Lesson 1: Definition of STS, Scientific Method and Critical Thinking

➢ Science is the means by which society is transformed and its pace of growth is faster now
compared to the past.
o From the Latin word “scientia”, science means knowledge, specifically, it refers to
knowledge about nature and about the universe.

Definitions of science that are widely accepted as standard.

1. "Science is that branch of study in which facts are absorbed and classified and usually
quantitative laws are formulated and verified, involves the application of mathematical
reasoning and data analysis to natural phenomena."
Source: The 1983 McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Science and Technology
2. “Science is the state of knowing knowledge, as distinguished from ignorance or
misunderstanding."
Source: The 2001 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
3. "Science is the study of nature and natural phenomena characterized by the possibility of
making precise statements which are susceptible of some sort of check or proof.”
Source: The 1997 McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
4. "Science is the systematic and unbiased study of the world, including everything that can be
seen or detected in nature, man and society, and the knowledge that grows out of such study."
Source: The 1983 New Standard Encyclopedia
5. "Science is the study of truth, the common principles of which are supposed, to be known and
separated so that the Individual truths even though some or all may be dear in themselves,
have a guarantee that they could have been discovered and known, either with certainty or
with such probability as the subject admits of, by other means than their own evidence."
Source: The 1989 Encyclopedic Dictionary of Art, Literature and Science
6. "Science is a human creation, which arises from the need to make sense of the world. It is a
progressive activity that constitutes a world view and permeates almost every aspect of
modem life."
Source: The 1987 Collier's Encyclopedia

Definitions and Scope of Science

Science as an idea could mean ideas and theories. It covers observations about the physical
world and explanations about nature. It also involves careful experimentations and
measurements as means of understanding natural events that follow the cause and effect
patterns.
Science As an intellectual activity, science consists of conducting studies about natural and
physical world that are done practically yet systematically. It involves observations and
experimentations and derivations of possible and testable answers to scientific inquiries or
questions or explanations of scientists’ observations in nature.
Science as a body of knowledge simply means a school science. Specifically, it means that it
is a subject or a field of study or a discipline that deals with the method and process of learning
about the natural and physical world and
Science As a personal and social activity science includes scientific knowledge and scientific
activities that will enable a person to have a better understanding about the world, for the
improvement of life and to survive in this life that we have.
 ➢ Technology
o product of science.
o From the Greek word “Tekhnologia”, which means a systematic treatment.

Definitions of technology drawn from the following standard sources:

1. From the 1983 McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Science and Technology, the term "Technology
refers to a systematic knowledge and its application to industrial process that is closely related
to engineering and science."
2. The 2001 edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, defined the word "Technology
as a systematic treatment of an art, the practical application of knowledge especially in a
particular area."
3. The 1991 New Webster's dictionary and Thesaurus presented "Technology as a science of
mechanical and industrial arts as contrasted with fine arts."
4. The 1983 edition of New Standard Encyclopedia, defined technology as: "The use of scientific
knowledge to develop and produce goods and services useful to man is technology. It is
sometimes called as applied science.”
5. In the 1983 Macmillan's Science & Technology Encyclopedia, technology is defined as a
"Systematic study of the methods and techniques employed in industry, research, agriculture,
and commerce."
6. From 1994 edition of Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, (1994) "Technology is
a systematic knowledge and action usually of industrial processes but applicable to any
recurrent activity.”

➢ Society “pertains to the people in a community or People in general thought of as living

together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values.” From (Merriam-
Webster Dictionary)

Two Reasons Why Embark in Scientific Activities?

• Persistent observation and study of the natural and physical world will enable us to find meaning
and seek answers to many questions.

• It will develop noble ideas, called philosophy, to provide alternative or possible explanations to
certain phenomena.

What is a Scientific Method?

• It is logical, problem-solving approach

• These are principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge (MerriamWebster)
• It can be attributed to Alhazen, one of the most important and influential figures in the history of
science.
- Alhazen born in Basra, now in Iraq
- 965 C.E.
-Interests included astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, music, optics, physics,
and poetry.
Steps of the Scientific Method

1. make observations
2. determine the problem
3. formulate hypotheses
4. conduct experiment
5. gather and analyze results
6. state conclusions and recommendations

Top 10 Ethical Dilemmas in Science for 2020

(https://www.laboratoryequipment.com/558920-Top-10-Ethical-Dilemmas-in-Science-for-2020/)

1. The Pseudoscience of Skincare Skincare market is taking advantage of that fact, with “skin tech”
expected to be worth $12.8 billion in 2020. The subcategory of skin tech includes, but is not limited
to: LED masks, electronic face scrubbers, facial massagers, smart mirrors and skincare cameras. The
problem here is that beauty companies market themselves as “clinically proven” when that is, in fact,
not the case. Most research done by manufacturers does not meet the scientific method and is not
reproducible. The experts hired to tout these products are not scientists either—they are often celebs
or even dermatologist-celebs who have their own agenda.

2. AI and Gamification in Hiring -While hiring companies can already see a candidate’s social media
history, some companies are going a level beyond and using neurological games and emotion-sensing
recognition as part of their assessments. If taken to the extreme, this means a machine could decide
if you are right for a position based entirely on your responses to a game of your facial expressions.
Nevermind your resume, your phone interview, your in-person interview, or your impressive track
record—it could all be for naught.

3. Predatory Journals -Researchers estimate there are roughly 8,000 predatory journals, or journals
that lack ethical practices such as peer-review and have extremely low standards. The thing is, when
these journals publish anything, the information becomes fodder for unknowing researchers and
scientists who are duped into believing it’s the truth. Given the immense amount of pressure on
academics to publish, some become desperate enough to—intentionally or unintendedly—engage
with these predatory journals. As you’ll read later on in this list, fake data is not something we can
afford much more of.

4. The HARPA SAFEHOME Proposal -President Donald Trump’s White House is considering a
controversial plan to monitor the mentally ill as a way to stop mass shootings in the U.S.—a program
that sounds a lot like a real-life Minority Report. HARPA, run by a third-party pancreatic cancer
foundation with no governmental ties, would leverage data available on phones and smartwatches to
detect when mentally ill people are about to turn violent. Beyond the infringement of civil liberties,
research has not found reliable benchmarks to predict violent behavior, or even classify the mentally
ill versus non-mentally ill.

5. Class Dojo and Classroom Surveillance -ClassDojo is a popular online tool that, through recording
in the classroom, scores children on their behavior, and then shares that with the class, as well as
parents. The system’s company says it is meant to foster positive behavior in the classroom, but
pundits raise more than a few concerns, including: 1) can the information be hacked; 2) how is good
behavior quantified/defined?; and 3) does it promote anxiety/shame among students?
6. Grinch Bots -Aptly named “Grinch Bots” include online entities that buy up popular goods as soon
as they hit the market in order to control supply and demand. Once the goods are sold-out, they are
resold on the secondary market at an inflated price. This isn’t a new problem, but there also isn’t a
new solution, either. In 2016, Congress passed the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, but it hasn’t
been very effective. The Stopping Grinchbots Act 2018 was introduced last year and is currently
awaiting more action from the House. However, the bill would only make it illegal to resell products
purchased by automated bots, and obviously doesn’t apply to the rest of the world.

7. Project Nightingale -Dubbed Project Nightingale, this partnership sees Ascension, the second-
largest health care system in the U.S., collaborate with Google to host health records on the Google
Cloud. With roughly 2,600 hospitals, doctors’ offices and other related facilities spread over 21 states,
it holds 10s of millions of patient records. Both companies signed a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act), meaning Google can’t do anything with the records other than provide a cloud
hosting service. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that neither doctors nor patients had been
informed of what was happening with these records and that roughly 150 Google employees had
access to the data. As data increasingly moves to the cloud and other storage options, and companies
such as Microsoft and Apple also launch health projects, we have be ensure our data is protected.

8. Student Tracking Software

Universities are increasingly using predictive analytics to—essentially—stalk a candidate. Some
college websites use software that reveals the name, age, ethnicity, address and contact information
of a candidate, as well as which specific college sub-pages he/she visited and how long was spent on
each web page. The college then uses these factors to determine an “affinity score” that decides how
likely a candidate is to accept an offer from the college. But, Baron says, when colleges assign scores
to students based on income and interest, it strips applications of much of their context and it also
discriminates against low-income students or those without dedicated Internet access. The analytics
have the potential to harm a prospective student’s college admission based on an algorithm that
assumes ideal candidates.

9. The Corruption of Tech Ethics -When CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing went mainstream in 2012,
researchers immediately called a moratorium due to the high-power potential of the system. There
were then nationwide meetings, international meetings, multiple groups got involved—overall, it
went exactly as it was supposed to. Now, however, the legitimacy of the ethical researcher is taking a
hit as lawyers, business people, journalists and others muddy the waters. Ethics officers need to have
rigorous training and understand the frameworks for ethical decision making. Otherwise, ethics turns
into a merry-go-round.

10. Deep fakes -Manipulating video and audio to make it appear as something it is not is not new.
However, the recent application of deep learning to create hard-to-identify fakes is more
sophisticated, and more concerning. States are attempting to build legislation against deep fakes, and
companies like Facebook and Microsoft want to help develop tools to spot them. But these days, just
about anyone can download deep fake software to create fake videos or audio recordings that look
and sound like the real thing—and nothing gets deleted from the Internet.
Lesson 2: Historical Antecedents of STS

➢ Antecedent defined as a precursor to the unfolding or existence of something.

➢ Historical Antecedents in science and technology are factors that paved the way for the
presence of advanced and sophisticated scientific and technological innovations today.
▪ happened during the ancient times the middle ages and modern period.

Ancient period which the rise of ancient civilizations paved the way for advances in science
and technology. These advances during the ancient period allowed civilization to flourish
by finding better ways of communication, transportation, self-organization and of living in
general.

Examples:

Ancient wheel

-invented circa 3,500 B.C., and rapidly spread across the Eastern Hemisphere. Wheels are the
archetype of a primitive, caveman-level technology. But in fact, they're so ingenious that it took
until 3500 B.C. for someone to invent them. Evidence indicates they were created to serve as potter's
wheels around3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia—300 years before someone figured out to use them for
chariots. Early wheels were simple wooden disks with a hole for the axle. Some of the earliest wheels
were made from horizontal slices of tree trunks. Because of the uneven structure of wood, a wheel
made from a horizontal slice of a tree trunk will tend to be inferior to one made from rounded pieces
of longitudinal boards.

Paper

-As early as 3000 B.C., Egyptians had developed a technique for making paper from the pith of the
papyrus plant. Long strips were woven together and weighted down to bind them into a strong, thin
sheet. The Egyptians also invented pens made of cut reeds, which were strong enough to write on
the papyrus, and mixed soot or other organic material with beeswax and vegetable gum to
make ink. Many of these papyrus sheets inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics remain intact and
readable, even after more than 5,000 years ago.

Shadoof

-The shadoof, or sweep, was an early crane-like tool with a lever mechanism, used in irrigation since
around 3000 BCE by the Mesopotamians, 2000 BCE by theancient Egyptians, and later by the
Minoans, Chinese (c 1600 BCE), and others.Irrigation is a way of watering crops using basins,
dikes, ditches, walls, canals, and waterways. The sweep was used to lift water from a river or lake
onto land or into another river or lake. The mechanism comprises a long pole with a bucket attached
to the end of it. It is still used in many areas of Africa and Asia and very common in rural areas of India.

Middle Ages The major advances in scientific and technological development took place in
this period.
Examples:
1. Heavy Plough According to Prof. Thomas Andersen ”The heavy plough turned European
agriculture and economy on its head. The fields with heavy, fatty soil became those that
 gave the greatest yields.” Because of the invention of heavy plough, northern Europe saw
rapid economic prosperity.
2. Gun powder Around 850 A.D., Chinese alchemists accidentally invented the gunpowder.
Prior to the invention of gunpowder, swords and spears were used in battles and wars.
The invention of gunpowder has allowed advanced warfare such as fiery arrows, cannons and
grenades.
3. Paper Money was first used by Chinese in 17th century. Before the introduction of paper
money, merchants and traders used precious metals such as gold and silver. They realized that
using paper money brought advantages because it is easier to keep and transport.
4. Spinning Wheel A machine used to transform fiber into thread or yarn and eventually woven
into cloth. It is theorized that the Indians are the one invented the spinning wheel between
6th and 11th century. It sped up the rate of manually spinning fiber by 10 to 100 times.

Modern Ages As the world population steadily increased, people of the Modern Ages
realized the importance of increasing the efficiency of transportation, communication,
and production.

1. Compound Microscope - A Dutch spectacle maker named Zacharias Janssen is

credited
for the invention of the first compound microscope in 1590. Together with his father, Hans,
Zacharias began experimenting with lenses by putting together several lenses on a tube.
This
led to an amazing discovery that an object, when placed near the end of the tube, can be
magnified far larger than what a simple magnifying lens can do. Janssen’s compound
microscope was an important progression from the single lens microscope. It was capable
of magnifying objects three times their size when fully closed and up to ten times when
extended to the maximum.

2. Telescope - It was invented by Galileo Galilei. This invention could magnify objects 20
times larger than the Dutch perspective glasses. It was Galileo who first used the
telescope skyward and made important astronomical discoveries, and identified the
presence of craters and mountains on the moon.

3. Engine-powered Airplane - Invented by Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright. They demonstrated
that slightly-tilted wings are the key features of a flying aircraft.

4. Television - Invented by Scottish engineer John Logie Baird in 1920s. British Broadcasting
Corporation used this for its earliest television programming in 1929. This first television is
mechanical and not the same as the television we have nowadays.

INVENTIONS OF FILIPINO SCIENTISTS

1. E-jeepney by Leonardo Salvador Sarao Sr.

2. Erythromycin Created from the strain of bacterium Streptomyces erthreus Invented by
Abelardo Aguilar
3. Medical Incubator Invented by Fe Del Mundo
4. Mole Remover made from cashew nuts extracts. Invented by Mr. Rolando Dela Cruz
5. Banana Ketchup invented by Maria Y. Orosa
Lesson 3: Intellectual Revolution that defined Society

Scientific Revolution
During the 16th and 17th century, drastic transformation of society’s views about nature took place.
In this period, the Greek view of nature that had been embraced by people for almost 2000 years was
substituted with scientific views about nature. This period emphasizes on abstract reasoning,
quantitative thought, an understanding on how nature works and the development of an
experimental scientific method.

What did the Scientific revolution lead to ?

The sudden emergence of new information during the Scientific Revolution called into question
religious beliefs, moral principles, and the traditional scheme of nature. It also strained old institutions
and practices, necessitating new ways of communicating and disseminating information. Prominent
innovations included scientific societies (which were created to discuss and validate new discoveries)
and scientific papers (which were developed as tools to communicate new information
comprehensibly and test the discoveries and hypotheses made by their authors).

Influences to Scientific Revolution

Scientific revolutions is very significant in:

a. Formulation of scientific ideas

b. In human development

c. Transformation of society

Who are the Intellectual revolutions that defined society?

Three notable scientists had shaken the world and their intellectual revolutions have defined society:
(1) Nicolaus Copernicus in his Copernican Revolution (2) Charles Darwin in his Theory of Evolution (3)
Sigmund Freud and his Freudian revolution.

Copernican Revolution

In 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer and mathematician introduced the
Heliocentric idea about the solar system that places the sun at its center as opposed to the Ptolemic
model that places the earth at the center.

Darwinian Revolution

Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, biologist and geologist wrote and published “The Origin of the
Species” where he introduced the evolutionary theory.

In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies
on the process of natural selection. The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are
related and gradually change over time. This theory was very controversial especially that it emerged
at the time when most people believed and accepted the Biblical version of earth’s creation.
Freudian Revolution

Sigmund Freud was born in 1856, grew up in Vienna, where he attended medical school and spent
most of his professional career. First drawn to neurology, his interest soon shifted to psychology and
therapy. Psychology in the past was perceived by people to be more of an art and not as a science and
was classified as a subject under philosophy. This perception was changed by Sigmund Freud
revolutionary theory on psychoanalysis.

What is Psychoanalysis?

1. Psychoanalysis is a method of investigation of the mind; a systematized set of theories about human
behavior; and a method of treatment of psychological or emotional illness. (Tabitha Griffin)

2. Psychoanalysis is defined as a set of psychological theories and therapeutic methods which have
their origin in the work and theories.
Lesson 4: Science and Technology and Nation-building

History Overview of Philippine Science and Technology

Before the hispanization of the country, early Filipinos have exhibited science and technology in their
ways of life. This ‘informal’ scientific and technological knowledge that they exhibited and practiced
were influenced by factors such as survival, culture and economic activities. Through their ways in
agriculture, methods in livestock growing and food production, the scientific knowledge of the early
inhabitants of the country is manifested. These methods and ways of work of the early Filipinos are
now termed as ‘folk science’ or other times, ‘indigenous science’ (Serafica and others 2018).

The country’s development in science and technology was not only shaped by the lives of early Filipinos.
External factors like the colonization of the country by foreign countries, trades with foreign countries
and international economic standards (Serafica and others 2018).

During the Spanish era, the country learned new culture and practices brought by the Spaniards. One
of the most remarkable contributions of the Spanish colonization was the establishment of a university
where philosophy, theology and the humanities are studied.

The galleon trade has brought more science and technology in the country. These trades allowed
foreign ideas, concepts, technology and Western culture and practices to enter the country and
influence the people’s lives (Serafica and others 2018).
The Americans, on the other hand, brought remarkable contributions to the development of science
and technology in the country. One of which is the introduction of the secularized public school system.

For the People: Government Policies in Science and Technology

Science and technology (S&T) play an important role in sustaining a long-term growth of the country.
In the Philippine Development Plan 2017–2022, the strategies
In the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the agency concerned with
advancing the country’s scientific and technological capacity. The department is mandated to “provide
central direction, leadership and coordination of scientific and technological efforts and ensure that
the results therefrom are geared and utilized in areas of maximum economic and social benefits for the
people” (Executive Order 128 1987).
The DOST is composed of the following: the sectoral planning councils, collegial and scientific bod ies,
S&T services and research and development (R&D) institutes. The department puts effort into attaining
the 11-point agenda (DOST 2017):
- pursue R&D to address pressing national problems
- conduct R&D to enhance productivity and improve management of resources
- engage in R&D to generate and apply new knowledge and technologies across sectors
- strengthen and utilize regional R&D capabilities
- maximize utilization of R&D results through technology transfer and commercialization
- develop human resources and build a strong culture
- upgrade facilities and capacities to advance R&D activities and expand S&T services
- expand assistance to communities and the production sector, particularly the Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME)
- provide solutions for disaster risks and climate change adaptation and mitigation
- strengthen industry-academe-government and international collaboration.
- enhance effectiveness governance

The Department of Science and Technology worked together with the National Research Council of the
Philippines (NRCP) in order to determine strategies and policies that can help the country prepare itself
in accomplishing the ASEAN 2015 goals. The resulting policies were clustered into four:
- Social sciences, humanities, education, international policies and governance
- Physics, engineering and industrial research, earth and space sciences and mathematics
- Medical, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences
- Biological sciences, agriculture and forestry

DOST have existing projects:

(1) funds for researches, patents and projects related to science and technology;
(2) scholarship grants for undergraduate and graduate studies of S&T students;
(3) more campuses of the Philippine Science High School where young Filipino students are trained in
S&T;
(4) S&T parks to encourage academic and industrial partnerships;
(5) Balik Scientist Program to encourage Filipino scientists to come home and work on researches and
projects with fellow Filipino scientists.
Other programs that are supported by the government include those that were established and
developed by the Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED), and the Philippine Congress.

These policies, projects and programs that were established, developed and supported by the
concerned government agencies are shaped by several factors:
1. national goals
2. international treaty
3. legal framework
4. the country’s social needs
5. issues and problems (Serafica and others).

S&T Towards Nation-Building

Nation-building is a process with an end goal of establishing common interests, goals and preferences
among citizens of a country towards the formation of that country where the people have no intentions
of separating themselves from one another (Alesina and Reich 2015).