Week 3 - Module 1: Historical Antecedents in which Social

Considerations

Definition of STS
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
 Is a new academic, interdisciplinary field in the tertiary level. Sociologists,
scientists and historians became interested in the relationship of scientific
knowledge and technological advancement in the context of society and
environment.
 The experts discovered the interrelationship of Science and Technology as
products of scientist’s socially conditioned investigation rather than an
objective representation of nature. (sts. hks Harvard edu.)
STS – is the study of how social, political and cultural values affect scientific research
and technological innovation and how these in turn affect society, politics, culture and
the environment.
Four meanings of science
1. Science as a knowledge
2. Science as a field of systematic inquiry in nature
3. Science as a form of human cultural activity
4. Science as a total societal enterprise
1.) SCIENCE AS KNOWLEDGE
 It refers to the organized, well-founded body of knowledge of natural
phenomena, contributions to which have been made by the people.
 Scientific ideas are developed by particular ways of observing, thinking,
experimenting, and validating.
2.) SCIENCE  AS A FIELD OF SYSTEMATIC INQUIRY IN NATURE
 It refers to a particular field or domain of systematic inquiry in which such
scientific knowledge in the first sense is sought.
3.) SCIENCE AS A FORM OF HUMAN CULTURAL ACTIVITY
  It refers to a distinctive form or kind of human cultural activity. One practiced
by people now called as scientists and formerly known as among things, and
natural philosophers and scientists and many learned men.
4.) SCIENCE AS A TOTAL SOCIETAL ENTERPRISE
 Complex of knowledge, skills, organizations, facilities, technics, physical
resources, methods and technologies are taken together and in relationship to
one another are devoted to the study and understanding of the natural world.
The latter are understood including in its domain all human mental, physical
and societal phenomena
 Therefore SCIENCE is a systematic study of natural and social  method of
obtaining knowledge about nature by a well defined method. Nature is the
earth, space, non-living and living things. It's neither strange nor mysterious
but in contrary it makes life easier to understand and less fearful.
 The description , understanding and prediction of the physical phenomena
through the use and generation of verifiable theories, laws and principles. The
emergence of science began with the emergence of man.
FOUR MEANINGS OF TECHNOLOGY
1. TECHNOLOGY AS TECHNICS
2. TECHNOLOGY AS TECHNOLOGY
3. TECHNOLOGY AS A FORM OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
4. TECHNOLOGY AS A TOTAL SOCIETAL ENTERPRISE
1.) TECHNOLOGY AS TECHNICS
 refer to material products of human making or fabrication termed as
TECHNICS. Lewis Mumford, a historian of technology defined technics as a “
translation into appropriate, practical forms of the theoretic truths, implicit  or
formulated, anticipated or discovered by science”(Mumford, 1934.p 52).
 Technics does not only refer directly or primarily to a particular individual
devices but how we use technology like for example a  Pyro technique, a
technology of making fireworks. Biotechnology uses living organism or a part of
the organism to create different products like  brewing of beer, baking of bread 
utilize a yeast, a microbe that helps in the fermentation process and as a
 leavening agent of the dough. Recently, the scope of this technology is getting
wider due to the development of genetic engineering.
2.) TECHNOLOGY AS TECHNOLOGY
 It is merely the application of knowledge. This refers to methods, tools,
techniques, processes that situate into practical use or purpose of the scientific
knowledge in solving real problems and to do tasks efficiently. Smartphones,
automatic lights, computers, internet, Email for communication, tablet
computer, electronic databases for record keeping, artificial intelligence and
robots are some of the  examples of devices used by man facilitating daily
routine of life.
3.) TECHNOLOGY AS A FORM OF HUMAN ACTIVITY
 It shows connection between technology and culture. It refers a distinctive form
of human   cultural activities and  as a type of endeavor narrating a specific
nature of the activity like  DOCTORS or  PHYSICIANS are practitioners of
MEDICINE, Craftsmen and Mechanics are ENGINEERS, Artists are
practitioners of ART.
4.) TECHNOLOGY AS A TOTAL SOCIETAL ENTERPRISE
 Is the complex knowledge, people skills, facilities, technics, methods, and
technologies are taken together in relationship with one another, devoted to
research, development, production and operation of technics at a given point
of time in a particular unit either having local, national or global scope.
Technology is viewed as a whole with all the factors affecting development.
TECHNOLOGY - is the application of scientific knowledge in an effort to improve the
quality of human life. Technology may be as old as science when ancient people first
use fire. They were using technology they learned to apply a knowledge of fire to
keep them warm,  to cook food and to keep dangerous animals away. Learning to
control and use fire is technology.
 Differences of Science and Technology
SCIENCE
 Deals with understanding
 Ways of gathering and
explaining new knowledge
 Goal is pursuit of knowledge
 Deals with the natural world
TECHNOLOGY
 Deals of doing
 Deals of skills, techniques,
processes, designs, products
 Craft of Science, practical
application of Science
 Create products that solve
problems and improve human
life
 Is the study of natural laws
which govern the universe
HOW ARE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RELATED?
 The main issue here that the relationship of SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY has
HISTORY that changed the world over millennial years with distinct
characteristics and activities with intense influence to the society.
 Let us review the HISTORY of the relationship that evolved from the
ANTIQUITY, RENAISSANCE until the modern digital age of the 21st century.

Historical Antecedents throughout the Ages

(Era)
 The beginnings of Technology can be traced back from pre-historic man’s
survival techniques.
 Archeologist found and dated pieces of evidence of pre-historic and ancient
technologies as a proof accounting for the evolution of man’s way of life.
 In the latter years, TECHNOLOGIES were much more improved
as SCIENCE became an organized discipline and explained the behavior of
matter that help better understanding in their proper and practical use.
 In ancient times, the introduction of METALS gave early toolmakers
manageable raw materials like:
 Gold and Copper
 Bronze
 Iron
 BRONZE AGE (3500 – 1200 B.C.) is the era where bronze (copper and tin
alloy) is primarily used to craft tools and weapons. Tools are transitioned from
Stone to Metals. “Period of Innovation”
 Most of the inventions and discoveries during the ancient era have reached
impressive levels of achievements.
 The use of simple tools, skilled management of large numbers of workers and
the absence of time pressure allowed these societies to create
both PRODUCTIVE FORMS and THRIVING CITIES.
 Asian inventors like the CHINESE also did their significant share.