Kaven A.

Malazo Science, Technology and Society

CBET 22 702E Prof. Arcely Lopez Hariramani

DEFINITIONS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

SCIENCE

Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts, and Consequences (2016)

defines, “Science is a way of knowing about the world.” Based on my understanding,
at once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage
in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends.

According to the Science Council, “Science is the pursuit of knowledge and

understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based
on evidence.” Based on my understanding, the quest of knowledge and understanding
of the natural and social world via the application of a methodical technique that is
evidence-based is the essence of science.

According to the Oxford American Dictionary: “Science is the intellectual and

practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the
physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” Based on my
understanding, The scientific is the intellectual and practical activity involving the
methodical study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world and
relies heavily on data gathered through experiments and empirical observation.

According to the American Physical Society: “Science is the systematic enterprise

of gathering knowledge about the universe and organizing and condensing that
knowledge into testable laws and theories.” Based on my understanding, simply said,
science is the systematic study of the cosmos with the goal of reducing that information
to a collection of well-established principles and ideas.

Isaac Asimov defines, “Science does not purvey absolute truth, science is a
mechanism. It’s a way of trying to improve your knowledge of nature, it’s a system for
testing your thoughts against the universe and seeing whether they match.” Based on
my understanding, Science is only a procedure; it does not pretend to deliver conclusive
solutions. It is a method that involves contrasting your views with those of the universe
in order to ascertain whether or not they are in accordance with the truth.

TECHNOLOGY

According to Kumar et. al (1999) “Technology consists of two primary components:

1) a physical component which comprises of items such as products, tooling, equipment,
blueprints, techniques, and processes; and 2) the informational component which
consists of know-how in management, marketing, production, quality control, reliability,
skilled labor and functional areas.” Based on my understanding, two main parts make
up modern technology: Products, tools, equipment, designs, methods, procedures, and
expert knowledge in management, marketing, manufacturing, quality control,
dependability, skilled labor, and functional domains are all examples of the former,
whereas knowledge of these topics is an example of the latter.

The concept of technology does not only relate to the technology that embodies in the
product but it is also associated with the knowledge or information of it use, application
and the process in developing the product (Lovell, 1998; Bozeman, 2000). Based on
my understanding, what they mean by "technology" encompasses not only the
components of a product, but also our understanding of how those components work
together to create the final result.
Technology is always connected with obtaining certain result, resolving certain problems,
completing certain tasks using particular skills, employing knowledge and exploiting
assets (Lan and Young, 1996). For every technological advancement, there is an
expected outcome: the solution to a problem, the completion of a job requiring a certain
set of abilities, the application of specific bodies of knowledge, or the exploitation of
specific resources.

MacKenzie and Wajcman (1985) define “Technology as the integration of the

physical objects or artifacts, the process of making the objects and the meaning
associated with the physical objects.” Based on my understanding, the actual things or
artifacts, the method of manufacturing the objects, and the meaning connected with the
physical objects all come together to form what we refer to as technology.

Mascus (2003) has broadened the concept of technology where “Technology is defined
as ‘the information necessary to achieve a certain production outcome from a particular
means of combining or processing selected inputs which include production processes,
intra-firm organizational structures, management techniques, and means of finance,
marketing methods or any of its combination’.” Based on my understanding, production
processes, intra-firm organizational structures, managerial approaches, sources of
financing, marketing tactics, and any combination thereof are all considered forms of
technology.

SOCIETY

Anthony Giddens (2000) states; “A society is a group of people who live in a particular
territory, are subject to a common system of political authority, and are aware of having
a distinct identity from other groups around them.” Based on my understanding, it has
been said that "a society is a collection of people who reside in a given region, are subject
to a shared system of political power, and are conscious of having a separate identity
from other groups surrounding them.
Ian Robertson (Sociology, 1977) “A society is a group of interacting individuals
sharing the same territory and participating in a culture.” Based on my understanding,
people living in close proximity to one another and having a common culture are said to
constitute a society.

John F. Cuber stated that “A society may be defined as a group of people who have
lived together long enough to become organised and to consider themselves and be
considered as a unit more or less distinct from other human units.” Based on my
understanding, a society may be thought of as a collection of individuals who have
coexisted for a long enough period of time that they have organized themselves into
something that is, to some extent, separate from other human units.

Morris Ginsberg defines, “A society is a collection of individuals united by certain

relations or modes of behavior which mark them off from others who do not enter into
these relations or who differ from them in behavior.” Based on my understanding, a
society may be defined as a group of people who are distinguishable from others who do
not participate in these relationships or share these norms of conduct.

R.M. MacIver defines, “Society as a web or social relationships giving importance to

the reciprocal relationships that exist among its people, gave one of the most important
definitions of society.” Based on my understanding, one of the most fundamental
conceptions of society is "society as a web" or "social ties," which gives emphasis to the
reciprocal interactions that exist among its inhabitants.
 REFERENCES:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts,
and Consequences. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23595.

https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-science/

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/science

https://www.aps.org/policy/statements/99_6.cfm

https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/04/06/what-is-science/

Kumar, V., Kumar, U., & Persaud, A. (1999). Building Technological Capability through Importing
Technology: The Case of Indonesian Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Technology Transfer, 24, 81-96.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1007728921126

Lovell, S. A. (1998). Technology Transfer: Testing a Theoretical Model of the Human, Machine, Mission,
Management and Medium Components. Unpublished Msc. thesis. Cranfield: College of Aeronautics,
Cranfield University.

Lan, P., & Young, S. (1996). International Technology Transfer Examined at Technology Component Level:
A Case Study in China. Technovation, 16 (6), 277-286. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0166-4972(96)00005-3

MacKenzie, D., & Wajcman, J. (1985). The Social Shaping of Technology: How the Refrigerator Got Its
Hum, Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

Maskus, K. E. (2003). Encouraging International Technology Transfer. UNCTAD/ICTSD Capacity Building

Project. On Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Development.

Hylle, T. & Eriksen. (2011). What is Society?. Journal Article. Vol. 11, No. 1 (March 2011), pp. 18-22 (5
pages). https://www.jstor.org/stable/23890667

Robertson, I. (1977). Sociology. Worth Publishers. 603 pages

https://sociology.plus/glossary/society/

http://kanikapanwar.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-concept-of
society.html#:~:text=Morris%20Ginsberg%20defines%20society%20as,and%20institutions%20with%20
a%20community.

http://expertpreviews.com/definition-of-society-by-different-authors-best-definition-of-society/