are shaped by them.

 This interdisciplinary course engages students to confront the realities brought about by
science and technology in society. Such realities pervade the personal, the public, and the
global aspects of our living and are integral to human development.

 Scientific knowledge and technological development happen in the context of society with all
its socio-political, cultural, economic, and philosophical underpinnings at play.

 This course seeks to instill 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.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, students should be able to:


1. articulate the impacts of science and technology on society, specifically Philippine society;
2. explain how science and technology affect society and the environment and its role in nation
building;
3. analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express philosophical ramifications
that are meaningful to the student as a part of society
4. creatively present the importance and contributions of science and technology to society; and,
5. Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology such that the
student may be able to define for himself/herself the meaning of the good life.
Topic 2: Intellectual Revolution

Objectives:
1) Discuss paradigm shifts through history;
2) Explain how intellectual revolution changed how humans see the world;
3) Select a revolutionary scientist and present a persuasive speech representing his/her theory.

Activity:

Answer the following questions by the end of this module:

1) What were the great Intellectual Revolutions that significantly shaped our Society?
2) What made these new theories controversial?
3) Who were these people or groups of people behind these upheavals that permanently changed the
course of history of Science?
4) What were their needs, and what were their struggles that motivated them to engage in such
scholarly contribution?

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

1) Why do you think were most intellectual ideas controversial?

2) Why did the people accept these new discoveries despite being contradictory to what was widely
accepted at that time?

The Man who moved the Sun

The way people think about Solar System


has changed many times throughout history.
Before the development of telescope astronomy
beliefs were based on what can be seen by the
naked eye. One of the earliest ideas on how Solar
System was structured was introduced by
Claudius Ptolemy. He posited that planets as well as the sun and the moon, moved in a circular motion around
the Earth, a concept which is known as geo-centrism. This geocentric model, considered to be one of the
greatest discoveries of all time, was widely accepted by the people and became the astronomical dogma in
Western civilization for 1,400 years.
In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the geocentric model by putting sun at the center
of the solar system and known as the concept of heliocentrism. This idea was rejected at first by the public. It
appalled many since their religious belief had taught them that the Earth was created first before all other
things. Copernicus was even persecuted as a heretic.

Bold Man who challenged the Theory of Divine Creation

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist


who studied variation in plants, animals and fossils
during a five-year voyage around the world in the
19th century. Darwin's theory of evolution
challenged the idea that God made all the animals
and plants that live on Earth in a single day, which
contradicted the commonly held Christian views of
his era. He did not publish his scientific work and
ideas until 28 years after his voyage.

Finally, as a result of Darwin's world expedition and observations, which were enhanced by many years
of experimentation, his discussions with like-minded scientists and his developing knowledge of geology and
fossils, he proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin proposed that: individual organisms
within a particular species show a wide range of variation for a characteristic, individuals with characteristics
most suited to the environment are more likely to survive to breed successfully; and the characteristics that
have enabled these individuals to survive are then passed on to the next generation. This is called Theory of
Evolution by Natural Selection.

The Father of Psychoanalysis

In the past, the field of Psychology was


always classified under philosophy. Psychology
was considered more of an art rather than a
science. In the late 19th century, Sigmund Freud
was able to change people’s perception of
psychology with his revolutionary theory of
psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis is the study of human


behavior. In his theory, Freud explained that
there are many conscious and unconscious factors that can influence behavior and emotions. He also argued
that personality is a product of three conflicting elements: id, ego and superego.
Science hardliners brushed off the legitimacy of psychoanalysis as a science since concepts were
viewed as philosophical and supernatural. Many believed that Freud’s theory has no scientific basis as no
empirical or experimental data could support it.

Despite criticisms, Freud still continued to work on refining his theory and in fact tried to explain how
psychoanalysis can be a clinical method in treating some mental disorders. Soon enough, people were able to
understand the concepts of psychoanalysis, which eventually resulted in classifying psychology as a science.
What we had just studied are the major intellectual revolutions in the past. At present, what
are the widely acceptable theories that could explain:

A) Celestial Mechanics

B) Evolution of Human Beings

C) Psychoanalysis
Sources:
Charles Darwin: history’s most famous biologist. Nhm.ac.uk. [accessed 2020a Sep 10].
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/charles-darwin-most-famous-biologist.html.

Claudius Ptolemy. New Sci. [accessed 2020b Sep 10].


https://www.newscientist.com/people/claudius-ptolemy/.

Hannam J. 2011. The genesis of science: How the Christian middle ages launched the scientific
revolution. Washington, D.C., DC: Regnery Publishing.

McClellan JE, Dorn H, McClellan JE III. 1999. Science and technology in world history: An
introduction. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Mcleod S. What are the most interesting ideas of Sigmund Freud? | Simply Psychology.
Simplypsychology.org. [accessed 2020 Sep 15]. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-
Freud.html.

Redd NT, Redd NT. 2018 Mar 20. Nicolaus Copernicus biography: Facts & discoveries. Space.
[accessed 2020 Sep 10]. https://www.space.com/15684-nicolaus-copernicus.html.

You might also like