Rethinking Human Condition

Human Condition
• People who lived in the past and people who are living in the present all have different
views of what it means to flourish, primarily due to the kind of environment and the period
one is in.
• People’s way of life and how the society works also affect how one construes the concept
of human flourishing.
• The environment needs to be assessed in order to know the possibility of human flourishing
and to what extent it is possible. Science, Technology, and Society by Janice Patria Javier
Serafica, Greg Tabios Pawilen, Bernardo Nicolas Caslib, Jr. and Eden Joy Pastor Alata.
• Since there have been drastic changes in people’s way of life, it can be inferred that there
have been drastic changes not only in the conception of human flourishing but to people’s
actual human condition.
• These changes were brought about by the interplay of different factors but essentially, it
was brought about by science and technology
(Jason Hickel…it’s time to ‘de-develop’ rich countries)
• More often than not, development is equated with growth and greater consumption (maybe
of resources).
• The more that a population is able to consume, the wealthier it is.
• Growth has been the main objective of development for the past 70 years…
• Since 1980, the global economy has grown by 380%, but the number of people living in
poverty… a day has increased by more than 1.1 billion.
• At current levels of average global consumption, people have gone beyond the planet’s
bio-capacity by more than 50% each year.
‘catch up’…’catch down’
• Economist Peter Edward argues that instead of pushing poorer countries to ‘catch
up’…think of ways to get rich countries to ‘catch down’ to more appropriate levels of
development.
• Consider societies where people live long and happy lives at relatively low levels of
income and consumption
• Look at measures of overall happiness and well-being in addition to life expectancy, a
number of low- and middle-income countries rank highly
• Costa Rica manages to sustain one of the highest happiness indicators and life
expectancies in the world with a low per capita income… an appropriately developed
country.
• According to consumer research, 70% of people in middle and high-income countries
believe that
– overconsumption is putting the planet and society at risk
– people should strive to buy and own less… so as not to compromise their
happiness.
• Reorient… rethink the true form of progress, the theory of progress which is not only an
ecological imperative, but also a development.
• Act…slow down…take into account the laws of nature… before food system collapse or
mass famine re-emerges, or poverty to increase even more...

Pursuit of the Good Life

• definition of the good life may vary and differ in the particulars,
• In general, universal truths that cut across difference are recognized
• In Nicomachean 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 at which all things aim (N.E. 2:2)
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and
Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City Pursuit of the Good Life
• The good is expressed and manifested in many various ways for different persons and
circumstances.
• The good life is characterized by happiness that springs from living and doing well.
• The ancient Greeks called this concept of ‘living well and doing well’ as eudaimonia
– From the Greek words eu meaning good and daimon meaning spirit
– Refers to good life marked by happiness and excellence.
• It is a flourishing life filled with meaningful endeavors that empower the human person to
be the best version of himself/ herself.
• According to Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate end of human action, that which
– people pursue through actions that adds to their well-being
– comes from living a life of virtue, excellence, manifested from the personal to the
global scale
– emanates from virtuous actions requiring discipline and practice.
• The good life is marked by happiness brought about by virtuous human actions and
decisions that affect the individual self and the greater community
• A virtue
– plays a significant role in the living and attainment of the good life
– is the constant practice of the good no matter how difficult the circumstances
maybe
– the excellence of character that empowers one to do and be good – cultivated with
habit and discipline McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City Pursuit of
the Good Life
• The progress of S & T is also the movement towards the good life.
• S & T are two of the highest expressions of human capacities, allowing humans to thrive,
flourish in life, or be in danger...this is a choice.
• The good life entails living in a just and progressive society whose citizen have the freedom
to flourish.
• The United Nation General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) on Dec 10, 1948
– as the global standard of fundamental human rights for universal recognition and
protection.
– Serves as a common understanding of what each person’s fundamental rights are.
– Crafted after World War II

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Everyone has absolute moral worth by virtue of being human.
• Human dignity is an ultimate core value of our existence.
• Human beings become

– free when empowered to make choices for our flourishing

– more rational when able to value and apply the principles of logic and science

– More loving when human dignity is ensured to lie at the foundation of any
endeavors

• The UDHR outlines inalienable human rights that are vital and necessary in the pursuit of
the good life.
• The first seven articles of the UDHR encapsulate the spirit of the ‘milestone document in
the history of human rights’
• Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
• Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind…
• Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
• Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be
prohibited in all their forms.
• Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment. Article 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person
before the law.
• Article 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal
protection of the law.

Human and Robots

• The rise of the machines accompanying the progress in S & T result to the gradual
replacement of manual work.
• Robots are created to perform complex, repetitive, or dangerous tasks.
• With the gradual development of artificial intelligence AI, human nature/action/ skills may
be adopted eventually by robots.
• AI use in the country is gaining ground, particularly in the business outsourcing (BPO)
industry
• Unemployment is only one of the many ethical considerations in the widespread use of
AI…
• The utilization of AI may become a threat to human dignity and security.
• In the future, when machines and robots become more human-like, with all the attendant
feelings and thoughts, people may also have to consider the ethical treatment for AI.
• Nicole Carr (2008) asserted that ‘as we come to rely on computers to mediate our
understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence
• The development of society along with science and technology give rise to more and more
complex issues.
• What is important is that, we are able to protect and exercise human rights for everyone in
our pursuit of the good life.
• As we examine contemporary issues in S & T information, genetically modified organisms,
nanotechnology, and climate change we keep in mind that the building of a just and
progressive society entails the constant practice of the good.

Why the future does not need us

• According to Chief Scientist and CEO of Sun Microsystems Bill Joy, the most powerful
21st century technologies such as genetics, nanotech, and robotics (GNR), are threatening
to make humans an endangered species… which may come about due to the unreflective
and unquestioning acceptance of new technologies by humans.
• Humans should learn and reflect on the destructive power of the success/ progress in
science and technology
– Fatal atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945
– The deadly nuclear weapon staged by J. Robert Oppenheimer and other
physicists.
• GNR today is accessible to small groups and individuals and does not require huge funding
and facilities, which makes these more prone to accidents and abuses.
• S & T may be the utmost expression of human rationality, yet some consequences of these
may shape or destroy the world.