UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN

CITY
Biglang Awa St., Corner Catleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

SUBJECT CODE: GEC 007
TOPIC OR LESSON 6: When Technology and Humanity Cross
SUB-TOPIC/S: Status of Technological Use in the Philippines, Roles Played by Technology,
Roles Played by Robots, Why Future Doesn’t Need
Us?

Good day to you!

Previously, you have learned that
with the help
of technology, you can have a better life
– you can be
happy because it can help you work
easier and faster.
Thus, we can say that technology is a
means for us to
live a good life. However, Aristotle
stated that one way
of achieving a good life is for us to
maximize our
potential as human beings, and in order for us to do
that we must first understand our human rights.
In this lesson, we will be discussing
fundamental human rights that will protect and
ensure our well-being amidst scientific and
technological advancements. It is important for us to
know our rights for these will serve as our guide in pursuing a good life through the use
of technology. Also, we will be dealing with different concepts about robots vis-à-vis
humanity.

At the end of this module, learners are expected to develop an essay reflecting relevant
concepts presented and discussed in this module.
 Here is a list of what you need to remember as you go through this lesson. After
this lesson, you should be able to:
1. examine human rights in order to uphold such rights in technological ethical
dilemmas;
2. evaluate contemporary human experience in order to strengthen and enlighten
the human person functioning in society; and
3. discuss the effects of the interaction of technology and humanity through the
challenges they encounter.

Are the learning goals above clear to you? Remember that those are the things that
will keep you on the right track as you explore our topic. I know that you are already excited
with our lesson! So what are you waiting for? Start flipping the pages! Good luck and hope
you will learn something valuable in this lesson.

To begin with, carefully analyze the pictures below then answer the questions
that follow.

a. What can you say about the pictures?

b. Do you think these scenarios would really take place in the future?
c. What did you feel seeing the pictures?
Here’s a short film that would remind you that new things aren’t always better.

Video 1:
Tea Time
https://www.youtube.com/wacth?v=9pdsuRWe0z0&feature=share

What separates humans from other organisms is our capacity for reason. We have the
right to make choices that enable us and the society to flourish; and in order to flourish or
have a good life we must properly and consistently exercise our rights by accepting or
rejecting; minimizing or maximizing; evaluating; and deciding the range and functions of
science and technology. Hence, our rights as humans are the critical factors to be considered
in our pursuit of good life in the face of scientific and technological developments.
Protecting a human’s well-being and upholding the dignity of a person by
strengthening human rights are the major concern of The United Nations General Assembly
in proclaiming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948.
UDHR identified the fundamental human rights that are vital and necessary in achieving a
good life. Its first seven articles are said to be the most significant rights of humans which are
as follows:
Article 1: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood”.
Article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedom set forth in this
Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdiction or
international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be
independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty”.
Article 3: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
Article 4: “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade
shall be prohibited in all their forms”.
Article 5: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment”.
Article 6: “Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the
law”.
Article 7: “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to
equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any
incitement to such discrimination”.
These rights are equated to freedom that all of us are entitled and guaranteed by
virtue of being human. Consequently, our rights as humans are rights to sustainability
(Mukherjee, 2012) and can function as a means of protecting the poor and the weak from the
deficiencies and excesses of science and technology. Moreover, humans can flourish with
science and technology by injecting the moral and ethical duty of protecting and upholding
human rights to develop sustainable approaches in bridging the gap between developed and
developing countries.
Status of Technological Use in the Philippines

We can’t avoid the fact that technology is already part of our society. Whether we like
it or not, we are affected directly and indirectly by technology. Thus, most of us if not all are
highly dependable on the different technologies made readily available in our environment.
Because technologies offer convenience, pleasure, happiness and easier communication.

Furthermore, there are a number of technological devices that can be easily found
inside our homes making it more accessible to everyone. Hence, we can infer that these
technological devices are some of the most commonly used types of devices across all age
groups. Almost all households, if not all, own these types of devices. To be more specific, these
devices include: television sets, mobile phones and computers. People all over the world use
these technologies everyday to accomplish their different tasks.

According to Kantar Media, one of the most

trusted television audience measurement providers in
the Philippines 92 percent of the urban homes and 70
percent of rural homes own at least one television set.
In 2012, Noda reported that 15,135 million households have television sets, which
means that this device has greatly influenced Filipinos' way of living. In addition, the survey
conducted by Kantar Media proved that almost all Filipino households use this particular
device.

In the late 1800’s Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipknow, a German engineer and inventor,
successfully send images through wires with the aid of a rotating metal disk also known as
“Nipknow disk”. The said disk had 18 lines of resolution and was called as “electric telescope”.
Nipknow laid the foundation of television, since his invention was used as a fundamental
component in the first televisions. Thus, Nipknow was known to be the one who proposed
the world's first electromechanical television system. Following the success of Nipknow-
Allan Archibald, Campbell-Swinton and Boris Rosing created a new system of revision
through the use of cathode ray tube in addition to the mechanical scanner system. Thus, with
the success of the two inventions pave way for the two types of television systems – the
mechanical and the electronic television systems.
 Filipinos’ fascination on mobile phones was very
evident on the survey conducted in 2010 by
Synovate – a global research agency. The survey
revealed that 67 percent product ownership in the
Philippines and more than half of the Filipino
population own at least one mobile phone. In
addition, in the report made by ABS-CBN in 2010,
mobile phones are considered as the must-have
device among young Filipinos. To prove this claim,
the IPos Media Atlas Philippines Nationwide Urban
conducted a survey in 2011-2012 and the result
showed that 1 out of 3 Filipinos cannot live without a mobile phone.

On April 3, 1973, a senior engineer at Motorola, Martin Cooper made the world’s first
mobile phone call to properly inform their rival telecommunications company that he was
making a call using a mobile phone. Cooper’s mobile phone weighed 1.1 kilograms and
measured 228.6x127x44.4 mm and has a capacity of 30-minute talk time. The challenge on
the first mobile phone was its charging time that took 10 hours. The first commercial mobile
phone was introduced during 183 by Motorola and was named Motorola DynaTac 8000X
(Goodwin, 2016).

Unlike television sets and mobile phones,

computers and laptops are not the typical device or
technology that we can find inside the Filipino
households. Although there are families that can
afford to buy computers and laptops, most of the
profits gained by computer and laptop manufacturers
come from offices, businesses, commercial
establishments or schools where such devices have
become part of their necessities.
In 19th century, Charles Babbage, an English
Mathematician professor designed the analytical engine
that was used as the basic framework of the computers even until the present time.
Generally, computers can be classified into three generations – digital, analog and hybrid
computers. The first true portable, full feature computer was released April 1981and was
called the Osborne 1. Through the progress of science and technology, it was envisioned
that transition from a personal computer to laptop was only a matter of design, an
improvement and a little deviation from a standard design of a personal computer.

In conclusion a typical household own at least four of the following devices: a mobile phone
(89%), smartphone (53%), table (14%), desktop (39%), laptop or notebooks (37%), and a
smart TV (4%) (Philstar, 2013). These data prove the deep-seated fascination of Filipinos
to different technological devices.

Roles Played by these Technological Advancements

Different technologies such as television sets, mobile phones, computers and laptops have
different roles and functions in our lives. However, there are technologies that have
multiple functions like mobile phones and laptops.

Television Set – this is the most widely used platform for advertisements and information
dissemination. For most of us, televisions are used for recreational activities, a means to
bond with family members during weekends and it can also serve as a stress reliever to
others.

Mobile Phone – the most widely used technology around the world whose main function is
for communication. Traditionally it is used for texting and calling people far from us.
However, due to the advancement of science and technology, its function also progresses.
Currently, mobile phones are coined as an all-in-one device. We can use it to surf the
internet, to watch our favorite movies, to listen to our favorite songs, take pictures more
than to text or to call people. In addition, it is very portable and convenient because it can
fit to any space, may be inside the pocket or bag.

Computer and Laptops – the most widely used device in offices, schools, shops and other
commercial establishments. Computers and laptops function as information storage and
can be used during conferences, seminars and meetings.

Robotics and Humanity

One of the great products of the innovative minds of the people is robots which is now
widely used especially by developed countries like Japan. The International Federation of
Robotics (IFR) together with The United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (UNECE)
formulated working definitions for service robots. Below is the preliminary extract of the
relevant definitions of robot (IFR, 2012):

A robot is an actuated mechanism programmable in two or more axes

with a degree of autonomy, moving within its environment, to perform
intended tasks. Autonomy in this context means the ability to perform the
intended tasks based on the current state
and sensing human intervention.

A service robot is a robot that performs useful

tasks for
humans or equipment excluding
industrial automation
application.

A personal robot or a service robot for personal use is a service

robot used for noncommercial tasks, usually by laypersons.
 Examples are domestic servant robot, automated wheelchair,
personal mobility assist robot or pet exercising robot.

Professional service robots are used for commercial tasks, usually operated by
properly trained operators. Examples are: surgery robot, rehabilitation robot and delivery
robot.

Roles Played by Robots

Robots are seen to be of great help to us, they can:

● ease our workloads - in office and or at home;

● make our lives more efficient and less stressful;
● can perform repetitive, precise, complicated and dangerous
tasks; and
● They can give us pleasure (as a toy, a masterpiece in a museum
or gallery, and or a movie character).

In order to protect and uphold the well-being of humans and because of ethical
consequences, Isaac Asimov formulated the three laws of robotics in the 1940s. The laws are
the following:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to
come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders
would conflict with the first law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict
the first and second law.

Ethical Dilemma/s Faced by Robotics

Since robots are machines and don’t have life, there are ethical dilemmas these
machines faced, such as:

1. Safety – this is the primary concern of all individuals. Ethical dilemma comes in if
human’s safety is compromised, who will be held accountable? Who should be
blamed, the robot, the person using the robot or the creator/inventor of the robot?

2. Emotional component and ability to think – is it really acceptable to produce or create

a robot with emotional components? What will happen to humans? How about our
right for protection and security as human beings?

3. Deviation from the law – what will happen and who is to be blamed if the problems
arise when the robot deviates from the laws specified? Again is it the robot, the person
using the robot or the creator/inventor of the robot?

Why the Future Does Not Need Us

 “Why the future doesn’t need us” is a wired magazine essay written by Bill Joy in 2000,
where he expressed his deep concerns on the progress of modern technologies. He stated
that humans may face extinction due to the technological advancements in Artificial
Intelligence (AI) creating intelligent robots that may replace us. Moreover, Joy claimed that
genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR) are the most powerful technology that we have
in the 21st century because they can significantly extend the average human lifespan, hence
they may pose great danger especially when placed in an abusive hands.

Furthermore, Joy sees danger in the ability of robots, engineered organisms and
nanobots to undergo self-replication. Thus if these technologies go out of control it could lead
to significant damage to the world we live in. The worst case scenario is that GNR are smaller
than the traditional or conventional “weapons of mass destruction”, thus making them
readily available to individuals or small groups that can easily utilize them.

What’s the most frightening possibility is that the future does not need us if the GNR,
known to be the 21st century’s most powerful technology, can do everything better, precise,
cheaper and faster than humans.

Complete the table below.

Your gadgets at home How it occupies your time when you are at home

For your output in this lesson you need to answer the 10-items quiz next meeting. In
addition, you also need to submit all your answers for this lesson next meeting.

Congratulations! You are now done with module 2.

 Joy, B. 2000. Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us. Retrieved from:
http://www.wired.com/ wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.html. 1 of 18. 1/19/2004
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, VM. & Beleno, R. 2018. Science, Technology and Society. C&
E Publishing Inc.
Prieto, N.G., Vega, V.A, Felipe, E.F. & Meneses, J. L. 2019. Science, Technology and
Society. Lorimar Publishing

Quinto, E. M. & Nieva A.D. 2019. Science, Technology and Society. C& E Publishing
Inc. Tea Time. https://www.youtube.com/wacth?v=9pdsuRWe0z0&feature=share