Unit 1

Lesson 1: Science, Technology,

and Its Significance to Society
in Contemporary World
Objectives:

• State the meaning of Science and Techno

logy;
• Describe some notable developments of
science and technology and its significan
ce to the society;
• Describe some disadvantages of science
and technology.
 Science and Technology
• Study of how social, political, and cultural values affect
society.
• STS scholars are interested in a variety of probl
ems including the relationships between scienti
fic and technological innovations and society, a
nd the directions and risks of science and tech
nology. The held of STS is related to history an
d philosophy of science although with a much
broader emphasis on social aspects of science
and technology.
 Science
• Science is a systematized body of knowledge
• Science is an organized and dynamic inquiry (following
scientific method)
• Science is knowledge gained through observation and
experimentation
• Science is a human activity; scientist
• Science is a social enterprise: people, knowledge, skills,
facilities, apparatuses and technologies
• Science leads to formation of concepts, methods, princ
iples, theories, law and procedures Which seek to desc
ribe and explain nature and its phenomena
 Technology
• Technology as material products; results of scientific in
quiry; hardware produced by a scientist .
• Technology as the application of knowledge in solving
scientific and practical problems that will help humans
to survive and improve his life .
• Technology as human cultural activities or endeavors
• Technology as a social enterprise Technology is a com
plex system of knowledge, skills, people, methods, tool
s, materials and resources applied and allocated to the
development, operation and production of a new or i
mproved product, process or services.
• Technology as modern technology based on the advan
ces of science since the end of WWII to the present.
 Notable Human Successes

• Humans are ingenious species. H

umans (Homo sapiens) have dre
amed up and created some ama
zing and far-out things.
1. The Wheel
the concept of inventing the wheel ca
me during 3500 B.C. Humans were limite
d in how much stuff they could transport
over land, and how far. People invented th
e wheel and axle which is the concept of
making wheels.
2. The Compass
before, mariners navigate with the sta
r, but that method didn't work during the
day or on cloudy nights. The Chinese inve
nted the first compass sometime between
the 9th and 11th century; it was made of lo
destone, a naturally-magnetized iron ore, t
he attractive properties of which they had
been studying for centuries.
3. The Printing Press
It was Johannes Gutenberg, a German
who invented the printing press around 14
40. printing presses exponentially increase
d the speed with which book copies could
be made, and thus led to the rapid and wi
despread dissemination of knowledge for t
he first time in history.
4. The Internal Combustion engine
In these engines, the combustion of f
uel releases a high temperature gas, which
as it expands, applies force to a piston, mo
ving it. Combustion engines convert chem
ical energy into mechanical work. The engi
ne steered in the industrial age which ena
bled the invention of a huge variety of ma
chines, including modern cars and aircraft.
5. The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell was the first
to be awarded a patent for the electric
telephone in 1876. Though several inven
tors did pioneering work on electronic
voice transmission, the invention quick
ly took off, and revolutionized global
business and communications.
6. Penicillin
In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexand
er Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri di
sh in his laboratory, the sample had beco
me contaminated with a mold, and everyw
here the mold was, the bacteria was dead.
The antibiotic mold turned out to be fung
us Penicillium, and over the next two deca
des, chemists purified it and developed the
drug Penicillin, which fights a huge numbe
r of bacterial infections.
7. The Internet
Is the global system of interconnected comp
uter networks used by billions of people worldwi
de.
In the 1960`s, a team of computer scientist
s working for the U.S Defense Department`s ARPA
(Advanced Research Projects Agency) built a comm
unications network to connect the computers in t
he agency, called ARPANET. It is used a method o
f data transmission called “packet switching”.
ARPANET was the predecessor of the internet that
eventually emerged to become the “information
superhighway”.
Eco-Friendly Technologies/Advantages
• These are sustainable technologies.
This technology utilizes resources from
the environment without causing negativ
e effects to it. Some of these are:
Solar energy- use of solar panels to prov
ide electricity.
Geothermal energy
Wind power- wind mills as source of
energy.
 Disadvantages and Ethical dilemmas of
Science and Technology

1. Threats to human survival

the invention of nuclear weapon in 19
45, like the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki a
nd Hiroshima that caused deaths of many pe
ople. This was a product of chemical and b
iological warfare (bio-warfare); toxic was
tes produced by manufacturing companies th
at threaten human survival and stability o
f the environments.
2. Ethical dilemmas
exploitation of advanced scientific
knowledge and technological devices and
systems gave rise to situations in whic
h advances seem to have turned against
their beneficiaries, creating ethical d
ilemmas.
3. Disparities in Human well being
there are advanced countries enjoyi
ng science and technology based success
es and hold high esteem in contemporary
society (Economic strength), versus mil
lions of people in less developed count
ries who have not partaken in these ben
efits.
4. Social and Cultural conflicts
-military power is vital for nation
al security of many governments; superi
or and highly technical weapons dictate
d the outcomes of some recent wars.
5. Innovating technologies can have negative con
sequences for certain sectors or constituencies:
 Include pollution associated with production p
rocesses,
 Increased unemployment from labor-saving new t
echnologies,
 Conversion of agricultural land into urban are
as,
 Effect on humans psychologically and emotional
ly- the usage and addiction of new gadgets.
 Effect of overused technologies in medical ind
ustry that can cause fatal births and diseases
 Global warming.
 DO YOU KNOW?
• In the Philippines, people turn to science and technolo
gy for warning advice and assistance during calamities
and disaster: we have some government agencies resp
onsible for giving us advice and information. These are
the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS), Department of Science and Technology (D
OST) and Philippines Atmospheric Geophysical Astrono
mical Services Administration (PAGASA).

• We have built windmills and transit trains that provide

us means of source of energy and transport.
 Activity 1: PROS and CONS
• Write your report in a long size bond paper, it must be clear and
concise.
• Choose one situation and Explain the advantages and disadvanta
ges of the following situation`s;
• Answer must be back up with theories and concepts of science a
nd technology;
• Give possible suggestions on how to deal or treat the given situat
ion`s. These are the topics:
a. use of social media
b. conversion of agricultural land to industrial areas
c. emergence of genetically modified organism
d. use of robots/machines in industrial facilities
e. emergence of the different brands and models of cars.
References:

• Aldea, K.I., Caronan, H.P., and Candido,

M. B., Science, Technology, and Society (
2018), Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.