1.

01 MIDTERM LECTURE FOR STS

Professor Nikko Santos || October, 2021 STS
Transcribers: Hanna Carreon MIDTERM
Editors:

MODULE 2: Science, Technology, Society and the Human itself. Issues explored include Lewis’s views on
Condition bioethics, eugenics, evolution, intelligent design, and
what he called “scientocracy.”

Documentary Film Analysis: The IS C.S LEWIS AGAINST SCIENCE?

Magician’s Twin: C.S Lewis and the SCIENTISM
case against Scientism  Scientism is defined as “the efforts to use the
LEARNING OBJECTIVES methods of science to explain and control every part
1. Discuss pertinent issues cited by C.S Lewis about the idea of human life”
of scientism;  Excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge
2. Analyze a documentary film on C.S Lewis and explain how and techniques.
science can be a religion, credulity and power; and
3. Value the importance of preserving humanity amidst the ANSWER:
scientific and technological developments we experience.
 HE IS NOT AGAINST SCIENCE, BUT HE IS AGAINST
SCIENTISM.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Why was C.S Lewis very much a skeptic and critic of
scientism? Was he against science? WHY DID C.S. LEWIS THINK THAT MODERN
2. How did C.S. Lewis explained the following: SCIENCE IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN
a. science as religion MAGIC?
b. science as credulity
c. science as power SCIENCE AND MAGIC
3. Why did C.S. Lewis think that modern science is far more
dangerous than magic? ANSWER:
4. Based on what you learned from the documentary film, how  Science is far more dangerous than magic because
does scientism pose a threat to the human person flourishing in between science and magic, magic can fail. If it does
science and technology? not work then, people could not use it to control the
world.

CLIVES STAPLES LEWIS Man learned a long time ago that the best way to
manipulate people is by controlling their beliefs. If you
control what people believe, you can control the people.
C.S LEWIS (1898 – 1963) You can get them to do almost anything.
 A British writer and a
theologian.
 He is known for some of his
How does scienti sm pose a threat to the
works of fiction namely The human person fl ourishing in science and
Screw tape Letters, The technology?
Space Trilogy and The
Chronicles of Narnia. ANSWER:
 One of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and Scientism poses a threat because it is the use of methods of
arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He science to explain almost every part of human lives. With this,
was a Fellow and Tutor in people can use it to manipulate and control others by using
information against them. Lewis thought that science could be
 English Literature at Oxford
corrupted and used for power against humanity.
 University until 1954.

The Magician’s Twin

• C.S. Lewis also was a prophetic
critic of the growing power of
scientism in modern society, the
misguided effort to apply science to
areas outside its proper bounds.
• Lewis’s warnings about the dehumanizing impact of
scientism on ethics, politics, faith, reason, and science
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[STS] 1.01 MIDTERM LECTURE

HUMAN FLOURISHING IN PROGRESS AND DE-

DEVELOPMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Discuss human flourishing in the context of progress in
science and technology;
2. Explain the de-development as a progress and
development framework;
3. Reflect deeply and express willingness to help the
environment by accomplishing the consumption audit
table.

UNLOCKING DIFFICULTIES

 GDP (Gross Domestic Product) - is the total value of

goods and services produced in a country.

 Flourishing - developing rapidly and successfully.

OVERCONSUMPTIO
N
 is a situation where resource use has outpaced the
sustainable capacity of the ecosystem. A prolonged
pattern of overconsumption leads to environmental
degradation and the eventual loss of resource bases.

There is enough in the world for everyone's need;

there is not enough for everyone's greed.

- Gandhi

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

 The gap in growth and development between rich and

poor countries were just keeps on widening.

 ✓ Efforts have been poured on to the development

programs designed to assist these poor countries to rise
from zero to slow progress.

Forget “developing” poor countries, it’s time

to “de-develop” rich countries.

By Jason Hickel

GUIDE QUESTION

1. What is the framework of de-development of rich

countries all about?

2. How is the de-development framework different from the

traditional frameworks of development?

3. According to Hickel, how can rich countries de-develop?

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[STS] 1.01 MIDTERM LECTURE
Growth has been the main object of development for the past 70
years, despite the fact that it’s not working. Since
1980, the global economy has grown by 380%, but the number of
people living in poverty on less than $5 (£3.20) a day has
increased by more than 1.1 billion.
In other words, growth isn’t an option any more – we’ve already
grown too much.
Scientists are now telling us that we’re blowing past planetary
boundaries at breakneck speed. And the hard truth is that this
global crisis is due almost entirely to overconsumption in rich
countries.

What does this mean for our theory of

development?
Economist Peter Edward argues that instead of pushing poorer
countries to “catch up” with rich ones, we should be thinking of
ways to get rich countries to “catch down” to more appropriate
levels of development.

According to recent consumer research, 70% of people in middle-

and high-income countries believe overconsumption is putting our
planet and society at risk. A similar majority also believe we
should strive to buy and own less, and that doing so would not
compromise our happiness.

In light of this, perhaps we should regard such countries not as

underdeveloped, but rather as appropriately developed. And
maybe we need to start calling on rich countries to justify their
excesses.

Robert and Edward Skidelsky take us down this road in his book
How Much is enough? Where they lay out the possibility of
interventions such as banning advertising, a shorter working week
and a basic income, all of which would improve our lives while
reducing consumption.

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