A.

Human Flourishing in Science, Technology and Society

Science and Technology (Ayush Raj)
• The goal of science is the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake
• The goal of technology is to create products that solve problems and improve human life
• Technology is the practical application of science
• Technology become part of us already
• Technology is relative
• Our schedule is relative to the technology we are using
• Consume most of our time

Technology as a Product of Human Reason and freedom

• Man is a rational and with his rationally comes also his creativity
• This creativity means man has the capacity to innovate whatever are those available and create new
things which other animals cannot

Eudaimonia

• literally “good spirited”

• term coined by renowned Greek philosopher Aristotle
• to describe the pinnacle of happiness that is attainable by humans
• often been translated to “human flourishing” (likening humans to flowers achieving their full bloom)
• result of different components such as phronesis, friendship, wealth and power
• in Ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring these qualities will surely bring the seekers
happiness, which in effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of what we called the Good
• as time change, elements that comprises human flourishing changed, which are subject to dynamic
social history as written by humans
• people found means to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more products, and
make more money, and then repeating the process in full circle
• the progress of human civilizations throughout history mirrors the development of science and
technology
• the human person, as both the bearer and beneficiary of science and technology, flourishes and
finds meaning in the world that he/she builds
• in the person’s pursuit of the good life, he/she may unconsciously acquire, consume, or destroy
what the world has to offer
• It is thus necessary to reflect on the things that truly matters
• Science and technology must be taken as part of human life that merits reflective and as the German
philosopher Martin Heidegger says meditative thinking
• Science and technology, despite its methodical and technical nature, gives meaning to the life of a
person making his/her way in the world
• To be able to appreciate the fruits of science and technology, they must be examined not only for
their function and instrumentality but also for their greater impact on humanity as a whole
• The various gadgets, machines, appliances and vehicles are all tools that make human lives easier
because they serve as a means to an end
• Their utility lies on providing people with a certain good, convenience or knowledge
• Medical research employs the best scientific and technological principles to come up with cures for
diseases and ways to prevent illnesses to ensure a good quality of life

B. Technology as Mode of Revealing

• Martin Heidegger urges to question technology and see beyond people’s common understanding of
it
• According to ancient doctrine, the essence of a thing is considered to be what the thing is
• We ask question concerning technology when we ask what it is
 • Everyone knows that two statements that answer our question
• One says: Technology is a means to an end
• The other says: Technology is a human activity
• The two definitions of technology belong together
• This definition is correct but not necessarily true
• The “true” entails so much more meaning and significance
• Heidegger, however, asserted that the true can be pursued through correct
• In other words, the experience and understanding of what is correct lead us to what is true
• Heidegger urged people to envision technology as mode of revealing as it shows so much more
about human person and the world
• Technology is a way of bringing forth, a making something
• By considering technology as a mode of revealing, then the truth is brought forth
• Heidegger put forward to ancient Greek concepts of Aletheia, poiesis, and techne
• Aletheia means unhiddenness or disclosure
• Poeisis is defined as bringing forth. For Aristotle, it means making or producing something for a
purpose
• Techne (root word for technology) means skills, art or craft. It means bringing forth something
• Thus, in Heidegger’s work, technology is a poeisis that discloses or reveals the truth

Technology as Poeisis: Applicable to Modern Technology?

• Does the idea that technology is poeisis apply to modern technology?

• Heidegger characterizes modern technology as a challenging forth since it is very aggressive in its
activity
• Modern technology may also be a model of revealing but not as the harmonious bringing forth
• Modern technology challenges nature and demands of its resources that are forcibly extracted for
human consumption and storage
• With modern technology, revealing never comes to an end
• Revealing always happens on our own terms as everything is on demand
• Information at our fingertips, food harvested even out of season, etc.
• We no loner need to work with the rhythms of nature because we have learned to control it
• We order nature and extract, process, make ready for consumption and store what we have forced
it to reveal
• Heidegger described modern technology as the age of switches, standing reserve and stockpiling for
its own sake. This observation is manifested in the mechanization and digitization of many aspects of
our lives-----from agriculture to communications and transportation, among many others

Questioning as the Piety of Thought

• In this stepping back and taking stock of things, we begin to wonder and question
• One may admire the intricacy of mechanisms and the sophistication of mobile applications
• There is so much wealth of insights that can be gathered when people stop, think, and question
• Normally, piety is associated with being religious but for Heidegger, piety means obedience and
submission

Enframing: Way of Revealing in Modern Technology

• The way of revealing in modern technology is an enframing

• This enframing that challenges forth and sets upon nature is a way of looking at reality
• In simpler terms, it is as if nature is put in a box or in a frame so that it can be better understood and
controlled according to people’s desires
• Poeisis is concealed in enframing as nature viewed as an orderable and calculable system of
information
 • According to Heidegger, in calculative thinking one orders and puts system to nature so it can be
understood better and controlled
• In meditative thinking, one lets nature reveal itself to him/her without forcing it. One kind of
thinking is not in itself better than the other
• The human person has the faculty for both and would do well to use them in synergy. However,
people also want to control and are afraid of unpredictability, so calculative thinking is more often
used
• Enframing is done because people want security, even if the ordering that happens enframing is
violent and even if the Earth is made as a big gasoline station from which we extract, stockpile and
put in standing---reserve, ready to be used as we see fit
• However, enframing as the mode of revealing in modern technology tends to block poeisis. The
poetry that is found in nature can no longer be easily appreciated when nature is enframed.

Human Person Swallowed by Technology

• Though it is true that individual takes part in the revealing of nature, limits must still be recognized
• If we allow ourselves to get swallowed by modern technology, we lose the essence of who we are as
beings in this world
• If we are constantly plugged online and no longer have the capacity for authentic personal
encounters, then we are truly swallowed by technology
• If we cannot let go of the conveniences and profits brought about by processes and industries that
pollute the environment and cause climate change, then technology has consumed our humanity

The Good Life

• Everyone is in pursuit of the good life

• We do certain things because we want to achieve a life which will make us happy and content