THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Introduction:

Among the animals on earth, we, humans, identify ourselves as the ones who have higher
intellectual capacity. We have learned that things around us hold potential when combined with
other things or when used in ways that these things are innately inclined to be used. Through
time, passionate search, experiment or even accidental encounter, a lot of things were
discovered, and we are determined to use, produce, and manipulate nature. This lesson
explains briefly the attributes and capacity of man and his role in relation to technology and to
society. It begins with St. Augustine’s idea that human beings were created by God, the
Supreme Good, and that He has endowed us with intellect and the freedom to choose what is
good and ultimately go back to Him. The journey towards God necessitates graces from Him in
order for us, humans, to choose to do and innovate things for each other and for everyone’s
good. This lessons also establishes some philosophical considerations on how technology can
be construed as a tool for higher purposes aside from the usual idea of it being the provider of
more efficient and comfortable ways of achieving and doing things. (adoniskathleen, 2019)

https://www.coursehero.com/file/39153379/STSdocx/

Course material

THE HUMAN PERSONFLOURISHING IN TERMS OFSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and being a human activity.
 It has long filled the word. Everyday routines are marked with technological advances
that reflect what a society is good or known for. Technology has well advanced since
the middle of the20th
 Century especially after the end of World War II. It is not unexpected for technology
to involve question of knowledge which lead to its formation as one of the branches of
philosophy. This also led to the furtherance of technology based on how it is viewed and
understood. But there is more to that.
 Aristotle, was born 304 B.C. an ancient Greek philosophy scientist and one of the most
significant thinkers and who contributed so much to
science,technology,politicaltheory,andaesthetics world;followedthat knowledge of the
world begins by looking and examining that which exists. To understand the human
person flourishing in terms of science and technology, it is good to first examine
technology in its essence.

What is Happiness?

 In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be

defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to
intense joy.
  To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do
something good or positive.

 To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones released in the

brain as a reward for behavior that prolongs survival.

 The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering, the
presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists believe
that the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery.

 Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit" to describe
the ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person.
Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities
that make them spiritually richer people.

Aristotle

--> Aristotle believed that human flourishing requires a life with other people. Aristotle taught
that people acquire virtues through practice and that a set of concrete virtues could lead a
person toward his natural excellence and happiness.

--> According to Aristotle, there is an end of all of the actions that we perform which we desire
for itself. This is what is known as eudaimonia, flourishing, or happiness, which is desired for its
own sake with all other things being desired on its account. Eudaimonia is a property of one's
life when considered as a whole. Flourishing is the highest good of human endeavors and that
toward which all actions aim. It is success as a human being. The best life is one of excellent
human activity.

Eudaimonia

 “good spirited”

 Coined by Aristotle

 Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is attainable by humans.

 “human flourishing”

 From Nicomachean Ethics (philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life for a
human being.)

– human flourishing arises as a result of different components such as

•Phronesis

•Friendship

•Wealth

•Power
• In ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring these will surely bring the seekers
happiness, which in effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of what we call the Good.

• As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed.

• People found means to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more products,
and make more money.

• Humans of today are expected to become “man of the world”.

• Supposed to situate himself in a global neighborhood, working side by side among institutions
and the government to be able to reach a common goal.

Principles of Human Flourishing

 Dignity of the Human person - innate personal values or rights which demands respect
for all people, regardless of race, social class, wealth etc.

 Common Good - sacrificing self-interest to provide for the basic human needs of
everyone makes the whole community flourish.

 Preferential Option for the Poor - when decisions are made by first considering the poor.

 Subsidarity - when all those affected by a decision are involved in making it.

 Universal Purpose of Goods - the Earth's resources serve every person's needs,
regardless of who "owns" them.

 Stewardship of Creation - duty to care for the Earth as a (God-given) gift is a personal
responsibility for the common good.

 Promotion of Peace - everyone has the duty to respect and collaborate in personal
relationships, and at national and global levels.

 Participation - everyone has the right and the duty to take part in the life of a society
(economic, political, cultural, religious)

 Global Solidarity - recognition that we are all interconnected, part of one human family.

Different Conceptions of Human Flourishing

Eastern

• Focus is community-centric

• Individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of society

• Chinese Confucian system

• Japanese Bushido
• Encourage studies of literature, sciences, and art for a greater cause

Western

 More focused on the individual

 Human flourishing as an end

 Aristotelian view

 Aims for eudaimonia as the ultimate good

Science, Technology and Human Flourishing

 Every discovery, innovation, and success contributes to our pool of human knowledge.

 Human’s perpetual need to locate himself in the world by finding proofs to trace
evolution.

 Elicits our idea of self-importance

 Technology is a human activity we excel in as a result of achieving science.

 Good is inherently related to the truth.

SELECTED VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY

 It has been said they there are many views or ways as to how technology is understood.
These philosophies contributed on how technology is understood and utilized by the
society. Some of it will be discussed briefly below.

TECHNOLOGICAL PEMISSIMISM

 This view is extremely supported by French philosopher Jacques Ellul (1912-1994).

 Technological Pessimism holds that technology is progressive and beneficial in many
ways, it is also doubtful in many ways. It is said that technology is a means to an end but
this views, technology has become a way of life. Technique has become a framework
which human cannot escape. It has introduced ways on how to make things easy. Ellul's
pessimistic arguments are: (1) Technological progress has a price,(2) technological
progress creates more problems, (3) technological progress creates damaging effects,
and (4) technological progress creates unpredictable devastating effects.
 Although Ellul has strongly spoken of his arguments, they are still found to be weak
and not true at all times. Like when he said that technological progress can create more
problems than it solves, he seems to have underestimated the objective decisions a
technicians, and other technological agencies makes regarding the technology where
they weigh the good and bad effects it can have in the society.
TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM

 This view is strongly supported by technologist and engineers and also by ordinary
people who believe that technology can alleviate all the difficulties and provide solutions
for problems that may come. It holds that even though technological problems may
arise, technology will still be the solutions to it. The extreme version of this philosophy is
technocratism which holds technology as the supreme authority on everything.

EXISTENTIALISM

 The main concern of this view is the existence or the mode of being of someone or
something which is governed by the norm of authenticity. This view basically investigate
the meaning of existence or being and is always faced with the selection must make with
which the existence will commit himself to.
 Martin Heidegger, a philosopher who was briefly introduced in Unit 1is one of the most
known supporters of this philosophy. He did not stop defining what technology is but has
dealt with its essence. To Heidegger, the real essence of technology lies in enframing,
the gathering of the setting upon which challenges man to bring the unconcealed to
unconcealment and this is a continuous revealing. The next section will further discuss
the view of Heidegger that technology is a way of revealing.

MARTIN HEIDEGGER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Martin Heidegger (1889-1996), a well-known German philosopher, examined the two usual
definitions of technology; means to an end and a human activity, because he believed that this
kind of confusing and there are question to it that we easily overlook. These two definitions
cannot be separated from each other. He called it the instrumental and anthropological
definition of technology or simply means by which the human ends are realized. To Heidegger,
this may not be a false definition but it is a misleading one because this limits our thinking.

THE INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION OF TECHNOLOGY

 According to Heidegger, the instrumental definition of technology encourages us to view

technology from different periods of time as not having fundamental differences. But he
claimed that this does not show the true essence of technology. He explained that while
technology is geared towards meeting a human need, still there is a difference between
older handicraft technologies with modern technology. As it is, "a saw mill on a secluded
valley of the Black Forest is a primitive means compared with the hydroelectric plant on
the Rhine River” (Heidegger,1977,p.I). Heidegger also argued that “technology is by no
means technological" and should not be seen as merely neutral. The problem begins
when humans see it only as a means to an end and disregard the fact that there is a
good technology and a bad technology
 Another problem Heidegger saw in the instrumental definition of technology is that it
only invites man to a continual desire to master it which unconsciously may be making
technology go out of hand. Heidegger said," Everything depends on our manipulating
technology in the proper manner as a means. We will, as we say, 'get' technology
 'spiritually in hand'. We will master it. The will to mastery becomes the more urgent the
more technology threatens to slip from human control." (Heidegger, 1977,p.I) with this,
the argued that the problem does not fall on making technology better but on how man
sets upon technology, his thoughts that makes him blind to the real essence of
technology.
 For Heidegger, this correct definition of technology is insufficient as it does not bring out
its real essence. He said, "In order that we may arrive at this, or at least come close to it,
we must seek the true by way of the correct. We must ask: what is the instrumental
itself? Within what do such things as means and end belong? (1977,p.2) In answering
these question, Heidegger arrived at a discussion of causality which to him in reality
initially involves four ways that leads for something to exist or to be "caused".

 ARISTOTLE’S FOUR CAUSES

Heidegger further studied Aristotle's Four causes and illustrated it using a silverchalice which he
said owes its make up from the four causes.

1. Causa materialis or the material cause

 The material by which the silver chalice was made of silver.
2. Causa Formalis or the formal cause
 The form of the shape that gave the silver chalice its image.
3. Causa Finalis or the final cause
 The purpose or the primary use by which the silver chalice was made for to be
used during the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine that represent the
blood of Christ
4. Causa Efficient or the Efficient Cause

The agent that has caused for the silver chalice to come about: the silversmith.

HEIDEGGER’S TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF

REVEALING

Heidegger believed that the genuine substance or the real essence of technology is found in
enframing. This is the continuous bringing forth into unconcealment that which is concealed.
This is a non-stop revealing. Heidegger saw technology as a way of revealing and continues to
demand for something to be bought out into the open. This bringing forth into the open is a two-
way relationship: the concealed is calling out for someone to set upon it and bring it to
unconcealment and the one who receives the call sets upon and acts upon to unconceal the
concealed.

To further illustrate this, he gave some examples through contrasting ancient and modern
technology. First he talked about the ancient windmill which only relies on the wind blowing and
does not store energy which can be for immediate use and can also be stored up for future use.
Second, was about the peasant planting seeds who only waits for the bringing forth of the
planted seed because there is no challenge set upon soil. Modern technology of cultivation on
the other hand, challenged the field that has caused for agriculture to be revolutionized. Now,
food is not only produced for immediate use but can be stored as well for future use and could
cater more population. Third, is about the wooden bridge is built to join river for banks for
hundreds of years without challenges being set upon the river. While on the other hand, the
hydroelectric plant that was set on Rhine River dammed the river into the hydroelectric plant so
that electrical energy can be stored and distributed

THE MODE OF REVEALING IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Heidegger explained that technology as a mode of revealing does not stop and continues to be
seen in modern technology but not in the bringing-forth sense. This is a nonstop revealing.
Modern technology is revealed by challenging nature, instead of bringing forth, it is setting upon
challenges or demands on nature in order to:

 Unlock and expose. It carries the idea that nature wills not reveal it unless
challenge is set upon it. This is true with the hydroelectric plant set upon
the Rhine River which unlocked the electricity concealed in it.
 Stock piles for future use. As technology is a means to an end, it aims to meet
future demands; the electricity produced by the hydroelectric plant set upon the
Rhine River is being stored for future use in the community. Modern technologies
are now able to get more from nature  by challenging
it. As Heidegger (1997) said, "Such challenging happens in that energy
concealed in nature in unblocked is transformed, what is transformed is stored
up, what is stored up is distributed , and what is distributed is switched about
ever a new"

THE ESSENCE OF TECHNOLOGY

 The continuous revealing takes place as man allows himself to be an agent in the setting
upon of challenges to nature but Heidegger(1977) argues that this is not more human
doing. Man is able to set upon which was already unconcealed as he responds to the
call of unconcealment but "when man, investigating, observing , pursues nature as an
area of his own conceiving, he has already been claimed by a way of revealing that
challenges him to approach nature as an object of research, until even the object
disappears into the objectlessness of standing-reserve.
 This gathering of the setting-upon which challenges man to bring the unconcealed to
unconcealment is called enframing with which according to Heidegger, also shows the
essence of modern technology. Enframing is basically putting in order whatever is
presented to the man who sets upon the unconcealed but it is a two-way relationship:
man cannot set himself upon unconcealment without unconcealment's call and the
unconcealed will not going to unconcealment without the man responding to its call. This
makes modern technology not a mere human doing and with this Heidegger argued that
the essence of technology lies in enframing.

THE DANGER OF THE NONSTOP REVEALING
  As said earlier, the mode of revealing does not stop in modern technology. It continually
calls man to respond to what is presented to him or to the demand for a better and
efficient means to an end. With this comes the continuous challenging forth for the
unconcealed to be unconcealed even more. Here lies the danger that Heidegger talked
about.
 Revealing opens up a relationship between man and the word but an opening up of
something means a closing down of something which means as something is revealed,
another is concealed. An example given by Heidegger on this "the rise of a cause-effect
understanding of reality closes" off an understanding of God as something mysterious
and holy: God is reduced to 'the god of the philosophers"(Cerbone,2008).

THE SOCIETY IN THE FACE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

When one looks around him now, he will see that man tends to find his happiness in the
works of modern technology. Smart phones, tablets, laptops that come in different shapes and
sizes with distinct features seem to be the measure of man's value. Social media has also
affected the life on many. Face to face social interactions are being lessened and people keep
working hard to update their gadgets. There seems to be no contentment as every time a new
product is released, man finds another need that can only be answered by a new product.
These new products also tend to replace man in the society as the demand for manual labor is
becoming less and less because of the availability of machineries

The human condition is not of without hope. Heidegger argued that this can be
prevented if man will not allow himself to be overwhelmed with the enframing that he was set
upon, but he pause for a while and reflect on the value of what is presented before him. A
balance has to be struck between technology being instrumental and anthropological. One has
to understand that technology does not only concern the means but also the end as one proverb
goes, "The end does not justify the means" For Heidegger, the solution for this is that man
would not be controlling and manipulative of what he was set upon but to also allow nature to
reveal itself to him. With this, according to Heidegger , man will have free relationship with
technology.

References

https://www.academia.edu/41160955/THE_HUMAN_PERSON_FLOURISHING_IN_TERMS_OF_SCIENCE

Jaivy Marie Dy December 2, 2019

https://prezi.com/p/xbd-d0uu9dcz/the-human-person-flourishing-in-terms-of-science-and-technology/

Irish Nicole Roura

Updated Jan. 24, 2019

https://www.slideshare.net/annaestardo/bspsts-pt4
anna estardo Aug 9, 2018

Introduction to Good life

The Good life

Watch Video: What is "the good life"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSjghuddlQk

In Ancient Greece, the need to understand the world and reality was bound with the need to
understand the self and the good life.

For Plato

The task of understanding the things in the world runs parallel with the job of truly getting into what will
make the soul flourish. In an attempt to understand reality and the external world, man must seek to
understand himself.

For Aristotle

 There is a definitive distinction between the theoretical and practical sciences.

 Theoretical disciplines include logic, biology, physics, metaphysics, etc.
 Practical disciplines include ethics and politics.
 He stated that the “truth” is the aim of the theoretical sciences and the “good” is the end goal of
the practical ones.
 Every attempt to know is connected in some way in an attempt to find the “good”.

Aristotle and How We All Aspire for a Good Life

Plato

 He thought that things in this world are not real and are only copies of the real in the world of
forms.
 For him, change is so perplexing that it can only make sense if there are two realities:
o World of Matter – things are changing and impermanent
o World of Forms – entities are only copies of the ideal and the models
 He recognized change as a process and as a phenomenon that happens in the world and is
constant.
 He also claims that despite the reality of change, thing remain and they retain their ultimate
“whatness”.
  He was convinced that reality is full of seemingly contrasting manifestations of change and
permanence.

Aristotle

 He is the first thinker who dabbed into the complex problematizing of the end goal of life:
happiness.
 He puts everything back to the ground in claiming that this world is all there is to it and that this
world is the only reality we can all access.
 He believes that change is a process that is inherent in things.
 He claims that happiness is the be all and end all of everything that we do.

Happiness = Human Flourishing

 A kind of contentment in knowing that one is getting the best out of life.
 A kind of feeling that one has maxed out his potential in the world, that he has attained the crux
of his humanity

Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life

According to John Stuart Mill

 In the 18th century, Mill declared the Greatest Happiness principle by saying that an action is
right as far as it maximizes the attainment of happiness for the greater number of people.
 Individual happiness of each individual should be prioritized and collectively dictates the kind of
action that should be endorsed.

Materialism

 Atomist in Ancient Greece were the first materialists.

 Democritus and Leucippus led a school whose primary belief is that the world is made up of and
is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the world called atomos or seeds.
 In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes us attain happiness.

Hedonism

 This school of thought led by Epicurus see the end goal in life in acquiring pleasure.
 Life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure because life is limited.
 Their mantra is “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
 They do not believe in the notion of afterlife.

Stoicism

 Also led by Epicurus, it espoused the idea that to generate happiness, one must learn to
distance himself and be apathetic.
 For them, happiness can only be attained by a careful practice of apathy.
  They adopt the fact that some things are not within their control.

Theism

 They use God as a fulcrum of their existence.

 The ultimate basis of happiness for them is the communion with God.
 The world where we are in is only just a temporary reality where we have to maneuver around
while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God.

Humanism

 They espouse the freedom of man to carve his own destiny and to legislate his own laws, free
from the shackles of a God that monitors and controls.
 For them, man is literally the captain of his own ship.
 This is the spirit of most scientists who thought that the world is a place and a space for freely
unearthing the world for seeking ways on how to improve the lives of its inhabitants.

Summary

 Throughout history, man has worked hard in pointing out what amounts to a good, happy life.
 At present, we see multitudes of schools of thought that all promise their key to finding
happiness.
 Science and technology has been at the forefront of man’s attempt at finding happiness.
 The only question at the end of the day is whether science is taking the right path toward
attaining what it really means to live a good life.

References

Serafica, J., Pawilen, G., Caslib, B., & Alata, E. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. Quezon City: Rex
Printing Company.

Assessment:

Reflections Paper: 1. In your own opinion, what constitutes a good life?

2. How is the progress in science and technology a movement towards the good life?

https://www.slideshare.net/liwaycruz/the-good-life-170252540

Published on Sep 9, 2019 Prof Liwayway Memije-Cruz

When technology and humanity cross

Introduction

Our world is entering a period of truly transformative change and many of us will be surprised by the
scale and pace of developments we simply hadn’t anticipated. Tremendous potential lies in these
exponential technological advances, yet with these new opportunities also come tremendous new
responsibilities. An avalanche of technological changes will reshape the very essence of humanity and
touch every aspect of life of our planet. (Gerd Leonhard, July 2016)

Watch Video: The future of technology and Humanity: a provocative film by Futurist Speaker Gerd
Leonhard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uo1FlcQENk

https://www.techvshuman.com/read-preview/

https://www.slideshare.net/annaestardo/bspsts-pt6

Why the future doesn’t need us?

https://prezi.com/7hyrj4_lkaxh/why-the-future-doesnt-need-us/