Key Take Aways

STS Instructional Module Week 3

Science & Technology and Nation-Building Part1
Nation-building is the process of unifying people within a state so that the state
remains politically stable and economically viable (Stephenson, 2005).

Nation-building is intertwined with the Urbanization is the process through

processes of industrialization, which society is transformed from one
urbanization, and social mobilization that is predominantly rural in economy
(Mylonas, 2019). to one that is mainly urban.

Industrialization is the process by which Social mobilization is the process that

an agrarian-based economy is allows people and communities to
transformed from one based on the collectively think and act upon their
manufacturing of goods through factory development.
system and industries.
Components of Nation-building
Economic development is the process whereby
simple, low-income national economies are
transformed into modern industrial economies.
The use of computer technology can now
automate the processes of factories and industries
which can result to larger supply/output.
Social development is about uplifting the well-
being of every individual in the society so they
can reach their full potential. The success of
society is related to the well-being of its citizen.
S&T have been used by poor people to cut their
way out of poverty.
For instance, the use of improve variety of seeds
have helped farmers increased their yield
resulting to more income.
Political development is the increase in national
political unity, political participation, and political
stability.
Provision of science-based policies and
regulations have been seen to have viable and
sustainable impacts to society.
Institutional development refers to the processes
that improve the capacity of social institutions to
achieve its goals and objectives.
(e.g. health, education, religion)
Key Sectors in a nation that have greatly
benefited from the breakthroughs of S&T:
(energy, agriculture, fisheries, communication,
transportation, education, health)
Evaluation Question :
STS Instructional Module Week 3
Science & Technology and Nation-Building Part1

Discuss the importance of S&T to a nation’s sectoral development.

Provide specific examples.
 Key Take Aways
STS Instructional Module Week 4
Science & Technology and Nation-Building Part 2
THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Provisions to Science and Technology
SECTION 10. Science and technology are essential
for national development and progress. The State
shall give priority to research and development,
invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to
science and technology education, training, and
services. It shall support indigenous, appropriate,
and self-reliant scientific and technological
capabilities, and their application to the country’s
productive systems and national life.
SECTION 11. The Congress may provide for
incentives, including tax deductions, to encourage
private participation in programs of basic and
applied scientific research. Scholarships, grants-in-
aid, or other forms of incentives shall be provided to
deserving science students, researchers, scientists,
inventors, technologists, and specially gifted
citizens.
SECTION 12. The State shall regulate the
transfer and promote the adaptation of
technology from all sources for the national
benefit. It shall encourage the widest
participation of private groups, local
governments, and community-based
organizations in the generation and utilization of
science and technology.
SECTION 13. The State shall protect and secure
the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors,
artists, and other gifted citizens to their
intellectual property and creations, particularly
when beneficial to the people, for such period as
may be provided by law.
 Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
The Department of Science and Technology is
the primary science and technology agency of
the Philippines.
DOST is responsible for providing central
direction, leadership, and coordination of all
scientific and technological activities,
formulating activities, programs, and projects to
support national development.
• Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
• Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS)
• Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging
Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD)
• Philippine Council for Health Research and
Development (PCHRD)
• Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and
Natural Resources Research and Development
(PCAARRD
• Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI)
• Forest Products Research and Development Institute
(FPRDI)
• Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)
• Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI)
AmBisyon Natin 2040: The Vision, Our Ambition
• On October 11, 2016, President Rodrigo R.
Duterte signed Executive Order No. 5, s. 2016
approving and adopting the 25- year long-
term vision entitled AmBisyon Natin 2040 as
a guide for development planning.
• AmBisyon Natin 2040 represents the
collective long-term vision and aspirations of
the Filipino people for themselves and for the
country in the next 25 years
• On the kind of life that they want for
themselves, Filipinos want a life that is
strongly rooted, comfortable, and secure:
matatag, maginhawa, at panatag.
• The terms “strongly-rooted, comfortable, and
secure” used to describe the life envisioned by
Filipinos by 2040 reveal middle-class
aspirations.
• They include home ownership, a steady
source of income to support family and self,
college education for the children, a motor
vehicle, stable finances to cover daily needs
and contingencies, savings for retirement, and
time for vacation and travel
Evaluation Question: Module 4

Discuss the salient provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution to

S&T in our country.
 Key Take Aways
STS Instructional Module Week 5
The Human Person Flourishing In Terms of S & T
Part 1
Philosophical Views on Technology
The current conception of technology, according to which it is a means to an end and a human activity, can therefore be called the instrumental and
anthropological definition of technology.
 Aristotelianism
According to Aristotle, technology is basically a
means to an end. It is organizing techniques in order to
meet the demand that is being posed by humans. It is
primarily concerned with the product and will be
judged as either good or bad based on the value given
to the product which is based on its use and effect to
the society.
 Technological Pessimism
(Jacques Ellul – French Philosopher, 1912-1994) Ellul
believes that technology has become a way of life. The
said techniques have become a framework which
humans cannot escape. He has several pessimistic
arguments, such as technology progress having a price
to pay, it creates more problems, damaging effects,
and as well as unpredictable devastating effects.
 Technological Optimism
This philosophy believes that technology can alleviate
all the difficulties and provide solutions for problems
that may come. Technological problems may arise but
technology will still be the solution. Technology is the
supreme authority on everything.
 Existentialism (Martin Heidegger)
This is the view on the article read above in the activity.
This view basically investigates on the meaning of
existence or being and is always faced with the selection
one must make with which the existent will commit
himself to.
It believes that the real essence of technology lies in
“enframing” - the gathering of the setting which
challenges man to bring the concealed to unconcealment.
In other words, technology is a way of revealing.
Martin Heidegger’s Views on Technology
Three Claims:
1. Technology is not an instrument; it is a way
of understanding the world.
2. Technology is not a human activity; but
develops beyond human control
3. Technology is the highest danger, risking us
to only see the world through technological
thinking.
• Martin Heidegger (1889-1996) is a well-
known German philosopher. He questioned
the Aristotelian and Ellulian definitions of
technology (a means to an end, a human
activity).
• Technology has been instrumentally viewed as
the same in all periods of time, geared towards
meeting a human need.
• It invites man to a continual desire to master it
which unconsciously making it go out of
hand.
• Everything depends on manipulating
technology in a proper manner as a means.
For Heidegger, the real essence of technology is found in enframing. It is the continuous bringing
forth of the concealed to unconcealment - a non-stop revealing. It continues to demand for
something to be brought out into the open. The concealed is calling out for someone to set upon and
act upon to unconceal the concealed.

• Heidegger viewed modern technology as setting
upon challenges or demands on nature in order to a)
unlock and expose, carrying the idea that nature will
not reveal itself unless challenge is set upon it; and
b) stock pile for future use, aiming to meet the future
demands.
• What is the essence of technology? This gathering of
the setting-upon which challenges man to bring the
concealed to unconcealment, called enframing by
Heidegger, also shows the essence of technology.
• Enframing is basically putting in order whatever is
presented to the man who sets upon the concealed.
Man cannot set himself upon unconcealment without
concealment’s call and the concealed will not go into
unconcealment without the man responding to its
call.
• However, there are also dangers in non-stop
revealing.
• A danger is when man falls into a
misinterpretation of that which is presented
into him. That is, when he sees himself in the
object before him rather that seeing the object
itself. This happens when he starts to believe
that everything in the human condition can be
answered by technology and that even man’s
happiness is dependent on the continuous
modernization of technology.
•
Evaluation Questions : Module 5

1. It is said that technological advances provide immense improvements in our lives, but often with
hidden cost. Explain and give an example.

2. Technology as a way of revealing has something to do with the concept of unlocking and
stocking. Explain and give an example.

3. How can you as a student help spread awareness about the dangers of technology in such a
way that technology is not condemned in the process?
 Key Take Aways
STS Instructional Module Week 6
The Human Person Flourishing in Terms of Science
and Technology (Part 2)
Human flourishing is an effort to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within
the context of a larger community of individuals each with the right to pursue his or
her own such efforts.

• Humans have innate abilities and
characteristics that let them sustain their
function and survive in a given environment.
But in the very center of a human being is an
unquenchable thirst for happiness, serenity,
and fulfilment.
• The Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested
that each man’s life has a purpose, and the
function of one’s life is to attain that purpose.
• Happiness is the highest desire and ambition
of all human beings. To achieve it, one must
cultivate the highest virtues within one’s self.
• Aristotle believed that human beings have a
natural desire and capacity to know and
understand the truth, to pursue moral
excellence, and to instantiate their ideals in the
world through action.
• These actions are geared towards one’s proper
and desired end - flourishing, happiness, or
“eudaimonia”- a Greek word which refers to a
state of having a good indwelling spirit, or
being in a contented state of being healthy,
happy and prosperous. That is our ultimate
desire for living.
Evaluation Question : Module 6
1. Watch the short film titled
‘Village of the Watermills’
One of the short films called ‘Dreams’ by
Akiro Kurosawa Uploaded by James Roy
Lesidan https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=aK4mtPQ_THM
2. Write a short essay on
how the content of this short
film relates to Aristotle’s
philosophy about human
flourishing.
 Key Take Aways
STS Instructional Module Week 7
The Good Life
The Good Life
• The most familiar view among
people is that of Socrates, who
said, “the unexamined life is not
worth living for”.
• Aristotle viewed the good life as
a life of relationships. It is man’s
nature to seek good life with and
for others rather than
experiencing it by himself.
• Steve Mueller (2016), the founder
of the Planet of Success defined a
good life as:
“…a (desirable) state that is primarily
characterized by a high standard of
living or the adherence to ethical and
moral laws… As such, the term can
both be understood as the quest for
wealth, material possession or
luxuries and the quest to create a
worthwhile, honest and meaningful
existence.”
 The Good Life
• Martin Heidegger dealt more on how
we live an “authentic life” rather than
dealing with the “good life”.
• For Heidegger, living an authentic life
means living with deep acceptance on
the facticity of “death” and resulting to
a “life lived according to what it has
clearly decided as its meaning and
purpose.”
• One of the concepts studied in positive
psychology which may explain
different views is the one of values
which are argued to be one of the
drivers to reach the good life.
• Values such as power, security,
tradition, or benevolence are a
collection of principles that guide the
selection or evaluation of actions,
events, and people and what deem to
be correct and desirable in life
(Schwartz, 1992). Values may, to a
certain extent, codetermine what
people consider the good life.
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he examines one of the most central
themes to man, the nature of goodness itself.

He asserts that virtue is essential to happiness and to achieve it, man

must live in accordance with the “doctrine of mean” (the balance
between excess and deficiency).

It is right to choose the mean and to avoid excess and deficiency, and
that the mean is prescribed by the right principle.
Ten Golden Rules by Michael Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas
1. Examine life, engage life with vengeance;
always search for new pleasures and new
destinies with your mind.
Living life is about examining life through reason
which is nature’s greatest gift to humanity. Reason
lets human beings participate in life; to be human
is to think, appraise, and explore the world,
discovering new sources of material and spiritual
pleasure.
2. Worry only about the things that are in your
control, the things that can be influenced and
changed by your actions, not about the things that
are beyond your capacity to direct or alter.
Since people cannot control all of the outcomes
they seek in life, they certainly can control the
responses to these outcomes which lies to their
potential for a life that is both happy and fulfilled.
3. Treasure friendship, the reciprocal attachment that
fills the need for affiliation.
Friendship cannot be acquired in the marketplace but
must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued
with trust and amity.
4. Experience true pleasure.
Avoid shallow and transient pleasures. Keep your
life simple. Seek calming pleasures that contribute to
peace of mind. True pleasure is disciplined and
restrained.
5. Master yourself.
Resist any external force that might delimit thought
and action. Stop deceiving yourself, believing only
what is personally useful and convenient. Complete
liberty necessitates a struggle within, a battle to
subdue negative psychological and spiritual forces
that preclude a healthy existence. Self-mastery
requires ruthless candor.
 Ten Golden Rules by Michael Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas
6. Avoid excess.
Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid
excesses. Even good things pursued or attained
without moderation can become a source of
misery and suffering.
7. Be a responsible human being.
Approach yourself with honesty and
thoroughness. Maintain a kind of spiritual
hygiene. Stop the blame-shifting for your
errors and shortcomings. Be honest with
yourself and be prepared to assume
responsibility and accept consequences.
8. Don’t be a prosperous fool.
Prosperity by itself is not a cure-all against an
ill-led life and may be a source of dangerous
foolishness. Money is necessary but not a
sufficient condition for the good life.
9. Don’t do evil to others.
Evildoing is a dangerous habit, a kind of
reflex too quickly resorted to and too
easily justified that has a lasting and
damaging effect upon the quest for the
good life. Harming others claims two
victims – the receiver of the harm and the
victimizer, the one who does harm.
10. Kindness towards others tends to be
rewarded.
Kindness to others is a good habit that
supports and reinforces the quest for the
good life. Helping others bestows a sense
of satisfaction that has two beneficiaries –
the beneficiary, the receiver of the help,
and the benefactor, the one who provides
the help.
Five ‘Schools of Thought’ to attain a happy and good life:
Materialism (Democritus and Leucippus).
Matter is what makes attain happiness. For most
people, material wealth would seem to be the
primary source of the meaning of their existence.
Hedonism (Epicurus)
Life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure
because life is limited and does not buy the notion
of afterlife. Their famous mantra is, ‘Eat, drink, and
be merry for tomorrow we die.’
Stoicism (Epicurus)
To generate happiness, one must learn to distance
oneself and be apathetic. In this world, we should
adopt the fact that some things are not within our
control.
Theism
The ultimate basis of happiness for theist is the
communion with God. Most people find the
meaning of their lives using God as the fulcrum
of their existence.
Humanism
This school of thought espouses the freedom of
man to carve his own destiny and to legislate his
laws, free from the shackles of God to monitor
and control. For humanists, man is the captain of
his own ship. They see themselves not merely as
stewards of the creation but as individuals who
are in control of themselves and the world
outside them.
Evaluation Question : Module 7

Write a short essay on the question:

Is living with happiness, means living a good life?

Defend your answer.
Evaluation Questions : Module 7

Write short essays on the following:

1. What constitutes a ‘good life’ to you?

2. To what extent do scientific advancements impact

your idea of a good life?
 Key Take Aways
STS Instructional Module Week 8
When Technology and Humanity Cross
How do scientific and technological advancements affect our human principles,
moral values, and emotions?.
Our country, the Philippines, may not be as
Many scholars outside the S&T field technologically advanced as first world countries,
express concern that we may be losing our as our capacity to advance depends largely on our
sense of humanity to S&T advancements. economic capability.
The idea that a robot or a gadget becoming
“smart” (such as a smart phone) is an Finally, technology is a human activity and
indication of a nearing equality of humans humanity is a human concept.
with machines.
At present, there is an increasing reliance of
humans to machines; the life of machines Should we come to the point where they cross, we
still depends on humans. will always be reminded that both are manmade.
But in the future, it may be humans who
will rely completely on machines. When Therefore, no other being in the world would be
that happens, we may have to redefine what able to reconcile the two except for man himself.
being “human” means.

Let us then put our hope in the rationality and

positivity of humankind.