Introduction to

Science, Technology, and Society

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
• discuss the general concepts related to science and technology; and
• explain the scope of the study of STS.
Science
• comes from the Latin word scientia, meaning ‘knowledge’
• refers to a systematic and methodical activity of building and
organizing knowledge about how the universe behaves through
observation, experimentation or both.
Scientific Method
• based on the Baconian method, an investigative
method developed by Sir Francis Bacon.
• was put forward in Bacon's book Novum Organum
• Inductive reasoning (accumulation of knowledge)
• Essentially, collect data to support/negate your
hypothesis

Francis Bacon
Scientific Method
OBSERVE
↓
DETERMINE THE PROBLEM
↓
FORMULATE HYPOTHESIS
↓
CONDUCT EXPERIMENT
↓
GATHER AND ANALYZE DATA
↓
FORMULATE CONCLUSION
+ RECOMMENDATION
Science
“Modern science is a discovery as well as an
invention.” – J. Heilbron
• Heilbron considered science as a discovery of
regularity in nature, enough for natural
phenomena to be described by principles and
laws.
• He also explained that science required invention
to devise techniques, abstractions, apparatuses,
and organizations to describe these natural
regularities and their law-like descriptions. John Heilbron
Technology
• comes from the Greek word techne, meaning ‘art, skill, or cunning of
hand’
• the application of scientific knowledge, laws, and principles to produce
services, materials, tools, and machines aimed at solving real-world
problems
Technology
Mark Zuckerberg on the definition of a
technological tool:
“What defines a technological tool – one historical
definition – is something that takes a human's sense
or ability and augments it and makes it more
powerful.
So, for example, I wear contact lenses or glasses;
that is a technology that enhances my human ability
of vision and makes it better.” Mark Zuckerberg
Science & Technology
The Medawar Lecture 1998: Is Science Dangerous?
• Reliable scientific knowledge has no moral or
ethical value.
• It is meant simply to explain how nature and the
universe work and that the obligation of scientists,
besides studying the nature of the universe, is to
explain the possible uses and applications of such
scientific knowledge.
Lewis Wolpert
Science & Technology
The Medawar Lecture 1998: Is Science Dangerous?
• Science is not the same as technology.
• Scientists are not responsible for the application of knowledge in technology.
• It is not possible to predict scientific discoveries and how these
discoveries may be applied.
• While scientists are responsible for the reliable conduct of scientific
inquiry and its honest interpretation and dissemination, technological
applications of science are influenced by other sectors such as politics
and governance, religion, and business.
Science, Technology & Society
SCIENCE

benefits from
SOCIETY TECHNOLOGY
makes life easier
Science, Technology & Society
• Nowadays, advancements in science and technology have become
pervasive.
• manifested in the activities that humans pursue and the tools they use every
day.
• Humans today live more productive and more exciting lives than their
predecessors.
• However, the dynamism and immensity of scientific and technological
progress also pose challenges and drawbacks to the way humans live.
Science, Technology & Society
Advancement
Introduction of machines tremendously cut
the need for human workforce.
Invention of drugs that cured the
previously incurable diseases introduced.
Rise of social media drastically changed
the way humans communicate, interact,
and share information.
Challenge/Drawback
Will machines eventually replace
humans?
New strains of bacteria and viruses that
are resistant to the very same drugs.
People's privacy is put at risk.
Ethical dilemmas and policy issues in S&T
• Helix – a digital app store designed to read genomes
• BlessU-2 and Pepper – first robot priest and monk
• Emotion-Sensing Facial Recognition – a software being developed to
assess your reactions to anything such as shopping and playing games
• Ransomware – a way of holding data hostage through hacking and
requiring a ransom to be paid
• Textalyzer – a device that analyzes whether a driver was using his or
her phone during an accident
Ethical dilemmas and policy issues in S&T
• Social Credit System – a system of scoring citizens through their actions
by placing them under constant surveillance
• Google Clips – a hands-free camera that lets the user capture every
moment effortlessly
• Sentencing Software – a mysterious algorithm designed to aid courts in
sentencing decisions
• Friendbot – an app that stores the deceased's digital footprint so one
can still "chat" with them
• Citizen App – an app that notifies users of ongoing crimes or major
events in a specific area
Ethical dilemmas and policy issues in S&T
• The list points to the ever-growing challenges, questions, and issues that
need to be addressed and resolved when science and technology and
humanity intertwine.
• One can continue to specifically draw from the tenets of history,
philosophy, and sociology in making informed and critical judgments of
the ethical and moral values of these innovations in science and
technology.