Gen Ed 7- Science, Technology and Society
Predatory Journals
Module 1: Lesson 1
Lesson/Topic: General Concepts and Historical
Developments
SCIENCE
 Latin word “scientia” – knowledge
 systematic and methodical activity of building
and organizing knowledge about how the universe
behaves through observation, experimentation or
both.
 Modern science is a discovery as well as an
invention.
TECHNOLOGY
 Greek word “techne” – art, skill, or cunning of
hand
 application of scientific knowledge, laws, and
principles to produce.
SOCIETY
-The Medawar Lecture 1998: Is Science
Dangerous?
Technology
Social Responsibility
Eugenics
Reproduction
Politics
10 EMERGING ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND
POLICY ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY EVERY YEAR (Reilly, J., &
Baron, J., 2020)
1. The Pseudoscience of Skincare
-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.
2. AI and Gamification in Hiring
-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 and
not on your resume.
3.
-When predatory journals publish anything, the
information becomes fodder for unknowing
researchers and scientists who are duped into
believing it’s the truth.
4. The HARPA SAFEHOME Proposal
-This is a controversial plan to monitor the mentally
ill as a way to stop mass shootings in the U.S.
5. Class Dojo and Classroom Surveillance
-It 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.
6. Grinch Bots
-This 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.
7. 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.
8. Student Tracking Software
-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.
9. The Corruption of Tech Ethics
-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.
Today’s approach in critiquing these emerging
science and technological issues may be
influenced by how scientists and non-scientists
evaluated the positive and negative implications
of using them.
Module 1: Lesson 2
Lesson/Topic: Historical Antecedents of Science
and Technology
Concept/Digest
-One of the key interests of STS as an academic
field is the history of science and technology. As a
strand of STS, the history of science and technology
focuses on how science and technology have
changed across time. Also, it explores the impacts
of scientific and technological innovations on the
prevailing social, cultural, political, and economic
contexts throughout history. Conversely, it also
pays attention to the conditions that shaped science
and technology. Quite often, interests lie in
historical antecedents of scientific and technological
innovations.
-An antecedent is defined as a precursor to the
unfolding or existence of something. Thus,
historical antecedents in science and technology are
factors that paved the way for the presence of
advanced and sophisticated scientific and
technological innovations today. Knowledge of the
history of science and technology is useful in
appraising these innovations today. By
understanding how previous generations influenced
and were influenced by developments in science
and technology, today’s generations can come up
with informed decisions on the proper application
of science and technology to daily life.
ANCIENT PERIOD
-The rise of ancient civilizations paved the way for
advances in science and technology. These
advances during the Ancient period allowed
civilizations to flourish by finding better ways of
communication, transportation, self-organization,
and of living in general. The following are the
inventions in science and technology during the
Ancient period:
1. Ancient Wheel
- The invention of the ancient
wheel is often credited to the
Sumerians since no other
ancient civilization used a
similar device at the time. It
could be that a potter thought
of shifting the potter’s wheel to
a 90- degree angle for the purpose of transportation
or the wheel was reinvented for this purpose.
Nonetheless, it would not be until 1000 to 1500
years later that the wheel was first used on carts.
2. Paper
- Roughly around 3000 BC, the
ancient Egyptians began writing
on papyrus, a material similar to
thick paper. Papyrus is made from
the pith of the papyrus plant
cyperus papyrus. It is lightweight,
strong, durable, and most importantly, portable.
Before the Egyptians invented the papyrus, writing
was done on stone. Because of the difficulty of
writing on stone, writing was reserved only for very
important occasions. With the advent of the
papyrus, documentation and record-keeping became
efficient, widespread, and vast. Through its use,
information and dissemination became
exponentially faster.
3. Shadoof
- The shadoof was an early
tool invented and used by
ancient Egyptians to irrigate
land. Among Egyptians who
lived near the Nile river,
irrigation was necessary to
water their crops. The shadoof, also spelled as
shaduf, is a hand-operated device used for lifting
water. Its invention introduced the idea of lifting
things using counterweights. Because of this
invention, irrigation and farming became much
more efficient. The shadoof is also believed to be an
ancient precursor of more sophisticated irrigation
tools.
4. Antikythera mechanism
- Even before the
invention of the
antecedents of the
modern computer, the
Greeks had already
invented the ancient
world’s analog computer orrery. Discovered in
1902 and retrieved from the waters of Antikythera,
Greece, the Antikythera is similar to a mantel clock.
It is widely believed that it was used to predict
astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and
astrological purposes. It is also believed that the
Antikythera mechanism was invented by Greek
scientists between 150-100 BC.
5. Aeolipile
- Also known as the Hero’s Engine,
the aeolipile is widely believed to be
the ancient precursor of the steam
engine. The aeolipile is a steam-
powered turbine which spun when
the water container at its center was heated, thus
making it practically the first rudimentary steam
engine.
MIDDLE AGES 2. Erythromycin. The Ilonggo scientist Abelardo
Aguilar invented this antibiotic out of a strain of
Between the collapse of the Roman empire in 5th
bacterium called Streptomyces erythreus, from
century AD and the colonial expansion of Western
which this drug derived its name. As with the case
Europe in late 15th century AD, major advances in
of several other local scientists, however, Aguilar
scientific and technological development took
was not credited for this discovery by Eli Lilli Co.,
place. Here are the following:
Aguilar’s US employer, to whom he sent the strain
1. Heavy Plough for separation. The Us company eventually owned
the merits for this discovery.
2. Gunpowder
3. Medical Incubator. World-renowned Filipino
3. Paper Money pediatrician and national scientist, Fe del Mundo, is
4. Mechanical Clock credited for the invention of the incubator and
jaundice-relieving device. Her original improvised
5. Spinning Wheel incubator consisted of two native laundry baskets of
different sizes that are placed one inside the other.
Warmth is generated by bottles with hot water
MODERN AGES placed around the baskets. A makeshift hood over
As the world population steadily increased, people the baskets allows oxygen to circulate inside the
of the Modern Ages realized the utmost importance incubator.
of increasing the efficiency of transportation, 4. Mole Remover. Rolando dela Cruz is credited
communication, and production. Industrialization for the invention of a local mole remover that made
took place with greater risks in human health, food use of extracts of cashew nuts (Annacardium
safety, and, environment which had to be addressed occidentale), which are very common in the
as scientific and technological progress unfolded at Philippines.
an unimaginable speed.
5. Banana Ketchup. Filipino food technologist,
1. Compound Microscope Maria Orosa, is credited for the invention of
2. Telescope banana ketchup, a variety of ketchup different from
the commonly known tomato ketchup. Orosa
3. Jacquard Loom developed a variety of ketchup that made use of
4. Engine-Powered Airplane mashed banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices, which
were all readily available.
5. Television

INVENTIONS BY FILIPINO SCIENTISTS

Throughout Philippine history, Filipinos are
responsible for developing many scientific and
technological innovations focused on navigation,
traditional shipbuilding, textiles, food processing,
indigenous arts and techniques, and even cultural
inventions. The following are some of the most
important inventions by Filipino scientists.
1.Electronic Jeepney (e-jeepney). As demand for
more responsive transportation technology arose,
the e-jeepney was introduced in Metro Manila and
Bacolod City. The e-jeepney is the inventive
response to criticisms to the traditional jeepney the
belched smoke, directly causing air pollution which
made it unsustainable and uneconomical. E-
jeepneys are designed to be environment-friendly,
eliminating noise and air pollution as they run on
electricity. They are far cheaper than ordinary
diesel, allowing jeepney drivers to earn more profit.
Module 1: Lesson 3
Lesson/Topic: Intellectual Revolutions and
Society
Concept/Digest
-In the study of the history of science and
technology, another important area of interest
involves the various intellectual revolutions across
time. In this area, interest lies in how intellectual
revolutions emerged as a result of the interaction of
science and technology and of society. It covers
how intellectual revolutions altered the way modern
science was understood and approached.
-In understanding intellectual revolutions, it is
worth noting that these revolutions are, in
themselves, paradigm shifts. These shifts resulted
from a renewed and enlighten understanding of how
the universe behaves and functions. They
challenged long-held views about the nature of the
universe. Thus, these revolutions were often met
with huge resistance and controversy.
Copernican Revolution
-The Copernican Revolution refers to the 16th
century paradigm shift named after the Polish
mathematician and astronomer, Nicolaus
Copernicus. Copernicus formulated the heliocentric
model of the universe. At the time, the belief was
that the Earth was the center of the Solar System
based on the geocentric model of Ptolemy (i.e.,
Ptolemaic model).
-In Copernicus’ model, he repositioned the Earth
from the center of the Solar system and introduced
the idea that the Earth rotates on its ow axis. The
model illustrated the Earth, along with other
heavenly bodies, to be rotating around the sun.
-The heliocentric model was met with huge
resistance, primarily from the Church, accusing
Copernicus of heresy. At the time, the idea that it
was not the Earth, and by extension, not man, that
was at the center of all creation was unthinkable.
Copernicus faced persecution from the Church
because of this. Nonetheless, despite problems with
the model and the persecution of the Church, the
heliocentric model was soon accepted by other
scientists of the time, most profoundly by Galileo
Galilei.
-The contribution of the Copernican Revolution is
far reaching. It served as a catalyst to sway
scientific thinking away from age-long views about
the position of the Earth relative to an enlightened
understanding of the universe. This marked the
beginning of modern astronomy.
Darwinian Revolution
-The English naturalist, geologist and biologist,
Charles Darwin, is credited for stirring another
important intellectual revolution in the mid-19th
century. His treatise on the science of evolution, On
the Origin of Species, was published in 1859 and
began a revolution that brought humanity to a new
era of intellectual discovery.
-For Darwin’s part, he gathered evidence pointing
to what is known as natural selection, an
evolutionary process by which organisms, including
humans, inherit, develop and adapt traits that
favored survival and reproduction. These traits are
manifested in offsprings that are more fit and well-
suited to the challenges of survival and
reproduction.
-Darwin’s theory was, of course, met with
resistance and considered to be controversial. The
Darwinian Revolution can be likened to the
Copernican Revolution in its demonstration of the
power of the laws of nature in explaining biological
phenomena of survival and reproduction.
Freudian Revolution
-Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, is credited
for stirring a 20th-century intellectual revolution
named after him, the Freudian revolution.
Psychoanalysis- as a school of thought in
psychology is at the center of this revolution. Freud
developed psychoanalysis - a scientific method of
understanding inner and unconscious conflicts
embedded within one’s personality, springing from
fee associations, dreams, and fantasies of the
individual. Freud suggested that humans are
inherently pleasure-seeking individuals.
-Scientists working on a biological approach in
studying human behavior criticized psychoanalysis
for lack of vitality and bordering on being
unscientific as a theory. Particularly, the notion that
all humans are destined to exhibit Oedipus Electra
complexes (i.e., sexual desire toward the parent of
the opposite sex and exclusion of of the parent of
the same sex) did not seem to be supported by
empirical data. In the same vein, it appeared to
critics that psychoanalysis, then, was more of an
ideological stance than a scientific one.
-Amidst controversy, Freud’s psychoanalysis is
widely credited for dominating psychotherapeutic
practice in the early 20th century. Psychodynamic
therapies that treat a myriad of psychological
disorders still remain largely informed by Freud’s
work on psychoanalysis.
Module 2: Lesson 1
Lesson/Topic: Technology as a Way of Revealing
Concept/Digest
The essence of technology can be captured in its
definition. In his treatise, The Question Concerning
Technology, Martin Heidegger (1977) explains the
two embraced definitions of technology namely: (1)
instrumental and (2) anthropological.
Module 1: Lesson 2
Lesson/Topic: Human Flourishing in Progress
and De-development

Concept/Digest
-As a departure from traditional; frameworks of
growth and development, Hickel’s concept of de-
development is discussed as an alternative to
narrowing the gap between rich and poor countries.
Thus, taking off from this alternative framework,
the lesson critiques human flourishing vis-à-vis
progress in science and technology.

Economist Peter Edward argues that instead of

pushing poorer countries to catch up with rich ones,
we should be thinking of ways to get rich counties
to catch down to more appropriate levels of
development. This is not about giving anything up,
it’s about reaching a higher level of understanding
and consciousness about what we’re doing here and
why.
Module 1: Lesson 3
Lesson/Topic: The Good Life

Concept/Digest
-Everyone aims to lead a good life. Yet, what
constitutes a happy and contented life varies from
person to person. Unique backgrounds, experiences,
social contexts, and even preferences make it
difficult to subscribe to a unified standard on which
to tease out the meaning of the “the good life”.
Thus, the prospect of a standard of the good life-one
that resonates across unique human experiences-is
inviting.

-By imposing on science and technology an ethical

standard that is not dictated by itself, as C.S. Lewis
proposed, not only will scientific advancement and
technological development flourish, but also the
human person.
Module 1: Lesson 3 William Nelson Joy
Lesson/Topic: When Technology and Humanity -Robotics, genetic engineering and nanotechnology
Cross pose much greater threats than technological
developments that have come before.
-Computers will eventually become more intelligent
Concept/Digest
than humans, thus ushering societies into dystopian
If humans are to journey toward living the good life, visions, such as robot rebellions.
they have to make informed choices in dealing with
-Unabomber Manifesto (Theodore Kaczynski):
science and technology. This topic will discuss S.
"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Romi Mukherjee’s proposals for human rights-
based approaches to science, technology, and - overreliance on antibiotics lead to the great
development. Specifically, the approach presented paradox of antibiotic- resistant strains of dangerous
by Mukherjee identifies science as a socially bacteria.
organized human activity which is value-laden and
shaped by organizational structures and procedures.
In addition, a review of key principles will be
discussed in the table below from Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, UNESCO
Recommendation on the Status of Scientific
Researchers and UNESCO Declaration on the Use
of Scientific Knowledge and how these
international documents position human rights in
the intersection of technology and humanity.
Document Key Principles
Universal Declaration -Benefit from scientific
of Human Rights advances
(Article 27) -protected from
scientific misuses
-culture
UNESCO -welfare of global
Recommendation on citizen
the Status of
Scientific Researchers-
1974 (Article 4)
UNESCO Declaration -pollution-free
on the Use of Scientific production
Knowledge-1999 -efficient resource use,
(Article 33) biodiversity protection,
and brain drains

MODULE 3
LESSON 1
Lesson/Topic: Why the Future Does Not Need Us
Concept/Digest :
For some, imagining a future without humans is
nearly synonymous to the end of the world. Many
choose not to speculate about a future where
humans cease to exist while the world remains.
However, a dystopian society void of human
presence is the subject of many works in literature
and film. The possibility of such society is also a
constant topic of debates.
MODULE 3 1970s
LESSON 2 Apple Computer 1
Lesson/Topic: Information Age - the people of this
generation were the first to
Concept/Digest:
be introduced to personal
A. This lesson traces the development of the computers (PCs)
information age and discusses the impact on
- Steve Wozniak, co-
society. It tackles the various ways the
founder of Apple Inc.,
information age and social media have
designed the operating system, hardware and circuit
influenced society and human lives.
board of the computer
1440
- Steve Jobs, Wozniak’s friend, suggested to sell
The Gutenburg Press Apple I as a fully assembled printed circuit board

- Invented by the German - From 1973 onward, social media platforms

goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg were introduced from variations of multi-user
chat rooms; instant-messaging applications and
- This invention was a result of business- oriented social networking sites to
finding a way to improve the mention a few.
manual, tedious, and slow
printing methods
- The beginnings of mass
communication can be traced back to the invention
of the printing press.
- The development of a fast and easy way of
disseminating information in print permanently
reformed the structure of society.

WORLD WAR II
“Enigma M4”
Cypher Machine
- The Enigma was an
enciphering machine that
the German armed forces
used to securely send
messages.

Bombe
-To counteract this, Alan
Turing, who was hired by the
British top-secret Government
Code and Cipher School,
invented the Bombe to break
the Enigma code
- This became the foundation of computer
science and the invention of a machine called
COMPUTER.
MODULE 3
Lesson 2
Lesson/Topic: Biodiversity
Concept/Digest
This lesson focuses on the interconnections among
society, environment, and health. It tackles the
value of biodiversity as a source of food, medicine,
and other biological resources in relation to the
consumption of goods.

-Society benefits greatly from the richness of

biodiversity since humans can source from nature
biological resources such as food, medicine, energy,
and more. However, these numerous benefits of
biodiversity are vulnerable to exploitation. Humans
need to be responsible in optimizing the benefits of
biodiversity through the proper utilization of
science and technology.
MODULE 5: Lesson 1
Lesson/Topic: Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMO’s)
Concept/Digest
-Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are
products of artificial manipulation and alternation of
species genetic material in a laboratory using
genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is
associated with recombinant DNA technology
which is founded on the work of many scientists
over the years.
MODULE 5: Lesson 1
Lesson/Topic: Gene Therapy
Concept/Digest
-Gene therapy is the method of inserting genes or
nucleic acid into cells as a drug to treat genetic
diseases. In 1972, Theodore Friedman and Richard
Roblin proposed that people with genetic disorders
can be treated by replacing defective DNA with
good DNA.

-With all the positive and advantages that humanity

can get from genetic therapy and GMO’s, the result
may also pose threats in humanity’s health and
welfare in general. Thus, ethical issues should be
considered even with the contribution of genetic
engineering in the development of human living.
MODULE 5: Lesson 3
Lesson/Topic: GMO & Gene Therapy
Concept/Digest
-Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are
products of artificial manipulation and alternation of
species genetic material in a laboratory using
genetic engineering.
-Genetic engineering is associated with recombinant
DNA technology which is founded on the work of
many scientists over the years.
-Gene therapy is the method of inserting genes or
nucleic acid into cells as a drug to treat genetic
diseases. In 1972, Theodore Friedman and Richard
Roblin proposed that people with genetic disorders
can be treated by replacing defective DNA with
good DNA.
-With all the positive and advantages that humanity
can get from genetic therapy and GMO’s, the result
may also pose threats in humanity’s health and
welfare in general. Thus, ethical issues should be
considered even with the contribution of genetic
engineering in the development of human living.
MODULE 6
Lesson 1
Lesson/Topic: Nanotechnology
Concept/Digest
This lesson discusses nanotechnology and how the
manipulation of matter on a nanoscale impacts to
society. It focuses on both the advantages and
disadvantages of nanotechnology.
MODULE 6
Lesson 2
Lesson/Topic: Climate Change and
Environmental Awareness

Concept/Digest
-This lesson reviews key concepts on climate
change and its various impacts on society, and
weighs in on the local, regional, and global
efforts to address it. It primarily aims to
inculcate environmental awareness among
students.
-Climate change is the range of global phenomena
caused by burning fossil fuels that add heat-trapping
gases to the Earth’s atmosphere.
-The greenhouse effect is a natural process that
warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy
reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is
reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and
re-radiated by greenhouse gases.

Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that

includes any form of precipitation with acidic
components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall
to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry
forms. This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even
dust that is acidic
2Environmental awareness means being aware of
the natural environment and making choices that
benefit the earth, rather than hurt it. Some of the
ways to practice environmental awareness include:
using safe and non-toxic building supplies,
conserving energy and water, recycling, activism,
and others.
Disaster Risk Management is the application of
disaster risk reduction policies and strategies, to
prevent new disaster risks, reduce existing disaster
risks, and manage residual risks, contributing to the
strengthening of resilience and reduction of losses.