Historical Antecedents in the course of
ROADS
science and technology
1. ANCIENT TIMES
In the ancient times, people were concerned with:
 Transportation and Navigation
 Communication and Record-
keeping
 Mass Production
 Security and Protection
 Health
 Architecture
 Aesthetics
SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
► located at the southernmost tip of ancient
Mesopotamia
► known for their high degree of cooperation with
one another and their desire for great things
► not contented with the basic things life can
offer
1. CUNEIFORM
- first writing system
2. URUK CITY
- considered to be the first true city
in the world but also for the way it
was erected
3. ZIGGURAT OF UR
- also called mountain of gods
- as the sacred place of their chief
god, where only their priests are
allowed to enter.
4. IRRIGATION AND DIKES
- to bring water to farmlands
- control the flooding of rivers
- one of the world’s most beneficial
engineering works
5. SAILBOATS
- Wheel was not yet invented
- Main mode was through
waterways like rivers and seas
- Used to discover faraway lands to
settle
- Essential in transportation and
trading as well as fostering culture,
information, and technology
6. WHEEL
- First wheels were not made for
transportation but for farm work &
food processes
7. PLOW
- Another farm technology
- Dig the ground in a faster pace
8.
- They made roads with same
technology in making sunbaked
bricks that were laid on the ground
and later poured bitumen
- “bitumen” as a back sticky
substance similar to asphalt to
smoothen the road
BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
► emerged near the Tigris and Euphrates River
►Babylonians were great builders, engineers,
and architect
1. HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
- Structure made of layers upon
layers of garden
- Built by the great Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife
Queen Amytis
EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
► located in North Africa
1. PAPER OR PAPYRUS
- One of the earlier contribution
- A plant that grew abundantly along
Nile River
- Made to make writing easier for
the world
2. INK
- Engraved ceased to be used in
writing
- Invented ink by combining soot
with different chemicals to produce
inks of different colors
3. HEIROGLYPICS
- A system of writing using symbols
- Egyptians believed that this writing
system was provided by their gods
4. COSMETICS
- Modern: improve and highlight
facial features of a person
- Ancient Egypt: health and
aesthetic reason
- wore Kohl around the eyes to
prevent and even cure eye disease
- “kohl” was created by mixing soot
or malachite with mineral galena
- wearing make-up was protected
from evil and that beauty was a
sign of holiness
5. WIG
 -Present: used to enhance
appearance of people (bald)
- Ancient Egypt: worn for health and
wellness rather than aesthetic
purpose
- used to protect the shaved heads
of the wealthy Egyptians from the
harmful rays of the sun
- prevention of accumulation of head
lice
6. WATER CLOCK/ CLEPSYDRA
- utilizes gravity that affects the flow
of the water from one vessel to
another
- amount of water remaining in the
device determines how much time
has elapsed since full
GREEK CIVILIZATION
► an archipelago in the southern part of Europe
►Known as the birth place of western philosophy
► major achievements in in-depth works on Math
and Philosophy
1. ALARM CLOCK
- One of the most utilized gadgets
today
- to tell an individual when to stop or
when to start
- Plato was believed to have utilized
an alarm clock to signal the start of
his lecture
2. WATER MILLS
- used in agricultural processes like
milling of grains which was
necessary form of food processing
during that time
- made possible by the use of water
mills, the mass production of rice,
flours, cereals, and the like
became common
ROMAN CIVILIZATION
► perceived to be the strongest political and
societal entity in the west
► considered to be the cradle of politics and
governance
1. NEWSPAPER
- first newspapers, known as
gazettes, contained
announcements of the Roman
Empire to the people
-
gazettes were engraved in metal
or stole tablets and then publicly
displayed
2. BOUND BOOKS OR CODEX
- “record-keeping”
- Julius Caesar started the tradition
of stacking up papyrus to form
pages of a book
3. ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
- one of the most visual
contributions of the ancient Roman
Empire to the world
- supported and funded by the
Roman government
4. ROMAN NUMERALS
- number systems
- these old systems could not keep
up with high calculation
requirements so they devised their
own number system specifically to
address the need for a standard
counting method
CHINESE CIVILIZATION
► considered to be the oldest civilization in Asia
► Also known as the middle kingdom
► located on the Far East of Asia
1. SILK
- One of the things that connected
Far East China to the world
- Naturally produced by silk worms
- Chinese were the one who
developed technology to harvest
silk and process to produce paper
& clothing
2. TEA PRODUCTION
- beverage produced by pouring hot
or boiling water over crushed or
shredded dried leaves
- was believed that the first tea was
drunk by a Chinese emperor
- was developed when an unknown
Chinese inventor created a
machine that was able to shred tea
leaves into strips
3. GREAT WALL OF CHINA
- only man-made structure from
outer space that can be seen
- largest and most extensive
infrastructure that the nation built
- constructed to keep out foreign
invaders and control the boarders
of China
 -
Made with stone, brick, wood,
earth
4. GUNPOWDER
- one of the most interesting
inventions in China
- Originally, it was developed by
Chinese alchemists who aimed to
achieve immortality
MEDIEVAL/MIDDLE AGES
► start was marred by massive invasions and
migrations
► Wars were prevalent
► great technology was needed in the fields of
weaponry, navigation, mass food and farm
production, and health
► Middle Ages was also known as the Age of
Exploration
1. PRINTING PRESS
- Johann Gutenberg was able to
invent the printing press
- He utilized wooden machines that
extracted juices from fruits, and
etc. which made an exact
impression on paper
2. MICROSCOPE
- used for the invention of eyeglass
in earlier years
- Zacharias Janssen was able to
develop the first compound
microscope
- people were able to observe
organisms that were normally
unseen by naked eye
- key in discovering new means in
preventing and curing various
illness
3. TELESCOPE
- an optical instrument that helps in
the observation of remote objects
4. WAR WEAPONS
- Offensive tools and defensive
instruments
MODERN TIMES
► booming population onwards causes new
problems about people’s needs and demands
► due to massive industrialization, the modern
times again faced more complicated problems
1. PASTEURIZATION
- Louis Pasteur
-process of heating dairy products
to kill the harmful bacteria that
allow them to spoil faster
2. PETROLEUM REFINERY
- Samuel M. Kier was able to invent
kerosene by refining petroleum
- Kerosene as “illuminating oil”
3. TELEPHONE
- development of telephone by
Alexander Graham Bell was one of
the most important inventions at
that time
- communication
4. CALCULATOR
- required faster way to compute
more complicated equations
- development of more complex
processing machines like the
computer
PHILIPPINE INVENTIONS
1. SALAMANDER AMPHIBIOUS
TRICYCLE
- Victor Llave and his team at H2O
- can cross not only flooded streets
but also rivers and lakes
2. SALT LAMP
- Aisa Mijeno
- a lighting system that utilizes a
material abundant in the
Philippines- saltwater
- Sustainable Alternative Lighting
(SALt) lamp
3. MEDICAL INCUBATOR
- Dr. Fe del Mundo
- made from indigenous and cheap
materials which did not run on
electricity
4. MOSQUITO OVICIDAL/ LARVACIDAL
TRAP SYSTEM
- also known as OL trap
- made of natural ingredients that
are lethal to mosquitos but safe for
humans and the environment
5. EJEEPNEY
- electric jeepney
- utilizes electricity instead of the
more expensive diesel
- environment-friendly
The Origin of Science, Technology and
Society Studies
1. 4th Century B.C.E. in the Gorgias
- Plato recognized the value of
engineers, but protested about
 their low status in Ancient Greek
society
2. 1527
- Francis Bacon, a British Thinker
- “The New Atlantis”
- “Solomon’s House” AS scientists
are accorded the same honors as
royalty and carry out their work in
an organization
3. During the French Revolution
- Philosopher Condorcet
- advocated the realizing of Bacon’s
vision on democratic lines
4. After the French Revolution
- Boris Hessen, a Soviet Union
historian
- “The Social and Economic
Roots of Newton’s Pricipia”
These technologies included:
- 1. Advances in Navigation
- 2. Mining
- 3. Development of Weapon
5. 1939
- J.D. Bernal, a physical chemist
- “The Social Foundation of
Science”
6. 1942
- American Manhattan Project
- Before the end of World War II, the
cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
were destroyed by atomic bombs
and forcing Japan to surrender
7. After World War II
- Bernal’s argument was true at
least in its essentials
- Government began to plan for the
development of science and
technology
- Vannevar Bush, a distinguished
scientist, plan for science after
World War II
- National Research Foundation
which became later became
National Science Foundation
Meanings of Science
1. Science as KNOWLEDGE
Organized, well-founded body of knowledge
2. Science as FIELD OF SYSTEMATIC
INQUIRY INTO NATURE
Particular branches of science
3. Science as a FORM OF HUMAN
CULTURAL ACTIVITY
Distinctive form or kind of human cultural
activity referred to as scientist, natural
philosophers and savants
4. Science as a TOTAL SOCIETAL
ENTERPRISE
Variety of knowledge, people, skills,
organizations, facilities, technics (something
that is created), physical resources,
methods and technologies that taken
altogether and relation with one another are
devoted to the study and understanding
of the natural world.
Meaning of Technology
1. Technology as TECHNICS
Material artifacts in anthropological term and
hardware in engineering terms.
Material products of human making or
fabrication.
2. Technology as TECHNOLOGY
Complex of knowledge, materials if
applicable constituent part of making a
certain kind of technic.
3. Technology as a Form of Human Cultural
Activity
The results itself coming from the human
cultural activity, just as the law, medicine,
sport and religion.
4. Technology as a Total Societal Enterprise
Development "operation of technics"
complex of knowledge, people, skills,
organizations, facilities, technics, physical
resources, methods and technologies that
taken together and relation with one another
are devoted to the research,
development, and operation of technics.
INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS
1. Copernican Revolution
- Claudius Ptolemy, famous
philosopher and astronomer
- “planets, as well as the sun and
the moon, move in a circular
motion around the Earth”
- GEOCENTRISM, earth is the
center
- “Ptolemaic Model”
- Nicolaus Copernicus, the center of
the Solar System was not the
Earth but actually the Sun
- HELIOCENTRISM, sun is the
center
 - THE BIRTH OF MODERN
ASTRONOMY, was known as the
scientific revolution which resulted
in the transformation of society’s
thoughts and beliefs.
2. Darwinian Revolution
- one of the most controversial
intellectual revolutions of its time
- 1859, Charles Darwin, an English
naturalist, biologist and geologist
published his book On the Origin
of Species
- THEORY OF REVOLUTION
Organisms have the ability to
adapt to their environment and
would gradually change into
something that would be more
competitive to survive, a process
known as evolution
Post-Colonial Period
3. Freudian Revolution
- Psychology was considered more
of an art rather than science
- Sigmund Freud (19th century) was
able to change people’s perception
of psychology with his
revolutionary theory of
psychoanalysis
- Psychoanalysis is the study that
explains human behavior
- Three conflicting elements:
- (1) ID: uncoordinated instinctual
trends
- (2) SUPEREGO: plays the critical
and moralizing role
- (3) EGO: organized, realistic part
Science, and Technology
& Nation Building
Pre-colonial
- Early Filipino settlers were already
using certain plants and herbs as
medicines
- early Filipinos had also developed
different modes of transportation,
whether terrestrial or maritime
Colonial Period 1607–1776
- Colonization by the Spaniards
provided the Philippines with
modern means of construction.
- Walls, Roads, Bridges, and other
large infrastructures were built
using some of the engineering
skills and tools brought by the
Spaniards.
In addition, The Spanish government
developed health and education
systems that were enjoyed by the
principalia class.
Principalia or noble class - was the
ruling and usually educated
upper class in the towns of Spanish
Philippines
Gobernadorcillo - town mayor
cabezas de barangay - heads of the
barangays
American Occupation Modernized
almost all aspects of life in the
Philippines
- aftermath of Western colonialism
- concurrent project to reclaim and
rethink the history
- agency of people subordinated
under various forms of imperialism
- Achieving Independence from the
colonizer
Ferdinand Marcos
1917-1989
- PAG ASA – Philippine institution
that provide flood and typhoon
warnings, public weather forecasts
and advisories, meteorological,
astronomical, climatological, and
other specialized information and
services primarily for the protection
of life and property
- NAST - National Academy of
Science and Technology created
in 1976
- 1982 - Current membership is 51
academicians,
- Grouped in Agricultural Sciences;
Biological Sciences; Chemical,
Mathematical, and Physical
Sciences; Engineering Sciences
and Technology; Health Sciences;
Social Sciences
HUMAN FLOURISHING IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
Martin Heidegger, “progress of human
civilizations throughout history mirrors the
development of science and technology”
Human Person as
(1) BEARER
(2) BENEFICIARY
Of Science and Technology
It is thus necessary to reflect on the things that
truly matters
Technology as a mode of revealing
1. Technology is a meaning to an end
2. Technology is a human activity
The current conception of technology, according
to which it is a means and a human activity, can
therefore be called the instrumental and
anthropological definition of technology
(Heidegger,1997,p.5).
Heidegger; ancient greek concept
• Aletheia- means unhiddenness or
disclosure
• Poiesis- defined as bringing forth
• Techne (root word of technology)- means
skill, ART OR CRAFT.
“QUESTIONING AS THE PIETY OF THOUGHT”
THIS KIND OF QUESTIONING LEAD ONE TO
SEARCH FOR HIS/HER PLACE IN THE
UNIVERSE AND IN THE GRAND SCALE OF
THINGS. IT IS THROUGH THIS PROCESS
THAT ONE BUILDS A WAY TOWARDS
KNOWING THE TRUTH OF WHO HE/SHE IS AS
BEING IN THIS WORLD.
ENFRAMING: WAY OF REVEALING IN
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Calculative thinking- one orders and puts a
system to nature so it can be understood better
and controlled.
Meditative thinking- one lets nature reveal itself to
him/her without forcing it.
Human person swallowed by technology
If we allow ourselves to get swallowed by modern
technology, we lose the essence of who we are
as a being in this world.
According to Heidegger that the “essence of
technology is nothing technological” (1977). The
essence of technology is not found in
instrumentality and function of machines
constructed, but in the significance such
technology unfolds.
Art as a way out of enframing
Enframing, as the mode of revealing in modern
technology, tend to block poiesis. The poetry that
is found in nature can no longer be easily
appreciated when nature is enframed.
Heidegger proposes art a way out of this
enframing. With art, we are better able to see the
poetic in nature in reality. It leads us away from
calculative thinking and towards meditative
thinking.
Aristotle’s conception of the four causes was
mechanical. As explained by Heidegger:
(1) The causa materialis, the material, the
matter out of which, for example, a silver
chalice is made;
(2) The causa formalis, the form, the shape
into which the material enters;
(3) The causa finalis, the end, for example,
THE SACRIFICIAL RITE IN RELATION
TO WHICH THE CHALICE REQUIRED IS
DETERMINED AS TO ITS FORM AND
MATTER;
(4) THE CAUSA EFFICIENS, WHICH
BRINGS ABOUT THE EFFECT THAT IS
THE FINSHED ACTUAL CHALICE, IN
THIS INSTANCE, THE SIVERSMITH.
HUMAN FLOURISHING AS REFLECTED IN
PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT
 More often than not, development is
equated with growth and greater
consumption, the wealthier it is.
 Likewise, the more that person is able to
buy stuff, the higher he/she is on the
development scale.
 The planet. However, is already
overburdened with human activities.
Jason Hickel, an anthropologist at the London
School of Economics, challenges us to rethink
and reflect on a different paradigm of “de-
development”.
 Forget “developing” poor countries”, its
time to “de-develope “rich countries
  Heads of state are gathering in New York
to sign the UN’s new sustainable
development goals (SDGs)
 The main objective is to eradicate poverty
by 2030. it is set to be a monumental
international celebration
 Given all the fanfare, one might think the
SGDs are about to offer a fresh plan for
how to save the world
 But beneath all the hype, its business as
usual. The main strategy for eradicating
poverty is the same.
GROWTH
 main object of development for the past
70 years
 1980 - global economy has grown by
380%
 Growth isn’t an option anymore we’ve
already grown too much
 Right now our planet only has enough
resources for each of us to consume 1.8
“global hectares” annually- a standardized
unit that measures resource use and
waste
Economist Peter Edward argues that instead
of pushing poorer countries to “catch up”, we
should be thinking of ways to get rich
countries to “catch down” to more appropriate
levels of development.
70 % of people in the middle and high income
countries believe overconsumption is putting
our planet and society at risk
“de growth”, “zero growth” - Such terms are
repulsive because they run against the
deepest frames we used to think about human
progress
Progress is not only an ecological imperative,
it also development one. If we do not act soon
all our hard –won gains against poverty will
evaporate, as food systems collapse and
mass famine re-emerges to an extent not
seen since 19th century.
THE GOOD LIFE
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS AND MODERN
CONCEPT
Aristotle, an important ancient Greek philosopher
attempted to explain what the good is. His
definition may be useful in our pursuit of the truth.
In Nichochean Ethics, Aristotle stated:
All human activities aim at some good.
Every art and human inquiry, and similarly
every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at
some good and for this reason the good has
been rightly declared as that which all things
aim
( Nicomachean Ethics 2:2 )
both the many and cultivated call it
happiness, and suppose that living well and
doing well are the same as being happy
( Nicomachean Ethic 1:4)
The ancient Greeks called concept of “ living well
and doing well “ as “ eudaimonia “. The word
came from the greek word “ eu “ meaning “ good “
and “ daimon “ meaning spirit. Taken together, it
generally refers to the good life , which is marked
together, it generally refers to the good life, which
is marked by happiness and excellence. It is
flourishing life filled with meaningful endeavors
that empower the human person to be the best
version of himself/herself. If one is a student, then
he/she acts to be the best version of a student by
studying well and fulfilling the demands of school.
If one athlete, then he/she strives to be the best
version of an athlete by training hard as well as
joining and winning in sports competitions
According to Aristotle
- Happiness is the ultimate end of human
action.
Now such thing as happiness above all else, held
to be; for this we choose always for itself and
never for the sake of something else, but honor,
pleasure, reason, and every virtue we choose
indeed for themselves, but we choose them also
for the sake of happiness, judging that by means
of them we shall be happy. Happiness, on the
other hand, no one chooses for anything other
than itself ( Nicomachean ethics 2:7 )
Happiness defines a good life. This happiness,
however, is not the kind that comes from sensate
pleasures. It is that which comes from living a life
of virtue, a life of excellence, manifested from the
personal to the global scale.
It is the activities that express virtue that
control happiness, and the contrary activities
that control its contrary
( Nicomachean Ethics 1:10 )
For example, making sure that one avoids sugary
and processed foods to keep healthy is an activity
that expresses virtue. The resulting health adds to
one’s wellbeing and happiness. Another example
is taking care of the environment through proper
waste management which results in a clean
environment and adds to peoples wellbeing and
happiness.
*Virtue plays a significant role in the living and
attainment of the good life. Virtue is the
excellence of character that empowers one to do
and be good.
Virtue, then, being of two kinds, intellectual and
moral, intellectual virtue in the main owes its birth
and growth to teaching (for which reason it
requires experience and time), while moral virtue
comes about as a result of habit.
(Nicomachean Ethics 2:1)
Virtue is cultivated with habit and discipline,
everyone has the capacity within himself/herself
to be good, but he/she also has to be discipline to
make a habit of exercising the good.
The onward progress of science and technology
is also the movement towards the good life. They
allow us to thrive and flourish in life we so desire
it. Science and technology may also corrupt a
person, but grounding oneself in virtue will help
him/her steer
GOOD – DOING THINGS THAT WILL
MAKE YOURSELF FEEL GOOD
GOOD LIFE – DOING THINGS THAT WILL
NOT ONLY AFFECT YOURSELF BUT
ALSO THE OTHER PEOPLE AROUND YOU
POSITIVELY
WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY
CROSS
The good life entails living in a just and
progressive society whose citizens have the
freedom to flourish. The human person has the
autonomy to make choices which may enable the
flourishing of his/her self and society.
United Nations General Assembly proclaimed
Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR)
Preamble
“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and
of the equal and inalienable rights of all the
members of the human family is the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace in the world” MEANS
everyone has an absolute moral worth by
virtue of being human
Human Dignity – is an ultimate core value of our
existence
When we fully appreciate and recognize the truth
in ourselves and in all the persons around us,
regardless of status in life, then we pave the way
for a just and progressive society.
It is in the society that we become fully human—
more free, more rational, more loving.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS
The first seven articles of the UDHR
encapsulate the spirit of this so-called “milestone
document to the history of human rights”. They
are as follows:
(1) “All human beings are born free
and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason
and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood”
(2) “Everyone is entitled to all the
rights and freedoms set forth in
this Declaration, without distinction
of any kind, such as race, color,
sex language, religion, political or
other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other
status. Furthermore, no distinction
shall be made on the basis of the
political, jurisdictional or
international status of the country
or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be
independent, trust, non-self-
governing or under any other
limitation of sovereignty”
(3) “Everyone has the right to life,
liberty and security of person”
(4) “No one shall be held in slavery or
servitude; slavery and the slave
trade shall be prohibited in all their
forms”
(5) “No one shall be subjected to
torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or
punishment”
(6) “Everyone has the right to
recognition everywhere as a
person before the law”
 (7) “All are equal before the law and
are entitled without any
discrimination to equal protection
of the law. All are entitled to equal
protection against any
discrimination in violation of this
Declaration and against any
incitement to such discrimination”
ROBOTS VS. HUMAN
Robots are:
- machines that can sense, plan, and act
- designed to do a job
- Robots, usually designed like human
beings,
- to perform complex
- repetitive
- dangerous task
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), robots may
also eventually act and decide like humans
What can robots do?
Robots are designed to do their jobs well, so they
are built differently. Sometimes they are wheeled
vehicles. Sometimes robots look like mechanical
people or animals. And sometimes they just have
a moving arm. We’ll see lots of different examples
of robots in this presentation.
e.g. 1. Robotic arms
Robots work in factory.
Humanoid robots are robots that look and move
like people.
3. Robot vehicles
Biometric robots are inspired by things in nature.
Scientists are building robots that look and move
like animals, because they hope to make robots
that perform well in all different kinds of
environments.