TOPIC 1 : Introduction to Science, Technology and Society (STS)

Content Standard: The learners demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of science, technology and society.

Learning Outcomes: The learners will be able to:

1. Discuss the concept of science, technology and society.
2. Explain the interrelationship of science, technology and society.
3. Identify different emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in science and technology.
4. Appreciate the importance of studying STS.

Science
• From the Latin word scientia, meaning knowledge.
• The framework of knowledge of the natural word learned through the scientific method.
• It leads to the creation of concepts, methods, principles, theories, laws and procedures which seek to describe and
explain nature and its phenomena.

• It can be defined as:

✓ idea – includes ideas, theories and all available systematic explanations and observations about the natural and
physical world
✓ intellectual activity – involves systematic observation and experimentation
✓ body of knowledge – subject, discipline, field of study that deals with the process of learning about natural and
physical world
✓ personal and social activity – done by human beings to develop better understanding of the world around them

Technology
• From the Greek word techne, meaning art, skill or cunning hand.
• It is the application of scientific expertise, laws and principles to the development of services, products, instruments
and machines built to solve real problems.
• It is a material product, the results of a scientific investigation.
• A complex system of expertise, skills, personnel, techniques, equipment, materials and resources that are used and
allocated to the production, operation and manufacture of a new or enhanced product, process or service.

Society
• Derived from the Latin word societas, it typically refers to individuals belonging to a particular group.
• A community of people engaging with each other through persistent relationships, or a broad social grouping
occupying the same geographical or social territory, normally subject to the same political authority and
dominant cultural expectations.
• A complex of mutual relationship classes, communicating with each other, allowing human organisms to carry on
their life activities and helping each person, in association with their fellows, to fulfill their wishes and interests.

The Meaning of Science, Technology and Society

• The study of how social, political and cultural principles influence scientific research and technological progress,
and how they, in turn, impact society.
• Refers to the relationship of science and technology with the socio-cultural, political and economic environments
that form and shape them; concrete examples of scientific and technological advances throughout human history.
• A relatively young field which brings together previously independent and older disciplines, such as science history
(covers the development of science from ancient to the present ), and science philosophy of science and sociology
(studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them).
• As an academic field, STS according to Harvard University’s Kennedy School (2018), traces its root from interwar
period (marked by a period of optimism, peace, and prosperity up to around 1929, after WW1 ) and start of the Cold
War (the featured heavyweights, the Soviet Union and the US, were normally at peace, after WW2, March12, 1947-
December 26, 1991).
• The growth of STS as an academic field resulted from the realization that many schools today do not really prepare
students to respond to the challenges raised by science and technology in the current term objectively, reflectively
and proactively.
• As an interdisciplinary field, the advent of STS was the product of concerns about the complex relationship of
science and technology with different facets of society, which was seen as a socially embedded community.

The Interactions Between Science, Technology and Society

The Meaning of Science, Technology and Society

• The study of how social, political and cultural principles influence scientific research and technological progress,
and how they, in turn, impact society.
• Refers to the relationship of science and technology with the socio-cultural, political and economic environments
that form and shape them; concrete examples of scientific and technological advances throughout human history.
• A relatively young field which brings together previously independent and older disciplines, such as science history,
science philosophy of science and sociology.
• As an academic field, STS according to Harvard University’s Kennedy School (2018), traces its root from interwar
period and start of the Cold War.
• The growth of STS as an academic field resulted from the realization that many schools today do not really prepare
students to respond to the challenges raised by science and technology in the current term objectively, reflectively
and proactively.
• As an interdisciplinary field, the advent of STS was the product of concerns about the complex relationship of
science and technology with different facets of society, which was seen as a socially embedded community.

The Interactions Between Science, Technology and Society

Science is characterized as the systematic study of nature, of the material and physical world, based on
observation, experimentation and measurement, as well as the formulation of laws to explain these facts in general
terms. It is the analysis of information that can be turned into a method, which typically relies on the observation and
checking of facts. The term science is used by scientists, the curious seeker of answers to the unknown in a
methodical and orderly manner.
Technology, on the other hand, refers to the body of structured science, instruments and devices used by
man to control his environment for the sake of his general good. It includes the adoption of scientific knowledge or
innovations to create and manufacture products and services that are useful to man, thereby solving daily problems
or promoting tiresome human activities. It is a realistic problem-solving enterprise that is motivated by scientific
discovery or social needs.
There is no question that our needs are numerous, and we must be motivated by the same scale.
Technology can be traced back historically to the beginning of time to be a man's journey to better his way of life and
quality of life.

Ten Emerging Ethical Dilemmas and Policy Issues in Science and Technology (2020)
For the ninth consecutive year, Dr. Jessica Baron, in collaboration with the John J. Reilly Center for Science,
Technology and Values at the University of Notre Dame, has released the annual list of emerging ethical dilemmas
and policy issues in science and technology for 2021
1. Battle for the Arctic - the race to create new technologies to explore commercial gains in the Arctic.
2. Your Digital Twin - a virtual copy of the person that can be analyzed without his or her presence.
3. MIT’s Version of “Inception” - a sleep-tracking device that can alter dreams by tracking hypnagogia ( transition
between wakefulness & sleep) and then delivering audio cues based on incoming physiological data, at precise times
in the sleep cycle, to make dream direction possible.
4. Robot Abuse - humans all over the world have been caught mercilessly harming robots “for fun.”
5. “Stalkerware” Apps – a commercially available software used to spy on another person via their device and without
their consent.
6. The Data Void Left by Search Engines -search engine spit out a small amount of information during searching
7. Telemedicine - use of electronic information and telecommunication technology to get the health care you need
while practicing social distancing.
8. App Profits off Foreclosures - a “gig economy” app company developed Civvl, a service that contracts eviction
crews to secure foreclosed residential properties.
9. Doomscrolling - the act of constantly consuming negative online content (or content that makes you feel bad).
10. Facebook - Facebook has 2.45 billion monthly active users, has been involve0d in dozens of ethics violations,
and shows no signs of stopping in the foreseeable future.

REFERENCE

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/don-honorio-ventura-technological-state-university/science-technology-and-
society/lesson-1-introduction-to-sts/20358510