Module 1

Introduction to Science and Technology

In this module, you will learn:

a. discuss the general concepts related to science and technology.
b. explain the scope of the study of Science, Technology and Society.
c. demonstrate preparedness and readiness in the study of Science, Technology and Society.
What is Science?
Science comes from the Latin word scientia, meaning 'knowledge.’ It refers to a systematic and
methodical activity of building and organizing knowledge about how the universe behaves through
observation, experimentation or both. According to the famous American science historian, John Heilbron
(2003, p. vii), “Modern science is a discovery as well as an invention.” Heilbron considered science as a
discovery of regularity in nature, enough for natural phenomena to be described by principles and laws. He
also explained that science required invention to devise techniques, abstractions, apparatuses, and
organizations to describe these natural regularities and their law-like descriptions.

What is Technology?
Technology, for its part, is the application of scientific knowledge, laws, and principles to produce
services, materials, tools, and machines aimed at solving real-world problems. It comes from the Greek root
word techne, meaning ‘art, skill, or cunning of hand.’ During a live public Q&A in December 2014, one
member of the audience asked CEO of Facebook responded:
"What defines a technological tool-one historical definition is something that takes
a human's sense or ability and augments it and makes it more powerful. So, for
example, I wear contact lenses or glasses; that is a technology that enhances my
human ability of vision and makes it better."

Science, Technology and Society

Wolpert (2005) made an interesting comparison between science and technology that is helpful in the study
of their interaction with society. In his landmark paper, The Medawar Lecture 1998: Is Science Dangerous?
Wolpert explained that reliable scientific knowledge has no moral or ethical value. It is meant simply to
explain how nature and the universe work and that the obligation of scientists, besides studying the nature of
the universe, is to explain the possible uses and applications of such scientific knowledge. Along this line,
Wolpert made it clear that science is not the same as technology. Scientists are not responsible for the
application of knowledge in technology. He further explained that the very nature of science is that it is not
possible to predict scientific discoveries and how these discoveries may be applied. While scientists are
responsible for the reliable conduct of scientific inquiry and its honest interpretation and dissemination,
technological applications of science are influenced by other sectors such as politics and governance,
religion, and business. With this distinction, one can surmise the need for the study of the various ways in
which science and technology act and are enacted in society. This is a particularly timely and relevant
concern because of the advancements in science and technology today.
Nowadays, advancements in science and technology become pervasive. They are manifested in the activities
that humans pursue and the tools they use every day. The beauty of this is that an advancement builds upon
itself. As such, humans today have productive and more exciting lives than their predecessors. With the way
things go, it could be expected that this generation's children, and the children of their children have the
chance to lead even better lives than this generation already does.
However, the dynamism and immensity of scientific and technological progress also pose challenges and
drawbacks to the way humans live. The introduction of machines created a tremendous need for the human
workforce and gave rise to questions about whether machines will eventually replace humans. The invention
of drugs that cured the previously incurable diseases introduced new strains of bacteria and viruses that are
resistant to the very same drugs that once fought them-take an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea as an
example. The rise of social media drastically changed the way humans communicate, interact, and share
information; however, this tends to put people's privacy at risk. Indeed, science and technology have served a
predominantly double-edged function.

This is succinctly captured in a famous line of popular American scientist, Carl Sagan, quoted in Tom Head's
(2006) book:
"We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have
cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology.
That's a clear prescription for disaster.”
As problems in science and technology continue to rise and become more observable, the need to pay
attention to their interactions with various aspects of human life, e.g., social, political, and economic,
becomes ever more necessary. How the different aspects of society shape and influence the progression and
further development of science and technology is the area of concern of a relatively new academic discipline
called Science, Technology, and Society.
Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is a relatively young field that combines previously
independent and older disciplines, such as the history of science, philosophy of science, and sociology of
science. As an academic field, STS, according to Harvard University's Kennedy School (2018), traces its
roots from the interwar period and the start of the Cold War. It was during this period when historians and
scientists found interest in the interconnections of scientific knowledge, technological systems, and society.
The rise of STS as an academic field resulted from the recognition that many schools today do not really
prepare students to respond critically, reflectively, and proactively to the challenges posed by science and
technology in the contemporary world.
In general, STS applies methods drawn from history, philosophy, and sociology to study the nature of
science and technology and ultimately judge their value and place in society. As an interdisciplinary field,
the emergence of STS was a result of questions about science and technology's dynamic interaction with
various aspects of society and was thus viewed as a socially embedded enterprise. Thus, as the Kennedy
School effectively encapsulates, STS seeks to bridge the gap between two traditionally exclusive cultures-
humanities (interpretive) and natural sciences (rational) so that humans will be able to better confront the
moral, ethical, and existential dilemmas brought by the continued developments in science and technology.

The John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values of the University of Notre Dame is
responsible for listing the ten emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in science and technology every
year. Below is the list for 2018:
1. Helix - A digital app store designed to help you read your genome.

2. The Robot Priest - BlessU-2 and Pepper are the first robot priest and monk, respectively.

3. Emotion-Sensing Facial Recognition - Optimizing retail experiences by assessing your

reactions.
4. Ransomware - Holding data hostage until you pay up, whether you're an individual or a large
corporation.
5. The Textalyzer - A new tool in the battle against texting and driving that tells cops if you were
on your phone before an accident.
6. Social Credit Systems - China will debut theirs in 2020, but do we already live in a world
where online reputation is king?
7. Google Clips - This little camera will watch you all day and capture your most picturesque
moments.
8. Sentencing Software - There are already Americans being sentenced with the help of a
mysterious algorithm.
9. The Rise of Robot Friendship - Can we create a chat bot out of our loved ones' old texts
and social media posts?
10. The Citizen App - Live crime reporting may lead to vigilante justice.
 Even though several items in the list sound unfamiliar to many, it can be a useful springboard in the study of
science and technology. The list points to the ever growing challenges, questions, and issues that need to be
addressed and resolved when science and technology and humanity intertwine. However, methods of
critiquing these emerging ethical dilemmas may come from similar methods used in previous critiques of
science and technology issues. For example, one can use methods used in critiquing the rise of clinical trials
of gene therapy in the 1990s. Today's approach in critiquing emerging science and technology issues, such as
the ones listed above, may be influenced by how scientists and non-scientists evaluated the positive and
negative implications of clinical trials of gene therapy in the 1990s. For this purpose, one can continue to
specifically draw from the tenets of history, philosophy, and sociology in making informed and critical
judgments of the ethical and moral values of these innovations in science and technology.

Reflection
On the space below, paste a picture of an article from a magazine, newspaper or blog screenshot/printscreen of
any photograph that depicts an issue or problem in science and technology. Then, answer the picture that follow:

1. What is the issue or problem depicted in the photograph?

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2. How does this particular issue or problem impact the well-being of human today?
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3. Why is it important for people to study and learn about STS as an academic field, especially in addressing
the issue or problem depicted in the photograph?
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Your view of Science and Technology

Create a poster in a short bond paper that reflects your view of science and technology. It should specifically state
whether you view science and technology as good or bad, both, or neutral. Be creative. You can use different art
materials to make it visually appealing and impactful. Take a picture and paste your picture here.
Below is the rubric for your poster.
 Category 4 3 2 1 Score
Illustrates Thorough, detailed illustr Somewhat detailed Lacking detailed Little to no
science and ation of theme and man illustration of theme illustration of illustration of
technology y detailed example and few if any theme, lacking theme and little or
given. examples given. detailed no examples given.
examples.
Content ‐  The text and graphics us One or two elements The text and grap No original text or g
Originality  ed on the poster reflect  of text and graphics u hics are made by t raphics made
an sed on the poster refl he student, but ar by the student
exceptional degree of st ect student e based on the \ are included. 
udent creativity in their c creativity in their cre designs or ideas o
reation and/or display.  ation and/or display.  f others. 

Graphics − Graphics are all in focus Most graphics are in Most graphics are Many graphics are
Clarity and the content easily focus and the in focus and the not clear or are too
viewed. content easily content are small. small.
viewed.
Graphics ‐ All graphics are related t All graphics are relate All graphics relate  Graphics do not rel
Relevance o the topic and make it e d to the topic and mo to the topic.  ate to the topic.
asier \to understand.  st make it easier to u
nderstand. 
Attractiveness  The poster is exceptional The poster is attractiv The poster is acce The poster is distra
ly e in terms of design, l ptable ctingly messy or ver
attractive in terms of des ayout and neatness.C attractive though  y poorly designed. 
ign, layout, and neatness olor and space use is  it may be a bit me It is not attractive. 
.  good but a little disor ssy.
The overall organization  ganized. 
and use of color and spa
ce make the poster inter
esting. 
Total Score: