Science, Technology, and Society

(STS)

Lesson 1: Introduction to STS.

1. How do we define:

a) SCIENCE
• Latin word “SCIENTIA” = “KNOWLEDGE”
• A system of acquiring knowledge based on the
Scientific method.
• A process used to solve problems or develop an
understanding of nature.
Scientific Method
1. Observation 4. Experiment
2. Question 5. Analysis
3. Hypothesis 6. Conclusion
(educated guess)
b) TECHNOLOGY
• Greek words “TECHNE” = “ART, CRAFT, OR
SKILL”
“LOGOS” = to speak of; to imply the
practical application of techne

• Refers to methods, systems, and devices which are the

results of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
• Human attempt to change the world by creating
products that makes our life easier.
 c) SOCIETY
• Latin word “SOCIETAS” = “a friendly association
with others”
• A large group of people who lived together
o Organized way
o Making decisions
o Sharing the work
o Common interest (to pass successfully and
graduate on time)
o May have distinctive cultures and institutions

SCIENCE
➢ Process of Acquiring Scientific Knowledge.
TECHNOLOGY
➢ Application of Scientific Knowledge for People.
SOCIETY
➢ Group of People who are studying Science and uses Technology.
2. HOW DO THEY INTERACT?

➢ Science drives technology by making new technology possible

through scientific breakthroughs
➢ Engineers focus on using science to develop products
➢ Without technology, some science experiments would not be
possible.
➢ Without science, technology could not proceed.
➢ Science is a way of Knowing. Technology is a way of Doing.
➢ The very questions that scientists ask are shaped by the available
technology.

3. IS IT IMPORTANT TO STUDY STS? WHY?

a. WHAT IS STS?
• A relatively young field = previously independent
+ older disciplines
o History of Science
o Philosophy of Science
o Sociology of Science
• It applies methods drawn from history,
philosophy, + sociology to study the nature of
science + technology + ultimately judge their
value + place in society
• Seeks to bridge humanities (philosophy) +
natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology)

• The study of how social, political, + cultural

values affect scientific research + technological
innovation, + how these in turn affect society,
politics, + culture.
• History of Science
o Philosophy of Science
o Sociology of Science
Lesson 2: General Concepts & STS Historical Developments

A. Historical Antecedents in which social considerations changed the

course of science technology.
(a)In the world: Ancient, Middle, and Modern Ages
(b) In the Philippines

i. What is the antecedent?

➢ A precursor to the unfolding/existence of something
➢ Of science + technology = presence of advanced and
sophisticated scientific + technological innovations today.
➢ Use - historical developments of science + technology
o Proper decisions
➢ Daily Life
o Applications

ANCIENT PERIOD
o Ancient Civilization paved way for science + technology
o These advances of ancient period allowed civilization to flourish
by finding better ways of:
o Communication
o Transportation
o Self-organization
o Ways of living
 ANCIENT WHEEL
o People from ancient civilization used animals as means
of transportation.
o Credited to the SUMERIANS.
POTTER’S WHEEL
o Application of the ancient wheel.
o Use to create pots/vases.
PAPER
o Around 3000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians
began writing on a papyrus
o CYPERUS PAPYRUS – a plant native to
Nile River

o Before, writing and record keeping is done

on:
- Stones
- Tablet
SHADOOF
o A tool used to irrigate land
o Invented by EGYPTIANS
o A hand-operated device used for
lifting water
o Introduced the idea of lifting things
using counterweights
ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
o Discovered in 1902 and was retrieved from the waters of
Antikythera, Greece
o The WORLD’S OLDEST KNOWN MECHANICAL COMPUTER
created by Greek
o It is a mechanism similar to a clock
- Circular face
- Rotating hands
o Used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses.

AELOPILE
o Known as the HERON’S ENGINE
o The world’s first steam engine
o Spins as the water containers at its center is heated
o Doesn’t served any practical purpose
o It is believed to be one of the temple wonders.
o It spins because of the thermal energy.
 MIDDLE AGES
➢ Major advances in scientific and technological development
➢ These advancements include constant increase of new inventions,
innovations in traditional production + the emergence of scientific
thinking and method.

HEAVY PLOUGH
o “The heavy plough turned European
agriculture and economy on its head.
The fields with heavy, fatty soil
became those that gave the greatest
yields.” – Prof Thomas Andersen
o Northern Europe saw rapid economic
prosperity
GUNPOWDER
o Around 850 A.D., Chinese alchemist accidentally invented the gun
powder.
o Prior to the invention of gun powder, swords and spears to use in
battles and wars.
o Allowed advanced warfare
- Fiery arrows
- Grenades
- Cannons
PAPER MONEY
o First used by CHINESE in 17th century
o Before the introduction of paper money,
merchants and traders used precious
metals such as gold and silver
o Easier to keep and transport
MECHANICAL CLOCK
o Helped the people in accurately keeping the track of time
o Drastically changed the way of spending the day + work
patterns were established
o The first mechanical water clock was invented by
CTSEBIUS.

SPINNING WHEEL
o Used to transform fiber into thread/yarn + eventually
woven into cloth
o The INDIANS are the one invented the spinning wheel
between 6th and 11th century
o It speeds up the rate of manually spinning fiber by 10 to
100 times

MODERN AGES
➢ Historical period when people realized the importance of the
efficiency of transportation, communication + production
➢ Industrialization took place but with greater risk on human health,
food safety + environment

TELESCOPE
o Invented by GALILEO GALILEI
o Can magnify 20x larger than a regular glasses
o Used to discover important astronomical features – moon’s
crates and stars
COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
o Invented by ZACHARIAS JANSSEN in 1590s
o Nowadays, compound microscope is used in many
scientific studies in the area of medicine, forensic, + genetics
JACQUARD LOOM
o Built by JOSEPH MARIE JACQUARD
o Simplifies textiles manufacturing
o Prior to this invention, a draw loom is used w/c
requires 2 persons to operate
o Details and design.

ENGINE POWERED AIRPLANE

o Invented by ORVILLE WRIGHT & WILBUR
WRIGHT
o They demonstrated that slightly-tilted wings are
the key features of a flying aircraft
FIRST AUTOMOBILE
o First stationary gasoline engine
o Developed by CARL BENZ
o A one-cylinder two-stroke unit which ran for the
1st time on New Year’s Eve 1879
o A lightweight car powered by a gasoline engine, in
w/c the chassis and engine formed a single unit
TELEVISION
o Invented by ENGR. JOHN LOGIE BAIRD in
1920s
o British Broadcasting Corporation used this for its
earliest television programming in 1929
o The 1st television is mechanical and not the
same as the television we have nowadays

20TH CENTURY INVENTIONS BY

FILIPINO SCIENTISTS

VIDEOPHONE
o Invented by PHYSICIST AND ENGR. GREGORIO ZARA
o Two-way television telephone in 1955
o Enabled the caller and recipient to see each other while conversing
MEDICAL INCUBATOR
o A bamboo incubator in 1941
o To help families in rural communities without electricity
o Composed of two native laundry baskets made of bamboo
o Invented by FE DEL MUNDO
o First Asian to have entered Harvard University
MOLE & WARTS REMOVER
o Developed a patented formula that allows to remove deep grown
moles or warts
o Invented by MR. ROLANDO DELA CRUZ in 2000
o Made from cashew nuts extracts
 o Mole - a small, often slightly raised blemish on the skin made dark
by a high concentration of melanin
o Warts - are a type of skin infection caused by the human
papillomavirus (HPV) (rough, skin-colored bumps formed on the
skin)
SUPER KALAN
o A stove that can be powered by any substance that burns
- Wood
- Paper
- Dried dung + leaves
- Corncobs
- Cocoshells
o Invented by NARCISO MOSUELA
o Received the Best Design award from the Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO) in 1987
ARTIFICIAL CORAL REEFS
o Used for fisheries in Southeast Asia
o Invented by ANGEL ALCALA in 1977
o Became a model for many other fisheries
development programs around the world
WATER-POWERED CAR
o A water-powered car and prototype
o Invented by DANIEL DINGEL in 1969
o His hydrogen reactor uses electricity from a
12-volt car battery to transform ordinary tap
water with salt into deuterium oxide/heavy water.
o Never been patented and commercialized
FLUORESCENT LAMP
o The product of 79 years of the development of the lighting
method that began w/ the invention of the electric light bulb
by Thomas Eddison
o The most widely used source of lighting in the world, today
o Invented by AGAPITO FLORES
o Fluorescent lamp got its name from Flores

B. Intellectual Revolutions that Defined Society

❖ Copernican ❖ Asian
❖ Darwinian ❖ Middle East (Islamic
❖ Freudian Science)
❖ Information Age ❖ African
❖ Meso-American

What is intellectual revolution?

➢ Greek speculation about nature
➢ Known as
o Pre-Socratic
o Non-theological
o First philosophy
➢ 3 Characteristics of this Philosophy
o The world is a natural whole
o There is a natural order
o Humans can discover laws
COPERNICAN REVOLUTION
o Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
- Astronomer and mathematician
- Heliocentric model = sun – center of the solar system
- Published an essay – “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly
Spheres” in 1543
- The start of the scientific revolution
Aristotle believe that the earth is the true center of the solar system.
(Ptolemy of Alexandria the creator of geocentric model.)

DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
o Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
- A genius came from intellectually and wealthy family
- Struggled in medical school + ministry
- A 5-year voyage through the HMS beagle on the Galapagos
Island
- Theory of Evolution
- The Origin of Species in 1859
- Suggested that all organisms are related and have descended
from a common ancestor
- Explains that complex creatures evolved naturally from
simplistic ancestors over time
- Proposed the
natural selection
FREUDIAN REVOLUTION
o Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
- Father of Psychoanalysis
- Believed that when people explain their behavior, they rarely
give a true account of their motivation, not because they are
deliberately lying, but because they are more adept at self-
deception
- Freud’s Structural Theory of Personality emphasizes the role
of unconscious psychological conflicts in shaping behavior
and personality

INFORMATION REVOLUTION

➢ Gutenberg’s Printing Press in 1455

➢ Analytic Engine by Agusta + Babbage in 1830
➢ 1st Telephone by Alexander Bell during 1870
➢ Allan Turing’s work during WWII
- Turing Machine
- Turing Test
MESOAMERICAN CIVILIZATION ( Central Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Northern Costa Rica)

Contribute in Agriculture as early as 1700 BC

o Cultivation (cacao, chili, tomatoes, squash, beans, corns)
o Domestication ( Turkey and Dog)
o Cotton to textile
o Rubber trees to rubber balls
o Formed Terraces (Incas created) along mountain slopes
o Meso-American natuves used irrigation Techniques
o Creating first calendar
3 main food sources (The three sisters)
o Bean
o Corn
o Squash

Asian civilization ( India+ China)

o World’s great early Asian civilization: India + China
o Civilization arose in the Indus Valley 4000 years ago
- Weapons and utensils made of bronze + copper were used
- Shops were established 0 Mohejo-Daro
o Hinduism, Buddhism (India)+ Confucianism (China) are the
dominant religions
Middle East Civilization
o Home of the “Cradle of Civilization”
o History started from the earliest human settlements continuing
through pre- and post- Islamic Empires
o Developed the ff:
- First writing system in the world
- Potter’s wheel, vehicular + mill wheel
- 1st generalized governments + law codes
- Foundation of astronomy + mathematic
African Civilization
➢ Lineage + culture achievements
o Mathematics – Yoruba system
o Astronomy – African Stonehenge
o Metallurgy – steam engineer + copper & iron tools + nail +
carbon + metal chisels + saws + weapons (bronze) + glue +
steel
o Agriculture
o Engineering
o Navigation
o Medicine
o African Stonehenge
➢ Developed diverse structures + great architectural monuments
along the Nile River (Great Pyramid of Giza and Grat Sphinx of
Giza)
o Plants w/ salicylic acid = pain
o Kaolin = bacteria
o Extract = Gram + bacteria
➢ Medicine is more advance:
o Vaccination
o Autopsy
o Limb traction
o Bullet removal
o Skin grafting
o Filling the dental cavities
o Installation of false teeth
o Anesthesia
o Tissue cauterization
o Brain surgery