College of Management

GE 108- SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

Mid-Year Class A.Y. 2022-2023

CHAPTER 2

Lesson 3: Science and Technology and its Role in Nation Building

Science and technology have an overwhelming impact on rapid development.

Implementation of science and technology in every nation in every aspect of life is the
greatest evidence of modernization. Convenience, simplicity, and ease in everyday living
have been offered by the introduction of modern gadgets. In the absence of modern
equipment in all sectors or any other field, the advancement and benefits that are being
experienced today would not have been possible. (Pujari, 2016)

Science and technology are fields of endeavor in which two-way interaction operates.
It is a well-established fact that science and technology impact all aspects of our lives as well
as the planet we live on. The changes induced by science and technology have for the most
part benefited mankind, although there are many cases where science and technology-based
innovations have been used to the detriment of mankind, pursued for either wealth or power
or both. It is the responsibility of all concerned to ensure that science and technology are used
widely to benefit mankind (Ratnasiri, 2006).

The advent of science and technology brought progress not only in our country but in
the entire world. Its development determines, to a large extent, the socio-economic progress
of our country. It is a well-known fact that it is directly associated with modernity and is an
essential tool for the rapid development and progress of a country. A nation’s development
and prosperity are judged to a large extent by the status of its science and technology. Science
and technology are the key drivers of development because technological and scientific
revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in the health system, education, and
infrastructure. Science and technology hold the key to the progress and development of any
nation. Technology plays a fundamental role in wealth creation, improvement in the quality
of life, and real economic growth and transformation in any society. In today's world,
countries that have invested in science and technology have become leaders in innovation and
have achieved significant progress in various fields.

Science and technology have been one of the main driving forces behind the
economic growth of nations. Most developed countries have generated new technologies with
the potential to result in dynamic economic performance. This, however, has not been the
case with most of the developing countries, and their developmental plans have not given

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Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
emphasis and importance to science and technology and, in particular, to research in the
science and technology aspects. Countries like India, South Korea, and Taiwan in the region
have achieved much through science and technology and stand out as having demonstrated
the absolute importance of science and technology for economic growth. These countries are
examples of developing countries. The impact of technology on society is, without doubt,
going to be even more marked in the future.

Lesson 4: The Roles of Science and Technology in the Developing world in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, science and technology have assumed increasingly significant
roles in the developing world, transforming societies, economies, and the quality of life for
millions of people. The importance of science and technology in addressing the national
and international issues necessitates the promotion of various science and technology
program throughout the developing countries. Developments in science and technology are
fundamentally transforming the way people live, connect, communicate and transact, with
profound impacts on economic development. According to Lee Roy Chetty (2012), science
and technology are key drivers to development, because scientific and technological
revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in, education and infrastructure. The
technological revolutions of the 21st century are emerging from new sectors such as on
micro-processors, telecommunications, bio-technology and nano-technology transforming
business practices across the economy, and the lives of those who have access to their effects.
The most remarkable breakthroughs will come from the interaction of insights and
applications arising when these technologies converge.

Through breakthroughs in health services and education, these technologies have the
power to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries. Eradicating malaria and
cures for other diseases which are endemic in developing countries are now possible,
allowing people with debilitating conditions to live healthy and productive lives.

The extent to which developing economies emerge as economic powerhouses depends

on their ability to grasp and apply insights from science and technology and use them
creatively. Innovation serves as the primary catalyst of technological growth and drives
higher living standards. Accordingly, developing countries realize the importance of
benchmarking and learning best practices from the developed nations to eventually produce a
localized science and technology programs. (National Academy of Sciences, 2006)

To promote technological advances, developing countries should invest in quality

education for youth, continuous skills training for workers and managers, and should ensure
that knowledge is shared as widely as possible across society. The educational system shall
emphasize science at all levels and re-orient the entire society towards scientific thinking in
order to develop new technologies and adapt existing ones to improve societal well-being and

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Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
security. Creating new technologies and adapting existing ones require concerted efforts to
revitalize education, train skilled individuals, and foster collaborative partnerships between
government, industry, and academia to develop integrated industries.

The state of science and technology determines the socio-economic progress of a

country. It is a well-known fact that national progress is highly correlated to the capacity of a
country to produce local industrial goods for domestic needs and that industrialization is very
much dependent on the application of science and technology. Science and technology have a
vital role in fostering social and economic progress in numerous developing countries. The
importance of science and technology in addressing national and international issues
necessitates the promotion of various science and technology programs throughout the
country. Science and technology have played a crucial role in the development of the
developing world in the 21st century, improving the quality of life for many people and
opening up new opportunities for economic growth.

CHAPTER 3

Lesson 1: The human flourishing in terms of science and technology

As we grow and develop, there are different factors that affect us, leading to different
questions that need to be answered and actions that need to be taken. Flourishing is a state
where people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning, and
positive social functioning. Flourishing is the highest good of human attempt to achieve
his/her goal. It is a success as a human being when he/she achieved it for the betterment of
his/her life. The best life is one of excellent human activity. “Eudaimonia”, literally “good
spirited” is a term connected by renowned Greek Philosopher Aristotle to describe the peak
of human’s happiness that can be attained.

Aristotle’s human flourishing arises as a product of different factors such as

phronesis, friendship, wealth and power. The Ancient Greek society believed that for the
people to achieve the true meaning of happiness these qualities should be acquired, which in
effect allow them to join in the greater notion of what we call the Good.

For Aristotle, the good is what is good for purposeful and goal-directed entities. He
defines the good proper to human beings as the activities in which the life functions specific
to human beings are most fully realized. For Aristotle, the good of each species is finality
existing to that species. A person’s nature as a human being provides him with guidance with
respect to how he should live his life. A fundamental fact of human nature is the existence of
individual is the existence of individual human beings each with his own rational mind and

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Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
free will. The highest or most general good to which all individuals should aim is to live most
fully a life that is proper to man. The proper function of every person is to live happily,
successfully, and well. This is done through the active exercise of a person’s distinctive
capacity, rationality, as he/she engages in activities to the degree appropriate to the person in
the context of his/her own identity as a human being.

One’s own life is the only life that a person must live. It follows that, for Aristotle, the
“good” is what is objectively good for a person. Aristotle’s eudaimonia is formally egoistic in
that a person’s normative reason for choosing actions stems from the idea that he/she must
pursue his/her own good or flourishing. Because self-interest is flourishing, the good in
human conduct is connected to the self-interest of the acting person. Good means “good for”
the individual moral agent. Egoism is an integral part of Aristotle’s ethics.

In his ethical writings, Aristotle endorses egoism, rationality, and the value of life. He
insisted that the key idea in ethics is a human individual’s own personal happiness and well-
being. Each person is responsible for his/her own character. According to Aristotle, each
person has a natural obligation to achieve, become, and make something of himself/herself by
pursuing his/her true ends and goals in life. Each person should be concerned with the “best
that is within him/her” and with the most accomplished and self-sufficient success and
excellence.

In the beginning, early people relied on animals for their transportation; they relied on
stones and spears to hunt food; they used skin of animals to protect their skin and used it as
clothes; they used tones to make fire and lastly; they just lived in a cave as their shelter. As
the time went by there was a big change in the way the people live before and the way the
people live today. Development allowed them to make grander and more sophisticated
machines to aid them in their endeavors that eventually led to space explorations, medicines
innovations and ventures of life after death. Our concept of human flourishing today proves
to be different from what Aristotle originally perceived. Humans of today are expected to
become a “man of the world”. The person today is supposed to build himself/herself in a
global neighborhood, working side by side among institutions and different governments to
be able to reach a common goal. Competition as a means of survival has become outdated;
Cooperation and coordination among individuals are the new trend.

There is a difference between eastern and western ideas regarding society and human
flourishing. The Western Society predominantly emphasizes on individual flourishing as their
primary focus, while those from the East are more community-centric. Individual flourishing
as an end then is primarily more of a concern for Western civilization. Eastern civilization
puts the community above the individual flourishing. Community is given the highest regard
and that the individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of society.

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Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
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REFERENCES

BOOKS

1. Prieto, N., Vega, V., Felipe, E., Meneses, J. (2019). Science, Technology and Society.
Lorimar Publishing Inc.

2.

LINKS/WEBSITES

1. https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/central-mindanao-university/science-technology-
and-society/science-technology-and-nation-building/24463342

2. https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/brigham-young-university/business-ethics/
human-flourishing-in-science-and-technology/43243183

3.

ARTICLES

1. https://directresearchpublisher.org/drjsses/files/2016/12/Anaeto-et-al1.pdf

2.

GROUP

REPORTERS

Stephanie Andrada Marecar Abuenas

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)
 RESEARCHER

Geraldine B. Abucay Jerielyn B. Adremesin Alma Mae Lim

LAYOUT

Rhea V. Alianza Princess Nicole L. Lentija

SUBMITTED TO:

PERRY JOE D. ODEVILAS, LPT

Course Facilitator

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)