LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO STS

WHAT IS SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY &
SOCIETY?
 Science, Technology and Society

• is an interdisciplinary course that engages

the students to confront the realities brought
about by science and technology in
society, with all its: socio-political, cultural,
economic, and philosophical underpinnings
at play (CHED Memorandum Order No. 20).
 Science, Technology and Society

• Seeks to instill reflective knowledge among

students so that they are able to live a good
life and display ethical decision-making in
both social and scientific dilemmas.
 Science, Technology and Society

• Is a relatively young field that combines

older disciplines such as history of science,
philosophy of science, and sociology of
science.
 Science, Technology and Society

• As an interdisciplinary field, the emergence

of STS was a result of questions about
science and technology’s dynamic
interaction with various aspects of society
and was viewed as socially embedded
structure.
 Science, Technology and Society

• STS seeks to bridge the gap between two

traditionally exclusive cultures--- humanities
(interpretative) and natural sciences
(rational)

• so that humans will be able to better confront the moral,

ethical, and existential dilemmas brought by the continued
developments in science and technology.
 Science, Technology and Society

• Is 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.
 On a personal level, STS is…

• A way to improve your writing and

communications skills, problem-solving
abilities, and ability to adapt to changes in
science and technology.
• Needed at all levels: in education,
government, the private sector, and
internationally.
TWO CATEGORIES OF STS

1. ACADEMIC STS
2. ACTIVIST STS
 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
 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.).
 ACTIVIST STS

• Strengths- relevance, empowerment, democratic.

• Weaknesses -ad hoc, emotional, nimbyism.
– Ad hoc is formed, arranged, or done for a particular
purpose only.
– Emotional arousing or characterized by intense feeling.
– Nimbyism- is a term for a person who resists unwanted
development, such as manufacturing plants, prisons,
power companies, or chemical companies in his or her
own neighborhood or town.
WHAT IS SCIENCE?
 SCIENCE
• Comes from the Latin word “scientia”,
meaning “knowledge”.
• It refers to a systematic and methodical
activity of building and organizing
knowledge about how the universe
behaves through observation,
experimentation or both.
 SCIENCE

• John Heilbron: “Modern Science is a

discovery as well as an invention”
• science as a discovery of regularity in
nature, enough for natural phenomena to
be described by principles and laws.
“SCIENCE tries to discover facts and
relationships and tries to create
THEORIES that make sense of these
facts and relationships.”
 HOW CAN SCIENCE BE DEFINED?

1. Science as an idea
– It includes ideas, theories, and all available
systematic explanations and observations about
the natural and physical world.
 HOW CAN SCIENCE BE DEFINED?

2. Science as an intellectually activity

– It encompasses a systematic and practical
study of the natural and physical world.
– This process of study involves systematic
observation and experimentation
 HOW CAN SCIENCE BE DEFINED?

3. Science as a body of knowledge.

– It is a subject or discipline, a field of study or a
body of knowledge that deals with the process
of learning about the natural and physical
world.
 HOW CAN SCIENCE BE DEFINED?

4. Science as a personal and social activity.

– Science is both knowledge and activities done
by human beings to develop better
understanding of the world around them.
– It is a means to improve life and to survive life.
– It is interwoven with people’s lives.
 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Research and development are usual

activities associated with science as a
process.
 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Research and development involve the

acquisition of new knowledge and the
utilization of such knowledge to devise new
or improved products and processes
 WHAT IS
TECHNOLOGY?
 TECHNOLOGY

• Comes from the Greek words “tekhne”

meaning “art or craft” and “logia” meaning
“subject or interest”.
 TECHNOLOGY

• It refers to “practical applications” of what

we know about nature using scientific
principles for the betterment of the human
situation
 TECHNOLOGY

• Is the application of scientific knowledge,

laws, and principles to provide services,
materials, tools, and machines aimed at
solving real-world problems.
 TECHNOLOGY

• Is the use of scientific knowledge and/or

empirical knowhow for the production,
improvement, and distribution of goods and
services, as well as the satisfaction of other
material needs.
 TECHNOLOGY

• the branch of knowledge dealing with

engineering or applied sciences

• It is more related to economic activity.

 TECHNOLOGY
Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook)
during public Q & A in December 2014
Q: What is your definition of a technological tool?

“What defines a technological tool is something that

takes a humans sense or ability and augments it
and makes it more powerful. So for example, I wear
contact lenses or glasses; that is a technology that
enhances my human ability of vision and make it
better.”
WHAT IS SOCIETY?
 SOCIETY

• It refers to a group of persons joined

together for a common purpose or by a
common interest.
 SOCIETY

• The society makes use of science to come

up with better technology in order for its
people to live in accordance with their
necessities.
INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY
AND THE SOCIETY
 INTERCONNECTIONS

• Science and technology are dynamic

processes engaged in by man to satisfy two
basic needs: the thirst for human knowledge
and the material requirements for human
survival and prosperity.
 INTERCONNECTIONS
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

TECHNOLOGICAL UTILIZATION

INFORMATION & MATERIALS DEMAND

 INTERCONNECTIONS

1. Science cannot develop without the

required technology infrastructure and
materials needed for research and
development.
– Materials, equipment, information, organization,
management and financial resources are
necessary for the conduct of productive
research and development.
 INTERCONNECTIONS

2. Technology cannot advance without

continuing inputs from Science (Research
and Development)
– heat technology was used for cooking and
lighting even by primitive people, but the
technological leap was achieved only after
explanation by the science of thermodynamics
based on physics and chemistry.
 INTERCONNECTIONS

2. Technology cannot advance without

continuing inputs from Science (Research
and Development)
– heat technology was used for cooking and
lighting even by primitive people, but the
technological leap was achieved only after
explanation by the science of thermodynamics
based on physics and chemistry.
IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY TO THE
SOCIETY
 IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

• Scientific knowledge and technology

influences individuals and society.
• Technology plays important part in
producing product that affect quality of life
 IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

• Better understanding of science and

technology it is essential to know the unique
attributes of each enterprise, then
addressing their implications for society
DRAWBACKS OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
 DRAWBACKS OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
• Machines replace human workforce.
• Invention of drugs that cured the previously
incurable diseases introduced new strains of
bacteria and viruses that are resistant to the
very same drugs that once fought them---
take an antibiotic resistant strain (ex.
Gonorrhea)
 DRAWBACKS OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

• Rise of social media drastically changed the

way humans communicate, interact, and
share information which put people’s
privacy at risk.
 DRAWBACKS OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
CARL SAGAN
Famous line quoted in Tom Head’s (2006) book:
“We live in a society absolutely dependent on
science and technology and yet have
cleverly arranged things so that almost no
one understands science and technology.
That’s a clear prescription for disaster.”
10 Emerging ethical dilemmas and policy
issues in science and technology (2018)
1. Helix – a digital app store designed to read
genomes
2. BlessU-2 and Pepper – first robot priest and
monk
3. Emotion-Sensing Facial Recognition- a
software being developed to assess your
reactions to anything such as shopping
and playing games
10 Emerging ethical dilemmas and policy
issues in science and technology (2018)
4. Ransomware – a way of holding data hostage
through hacking and requiring a ransom to be
paid.
5. Textalyzer – a device that analyzes whether a
driver was using his or her phone during an
accident.
6. Social Credit system- a system of scoring
citizens through their actions by placing them
under constant surveillance (which China
plays to adopt)
 10 Emerging ethical dilemmas and policy
issues in science and technology (2018)

7. Google Clips – a hands-free camera that lets the

user capture every moment effortlessly.
8. Sentencing Software – a mysterious algorithm
designed to aid courts in sentencing decisions.
9. Friendbot – an app that stores the deceased’s
digital footprints so one can still “chat” with them
10. Citizen App - an app that notifies users of ongoing
crimes or major events in a specific area.
“The SCIENCE of TODAY is the
TECHNOLOGY of TOMORROW.”
-Edward Teller