WHEN TECHNOLOGY

AND HUMANITY CROSS

Learning objectives

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

• Know the different technological advancements in

society
• Discuss the development of science and technology
in the Philippines
• Discuss the effects of the interplay between
technology and humanity through the dilemmas they
face
Dear friend,
As a fellow human being I invite you to take part
in what might be the most important conversation
our tribe will ever have.
- Gerd Leonhard
Introduction
• The word "technology" comes from the Greek words
techne which means "art" and logos which means
"word."
• Technology means a discourse on arts (Buchanan,
2010)
• It first appeared on 17th century where the concept
was only used to talk about arts, specifically applied
arts.
• But, as technology progressed, the concept also
started to have a wider range of meaning.
• The roles played by technology these days are very
crucial not only to few but also to everyone.
• In fact, most people survive their everyday lives
with great reliance to the different technological
advancements already available to the masses.
• There may be some who claim that their lives are
not greatly affected by technology, the fact cannot
be denied that technology is already an inevitable
part of the society.
• It is with great effort that people were able to
achieve such great inventions.
• It makes life so much easier and more convenient
than ever before.
• Some would even say that it does not only bring
convenience but also pleasure and happiness to
people.
• There are people who would even argue that
technology has become a necessity and no longer a
want.
• At present, people word very hard in order to save
money to buy these "necessities" while in the past,
people only used their money for the things that
would help them survive like food, housing, and
clothing. In effect, anything outside these
categories was considered a luxury. However, that
is no longer the case at present.
• In general, technology keeps on progressing due to
not only the changing times and environment but
also to the ever-progressing mind of mankind.
• It would not be possible for all these technological
advancements to exist if it were not for the
brilliance, creativeness and power of the mind.
• However, it is also important to note that anything
too much is bad.
• The same problem is faced by technology. Although
it has been helpful to people, it is still not immune
to criticism and backlash.
• Various ethical dilemmas have been identified
throughout time involving the use of different
technological devices and its effects to humanity.
• Different problems arise when either the
technological device available is misused or if in the
first place, it was invented to produce bad results..
• People who are aware of the possible dangers of
the misuse of technology are not keeping still. They
lay these dilemmas for the public to see and realize
what they are in for.
• In this lesson, several technological devices will be
properly introduced, the roles they play in society
and their effects, particularly to the lives of the
people will be identified and to the problems they
face will also be examined thoroughly.
HUMAN VS. ROBOTS
• The rise of machines accompanying the progress in
science and technology may render humans
useless.
• Manual labor is gradually being replaced by
machinery. Computers become more and mkre
sophisticated.
• Robots, usually designed like human beings, are
created to perform complex, repetitive or
dangerous tasks.
• With the development of artificial intelligence (AI),
robots may also eventually act and decide like
humans. In the possibility that machines adopt the
nature of humans.
• There is a need to reflect on the ethical problems
posed by such development.
• Though the Philippines has not yet reached the
point of producing robots on a commercial scale for
household uses, it still behooves us to ponder the
ramifications of replacing persons with machinery.
• To Filipinos, artificial intellegence seems like the
stuff of science fiction movies. Be that as it may, its
use in the country is surely gaining ground,
especially in the business process outsourcing
(BPO) industry.
• Investors and business people find as a sure return
of investment the use of business analytics
provided by artificial intellegence.
• Business analytics is a means by which consumer
and industry data are used to come up with better
decision-making.
• With the help of AI, decisions now arise from
sophisticated statistical analysis made from massive
data.
• As of August 2017, it is estimated that a million
Filipino BPO workers may be affected and lose their
jobs with the adoptation of artificial intelligence.
• The development of society along with science and
technology gives rise to more and more complex
issues.
• What is vital is that, we are able to protect and
exercise human rights for everyone in our pursuit of
the good life.
• As we examine contemporary issues in science and
technology, information, genetically modified
organisms, nanotechnology and climate change—
we keep in mind that the building of a just and
progressive society entails the constant practice of
good.