Colegio de San Pascual Baylon

Pag-asa Obando Bulacan

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT
SY 2021-2022
Midterm Examination
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
AND SOCIETY

NAME: Erica B. Daclan DATE: May 25,2022

I. Directions: Answer the following questions and put your response on the text box that is
provided below, use theoretical basis in explaining your answer it should not be vague or
general idea. Your response is limited to 250 words for each question. Send it to my email
jbaculo@cspbobando.education

1. Explain Jason Hickel’s de-development framework .

 In the article entitled, “Forget ‘Developing’ Poor Countries, It’s Time to De-develop Rich Countries”. Exposed that
there are a lot of countries are still poor all over the world. Based on some traditional economists there should be
more growth so that there will be lesser the poorer countries. In the past decades, richer countries continued to be
accumulate wealth, while poorer countries remained in destitute poverty. This the points to the argument that
perhaps developing and growing the poor countries is not the answer but rather to slow down the growth of the rich
countries. According to Hickel, we can de-develop our countries by reducing consumption because some people
purchase items just to show off their status which is not appear in their real life situation, this should be stopped
because it can affect our living. By defining traditional it is about the past or what we can inherit to our ancestor
while progress means something toward the future in the other words looking forward to the future. The traditional
is conservative in the sense of keeping the things the same. Progressive define as a radical or reforming things. In
my perspective, by reducing the amount of infrastructures and the number of the population it can help our economy
to grow because the demand for more housing means lesser the land for agriculture which we give more attention.
Beside from that, the rapid urbanization also contributes to global warming. For the human flourishing means an
effort to achieve the self-actualization and fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individual. It also
involved the rational use which is the individual human potentialities, including the talents, abilities, and virtues to
fulfill the values and goals. If we take a look at this, there will be surplus that could get to the poorer countries if
there is reduced growth in highly-developed countries and hopefully there will be shift towards equal wealth
distribution. I am agreed because we can improve the quality of our living. Especially, the status we are facing now,
we should also think the life expectancy and the growth of our countries because it is not easy to live in poor and
undeveloped country.

2. Do you agree that Google is making Humans stupid? Explain, if you

don’t agree explain it why?
 In his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” author Nicholas Carr describes the impact that the Internet has had on
his writing and on the way we think. Carr juxtaposes the advantages of being able to find anything in just a matter of
seconds with the negative impacts that the Internet has on our ability to think and process information. Carr
admittedly uses the Internet for both work and pleasure: both researching information for his writing and spending
free time glancing at articles, blogs, or watching videos that he stumbles upon on the Internet. Although I do agree
that the efficiency that the Internet provides us has altered the way we learn new material, I do not believe that
Google is making us stupid. Google has opened an avenue for people to research any given topic extremely fast, and
although many of us are guilty of skimming, I do not believe that it is valid to argue that Google is making us
stupid. The benefits of the Internet include its ability to take us to the exact information we are trying to find
extremely fast. The Internet has given authors, like Carr, the ability to conduct the same “research that once required
days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries” by simply typing in a topic of interest into a search bar. However,
media theorist Marshall McLuhan believes that this new age of technology is changing the way we think and
ultimately making us think less because the Internet is doing all of the work for us. Many people find reading, as “a
form of skimming activity” and the task of reading more than three to four paragraphs is “too much to absorb”. The
Internet has created a world of “artificial intelligence,” where we are collectively able to know anything we want,
whenever we want; however, the Internet is reshaping the way we were once able to learn and research a topic.
Google makes a wealth of knowledge available to anyone with Internet access. If it is used effectively, Google will
not just create artificial intelligence and will in fact make it easier for people to learn a lot of information in a shorter
amount of time. According to Carr, reading has become a skimming activity and the task of reading more than three
to four paragraphs is “too much to absorb”. I agree that we rely on skimming more in our research because if an
article isn’t exactly what we are looking for, it is easy to find another article based on an updated Google search. I
believe that research is now more about picking out the facts to quote and expand on our research, rather than
 thoroughly learning and creating a deeper understanding of the material. With the increase in online news videos
and news blurbs, it is becoming easier to skim a short article and find needed information. It is becoming more
unlikely for people to read a full, multipage online article the way that they once read full news stories in
newspapers. I agree that the Internet has built a world of skimming with less focus on reading. When I log onto
Facebook or Google, I am more tempted to read a short article or a quick summary than I am to read a full-page
essay explaining the same thing. When I need to do research, Similarly, Carr stated that he was able to save hours
of time from sifting through the library to find information for his work by simply searching on Google for the
information that he needs. Carr stated that our desire for “immediacy” has weakened “our capacity for the kind of
deep reading”which is proven by the increased accessibility to news and information on social media sites like
Twitter or Facebook where news can be broadcasted in a limited amount of characters. Even though the usage of
words is limited, the same information that can be found in a longer article is conveyed to the readers. Newspapers
and other printed texts are becoming obsolete and many younger audiences are turning towards the social media
sites for immediate information with a limited amount of reading to grasp the information. It is also believed that
Google is giving us a sense of “artificial intelligence”. Everything we need or want to know is available at the click
of a button. Instead of going to the library and sifting through books and periodicals like Carr mentioned, there is
less of a need research in depth. For example, most homework problems can be found on Google. If you use Google
as a resource to find the answer, you will get the problem right and ultimately increase your homework grade.
However, once you get to a test, you will not know the process it takes to get to the answer because you will have
just copied the answer from Google. This creates the idea of artificial intelligence because although we are right, the
background knowledge to get to that right answer is not there. In contrast, however, Carr fails to recognize that we
are able to research anything we want which may in fact give us all the potential to be more intelligent. Rather than
spending hours researching information on a single topic, we are able to find what we need immediately and explore
multiple topics in the same amount of time that it would have taken to search the library for every book needed for
the initial research subject. If Google is used in an effective manner, it can save students what would have initially
taken months of research by making thousands of articles available within seconds. Carr defends his argument
effectively by using research conducted by a number of sources. He includes historical events that connect to his
argument, research done by a number of professionals in this field. He also offers counterarguments to present the
other side of his point but proves that his belief that Google is making us stupid is still stronger than the advantages
that Google has made in our lives. By including research conducted by professionals, he creates a strong argument,
but also demonstrates that we will not know the negative or positive effects of Google for years. Just like the fear
that came with the creation of the printing press and other technological advancements, many people are nervous
about the downside of Google that will not be prevalent for a number of years. So although it makes research and
skimming easier and has redefined the way our brains works, there is strong proof that Google has many benefits to
people of all ages and will continue to be an aid in the future. In conclusion, I believe that our process of thinking
has changed and that many of us lean toward the Internet as the main source of our information. However, I do not
the answer from Google. This creates the idea of artificial intelligence because although we are right, the
background knowledge to get to that right answer is not there. In contrast, however, Carr fails to recognize that we
are able to research anything we want which may in fact give us all the potential to be more intelligent. Rather than
spending hours researching information on a single topic, we are able to find what we need immediately and explore
multiple topics in the same amount of time that it would have taken to search the library for every book needed for
the initial research subject. If Google is used in an effective manner, it can save students what would have initially
taken months of research by making thousands of articles available within seconds. Carr defends his argument
effectively by using research conducted by a number of sources. He includes historical events that connect to his
argument, research done by a number of professionals in this field. He also offers counterarguments to present the
other side of his point but proves that his belief that Google is making us stupid is still stronger than the advantages
that Google has made in our lives. By including research conducted by professionals, he creates a strong argument,
but also demonstrates that we will not know the negative or positive effects of Google for years. Just like the fear
that came with the creation of the printing press and other technological advancements, many people are nervous
about the downside of Google that will not be prevalent for a number of years. So although it makes research and
skimming easier and has redefined the way our brains works, there is strong proof that Google has many benefits to
people of all ages and will continue to be an aid in the future. In conclusion, I believe that our process of thinking
has changed and that many of us lean toward the Internet as the main source of our information. However, I do not

3.According to the article of Martin Heidegger about The Question

Concerning Technology, how does technology reveal human condition? What is
instrumental and anthropological definition of technology according to the
article? Explain.

 The Greek concept of the essence of technology was investigated by Martin Heidegger. The
meaning of technology for the Greeks was assumed to be part of our everyday life. To clarify
further,
The first definition treated technology as an instrument to achieve a purpose or end. For
example, student A bought a laptop and smartphone to be used for online learning since students were
not allowed to attend a face to face learning. The laptops and smartphones are instruments for the
student to achieve his/her purpose which is to participate in online learning.second definition pointed
out that technology is part of our daily activities of the human person which is to invent technology such
as gadgets for online learning, protective equipment to fight COVID-19, agricultural machines to
produce foods and etc.The two definitions of technology are interconnected with each other in such a
way that the outcomes of human activities are meant to serve its purpose. However, this definition of
technology became problematic when technology does not serve its purpose (essence). For example,
imagine that COVID-19 will die naturally. You might think that those PPEs and gadgets for learning are
meaningless because the purpose is not being served. The revival of face to face learning will make a
gadget for online learning less significant in the traditional classroom.
Heidegger claimed that ancient and modern technology are revealing. However,
modern technology is revealing not in the sense of bringing forth but rather challenging
nature. Modern technology challenging nature through extracting, transforming, storing,
and distributing it. Challenging forth reduced nature as standing 'reserve' or something
to be disposed of by the people. For examples, people exploited the natural resources
without minding the negative effects to the ecology, modernization of extracting gold,
coal, and petroleum from the ground compromised the bodies of waters, using of
synthetic dyes and artificial flavoring jeopardize human health, and the use of chemicals
in the agriculture poses threat to food safety and health security.

4. Differentiate the state of human condition before and after science and
technology?
 Our personal life is highly dependent on the technology that people have developed. Technology has advanced with
years and it has changed the way we purchase products, the way we live, the way we communicate, the way we
travel, the way we learn and so many changes have been brought about by these continuous technological
advancements. As people’s demands and life style change, the demand for advancing the type of technology we use
is high. Almost everything we use has been innovated to better standards, a good example is the “Mobile Phone,”
the type of mobile phones we had in 1995 are no longer on demand in this century, the demands of mobile phone
users have changed greatly, and this has resulted in the advancement of mobile phone technologies. Users of mobile
phones demand simplicity and more functionality, which has forced mobile phone manufacturers to develop
computer-minded smart phones which are so easy to use, but also, they come with more functionality compared to
the type of mobile phones we used to have in the past. Technological advancements have helped businesses and
organizations save time and cost of production, which has been an advantage to all businesses. They manage these
advancements to gain competitive advantage. A good example is the 3G/4G broadband, small businesses have taken
advantage of this super-fast internet to reach target markets with less costs of operation. Technology advancement in
medicine and health care technology has helped in saving many innocent lives. Human medicine and health sciences
have improved. Doctors and medical students have embarked on medical technological tools to carry out extensive
research on human health problems and challenges. This extensive research has resulted into the development of
new drugs, and treatments which have helped in curing most challenging human diseases. This has helped in saving
so many lives and it has also prolonged the human lifespan. Let's look at some cool medical technological
advancements and how they help us treatdiabetes, Robotic Surgeons, Neuroprosthetic Chips which prevent seizures
and control artificial limbs with mind, Multimodality Hybrid Imaging Technology which detects prostate cancer and
Artificial Wombs which ae used to grow an embryo outside of a woman’s body