SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STS)

Overview:

 Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and being a human activity.
 Aristotle, along with other philosophers believed that knowledge of the world begins by looking and
examining that which exists.
 Flourishing - a state where people experience positive emotion, positive psychological Functioning and positive
social functioning, most of the time living within an optimal range of human functioning.
 Edward W. Younkins in his article Aristotle, Human Flourishing and the Limited State (2003) defined Human
flourishing (also known as personal flourishing) as something that involves the rational use of one's individual
human potentialities, including talents, abilities, and virtues in the pursuit of his freely and rationally chosen
values and goals.

Some Views on Technology

1. Aristolelianism
 Technology
 a means to an end
 the organizing of techniques in order to meet the demand that is being posed by humans
 primarily concerned with the product
 judged as either good or bad based on the value given to the product; based on its use and
effect to the society
2. Technological Pessimism
 Extremely supported by French philosopher Jacques Ellul (1912-1994)
 Technology
 though progressive and beneficial in many ways, it is also doubtful in many ways
 technology has become a way of life
 Technique has become a framework which human cannot escape
 introduced ways on how to make things easy
 Ellul’s Pessimistic Arguments
 Technological progress has a price
 Technological progress creates more problem
 Technological progress creates damaging effect
 Technological progress creates unpredictable devastating effects

3. Technological Optimism
 Strongly supported by technologist and engineers and also by ordinary people who believe that
technology can alleviate all the difficulties and provide solutions for problems that may come.
 Holds that even though technological problems may arise, technology will still be the solutions to it.
 The extreme version of this philosophy is Technocratism which holds technology as the supreme
authority on everything.

4. Existentialism
 Main concern of this view is the existence or the mode of being of someone or something which is
governed by the norm of authenticity.
 Investigates the meaning of existence or being and is always faced with the selection one must
make with which the existence will commit himself to.
 Martin Heidegger, German philosopher, one of the most known supporters of this philosophy
 He did not stop defining what technology is but has dealt with its essence.
  To him, the real essence of technology lies in enframing, the gathering of the setting upon
which challenges man to bring the unconcealed to unconcealment and this is a continuous
revealing.

LESSON 1: TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF REVEALING

A. MARTIN HEIDEGGER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 Martin Heidegger (1889-1996) a well-known German philosopher, examined the two
usual definitions of technology;
a. Means to an end; and
b. A human activity
 Believed that this is kind of confusing and there are questions to it that we easily
overlook
 These two definitions cannot be separated from each other.
 Called it the instrumental and anthropological definition of technology or simply means
by which the human ends are realized.
 To him, this may not be a false definition but it is a misleading one because this limits
our thinking.

B. The instrumental definition of technology

 Heidegger
 the instrumental definition of technology encourages us to view technology from
different periods of time as not having fundamental differences
 claimed that this does not show the true essence of technology
 explained that while technology is geared towards meeting human needs, still
there is a difference between older handicraft technologies with modern
technology
 argued that "technology is by no means technological" and should not be
seen as merely neutral.
 The problem begins when humans see it only as a means to an end and
disregard the fact that there is a good technology and a bad technology

 Heidegger further studied Aristotle's Four causes and illustrated it using a silver chalice which he
said owes its make up from the four causes.
1. Causa Materialis or the Material Cause - the material by which the silver chalice was made
of: silver.
2. Causa Formalis or the Formal Cause - the form of the shape that gave the silver chalice its
image.
3. Causa Finalis or the Final Cause - the purpose or the primary use by which the silver chalice
was made for: to be used during the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine that represent the
blood of Christ.
4. Causa Efficiens or the Efficient Cause - the agent that has caused for the silver chalice to
come about: the silversmith.