Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Lopez, Quezon Branch

GEED 10083
Science, Technology, and Society

MODULE 2:
General Concepts and Historical Events
in Science, Technology, and Society

LESSON 2:
Technology as a Way of Revealing

Christopher B. Valencia, LPT, MAED

Professor
 LESSON 2
Technology as a Way of Revealing

LESSON OBJECTIVES

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Explain the concept of human condition before science technology
 Identify the change that happened in human condition after science and technology
 Name ways on how technology aided in revealing the truth about the human being

The Human Condition Before Common Era

The history of human society has been that of scientific advancement and technological
innovation. Man is in a continuous struggle to master his environment. In his quest to live
longer, better and meaningfully he engages in quite a number of inventions and innovations.
The series of man's innovations have been increasingly dramatic. It is thus no longer an issue
whether science has been of any advantage to human society. Science no doubt has made
unprecedented contribution to the advancement of technology and the development of the
human society in general. The security, pleasure and ultimate survival of man depends on the
extent to which the unfolding technologies are integrated into the quality of human life in an
unfolding century. It is said that science evolved from common sense. However, the evolution
and development of science was possible because the human mind has indefmite capacities; it
continuously emits thoughts and ideas and wonders why and how things happen, and most
importantly, how to be in control of the way thing-S happen. This is the essence of philosophy in
science. In the same way science and technology equally have their own reasons for being.
The essence of science is not scientific, neither is that of technology, technological.
Science and technology are disciplines aimed at the acquisition of knowledge with which to
solve human problems. This means that human's vast, varied and complex and ever increasing
needs gave rise to science and the quest for scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge enables
the scientist to understand, explain, and predict human problems as well as natural events.
Science attempts to explore the world for man's advantage. According to Nwala (1997), science
aims at enabling man to explain how the world, events and objects around him originate,
develop, operate or function. It also helps him to predict how they will behave in the future and
thus enables him to control the behaviour of the things around him, once he is able to develop
the appropriate instruments. for such control. Science helps us to express and systematize our
understanding of objects and phenomena. It also provides us with practical knowledge in
various ways, mechanism and instruments which enables us to control objects and
phenomena. There is a relationship between science and the society. This relationship 'is
expressed by the statement that "the worth-Of the society can be well judged by the extent to
which it supports its scientists adequately'' (Lifshitz cited in Udoidem & Inoka, 2004), In like
manner, the best way to determine the importance of science is to consider ·the value and
applicability of its achievements and discoveries to the society. In this work, therefore, we are
not only concerned about how these achievements and discoveries have benefited man, but
also how they have endangered human life and existence.

It has been discovered that factors that distinguish our present age from the past include
the fact that the present recognizes the importance of science and technology in human affairs.
The quest for Scientific-technological knowledge has immensely increased leading to rapid
development and better standard of living. To start with man's earliest natural tools, we were
told were his hands and teeth. He later graduated to stones, and then to sticks shaped to be
used as tools. As time. progressed, he developed special tools for hunting, fishing and the
production. of cloths and shelters. In our present time man has replaced the natural tools of the
primitive man with more viable machines like tractors, ploughs, etc. This is made possible by
science and technology. The hydrogen bomb, nuclear weapons or missiles have replaced the
bows and arrows of the old eras. Labour saving machines like microwaves, electric ovens,
vacuum cleaners, blenders, have made life easier for modem housewives. Science :and
technology . therefore forms the foundation of modem existence and integral strategy for the
development of a modem and secure nation or society.

The Human Condition in the Common Era

While there are probably no end of examples of scientific progress having a major effect on
people’s sense of values, and changing the nature of society itself, the following is an
introduction to just a few of the more famous examples. The centennial anniversary to one of
the most amazing years in history (the “Miracle Year” of 1905) is fast approaching, when Albert
Einstein, one of the premier scientists of the 20th century, issued in rapid succession a theory
of the photon, a theory of Brownian motion, and the Special Theory of Relativity, all of which
served to overthrow the then-prevailing views of physics. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity became
the foundations for all later physics, contributing greatly to progress in various fields of science.
At the same time, it altered people’s concepts of space and time, and had a huge effect on
philosophy and thought. In the field of astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus developed a theory,
later bolstered and refined by Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, that had a great effect on
the development and reform of society, overthrowing Europe’s medieval sense of values and
driving it into the modern age. In recent years, however, examples of such society-changing
advances have become increasingly common. For example, Edwin Hubble’s discovery in 1929
that the universe was expanding led directly to the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe
(1946) by George Gamow and others.
In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detected cosmic background radiation pervading
the universe, providing powerful evidence for the Big Bang theory. These discoveries gave
people a new “sense of the universe.” Moreover, advances in space development have greatly
expanded the space available for possible human activities, and opened up new frontiers for
humanity where people can dream. At the same time, images of Earth taken from space have
given people all over the world a new “view of the Earth,” vividly revealing its beauty and
irreplaceability. Furthermore, the revelation in 1974 by Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina
that chlorofluorocarbon gases were causing depletion of the ozone layer, followed in 1985 by
the discovery of an ozone hole, had a huge effect on efforts to protect the global environment.
Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift, announced in 1915, is widely accepted around the
world today as the plate tectonics theory. At the time of its announcement, however, the
mechanism for continental drift was unknown, and the theory attracted few supporters. In the
1950s and later, however, advances in sea floor monitoring advanced the field of geophysics,
and in the 1960s Frederick Vine and Drummond Mathews found quantitative evidence of
continental drift due to a spreading sea floor. This discovery completely altered people’s “sense
of the Earth.” In the life sciences, meanwhile, as seen by such advances as the Theory of
Evolution proposed by Charles Robert Darwin in the 19th century, which greatly changed
people’s “sense of nature,” “sense of humanity,” and “sense of society,” there are many
examples of discoveries going far beyond the world of science to affect the way people think in
many sectors of society. The discovery in 1953 of the double helix structure of the DNA
molecule by James Watson and Francis Crick gave birth to an entirely new field of molecular
biology.

The result has been progressive elucidation of the structure of living things at the molecular
level and rapid advances in the life sciences, including the establishment of gene recombinant
technology by Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer in 1973, the birth of a cloned sheep, Dolly, in
1996, and completion in 2003 of the project to sequence the entire human genome, conducted
by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, a collaboration of six countries
including Japan, and five other North American and European countries. These recent
advances in the life sciences have greatly increased understanding of humans and other living
things, extending the frontiers of human activity, particularly in the medical field, and greatly
affecting people’s “sense of life” and “sense of ethics.” Furthermore, advances in brain research
hint at the possibility of closing in on the human soul, and progress in that area will surely have
a large effect on people’s sense of values. The IT revolution of recent years is the culmination
of many developments in computer technology, including the concept of the computing machine
proposed by Alan Turing, and the invention of the transistor by William Shockley, John
Bardeen, and Walter Brattain, as well as the advent of the Internet and other advances in
information and communications technology.

The IT revolution, however, does not consist merely of the development of new products or
improvement of people’s convenience, but is also greatly changing people’s modes of behavior
and lifestyles, through the possibilities it has opened up for the people of the world to use
cyberspace for instantaneous exchange of information and opinions. The effects of the IT
revolution have changed the nature of society in many dimensions, from the education, medical
and welfare, transport, finance, and manufacturing sectors to modes of work and play.
Furthermore, advances in nanotechnology have made possible the elucidation and
manipulation of phenomena at the atomic or molecular level, feats that were previously
considered impossible, and are now expanding the range of possible human activities.
Nanotechnology was launched by a lecture given in 1959 by Richard Feynman, titled “There’s
Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” and its progress has been marked by advances in
measurement technology, and supported by such scientific discoveries as the discovery of
fullerenes in 1984 by Harold Kroto and others.

The Essence of Technology

Reflecting on the ancient Greeks, Heidegger notes that the root of the word 'technology' is
techne. For the Greeks, techne meant a revelation of something, an uncovering or a bringing to
light. The word techne according to Heidegger then means a mode of knowing. Thus, we can
see that from his reflections on the Greek techne, Heidegger can conclude that modern
technology is also a manner of bringing forth out of concealed ness. Heidegger notes that the
manner in which modern technology reveals what is concealed is very different from that of the
ancient Greeks. The Greek experience of techne was a revealing of what lay in potential.
Hence, techne was a form of 'care', a way of enticing from beings their potential forms and
functions.
In our time, technology has become a major concern for us. Every person in our society is
touched by technology. In fact, 'our lives are technologically textured for most waking
moments.'2 We are seduced by the power of technology. We cannot fail to see how its products
and processes have influenced our ways of thinking and acting, indeed, the very character of
our lives. Yet, technology increasingly evokes fear and trepidation in us when we look at the
rapid destruction of the earth's resources and the possibilities for self-destruction that
technology has placed in our hands. Technology seems to have become the central,
endangering phenomenon of our times. Still, many believe that we will find solutions for the
crises that we face as a result of our technological over-zealousness, and that we will find these
solutions in technology itself. After all, it is our technology, one that will surely open up new
possibilities to overcome these difficulties. We are the masters of technology; we cannot allow
ourselves to be mastered by it.
Backtracking the Human Condition

Philosophically and culturally engaged intellectuals that are concerned by the present state
of humankind traditionally form the professional elite who reflect on the human condition. They
reconsider the hopes, dreams, weaknesses and sorrows of people that try to make the best of
their lives. The scientific and technological developments that can be gathered together under
the common denominator of ‘human enhancement’ change all that. Not only do they open the
door to a new group of experts to think about the human condition, most of all they make clear
that this condition is not only a social, cultural or philosophical topic but a scientific topic as well.
Who we are, who we can be and how we may reach that are no longer exclusive philosophical
and existential questions: they have entered the science domain. Various technologies to
improve our bodies and our life emerging from the fields of pharmacology, the neurosciences,
biotechnology and man-machine interactions are being developed in laboratories. But they are
also reaching different domains of application already. Contemporary societies adopt and
transform technological innovations at an enormous speed. Today’s scientific developments
may reach the market and the consumer by tomorrow. As a consequence, human
enhancement is rapidly becoming a societal issue. Existential questions and their scientific
exploration are now reaching the public.

Cultural and technological development, in parallel with biological evolution, have enabled
the species to progress at a vastly accelerated pace. Although the engines of evolutionary
change are still running at nature’s own pace, the human organism is speeding up its own
progress by creating access to future pathways for improving its mental and physical
architecture. Tools to achieve this are created by converging accomplishments in evolutionary
biology with newly derived insights offered by biotechnology, the cognitive sciences, genetics,
ICT, molecular biology, nanotechnology, and pharmacology. Exploration of the human
boundaries of future science has finally culminated into the crucible of human enhancement.

Martin Heidegger on the Essence of Technology

Heidegger strongly opposes the view that technology is “a means to an end” or “a human
activity.” These two approaches, which Heidegger calls, respectively, the “instrumental” and
“anthropological” definitions, are indeed “correct”, but do not go deep enough; as he says, they
are not yet “true.” Unquestionably, Heidegger points out, technological objects are means for
ends, and are built and operated by human beings, but the essence of technology is something
else entirely. Just as the essence of a tree is not itself a tree, Heidegger points out, so the
essence of technology is not anything technological.What, then, is technology, if it is neither a
means to an end nor a human activity? Technology, according to Heidegger must be
understood as “a way of revealing” (Heidegger 1977, 12). “Revealing” is one of the terms
Heidegger developed himself in order to make it possible to think what, according to him, is not
thought anymore. It is his translation of the Greek word alètheuein, which means ‘to discover’ –
to uncover what was covered over. Related to this verb is the independent noun alètheia, which
is usually translated as “truth,” though Heidegger insists that a more adequate translation would
be “un-concealment.”

How can technology be ‘a way of revealing’?

What does this have to do with technology? And what does Heidegger mean when he says
that technology is “a way of revealing”? Answering these questions requires a short but
important detour. What we call “reality”, according to Heidegger, is not given the same way in
all times and all cultures (Seubold 1986, 35-6). “Reality” is not something absolute that human
beings can ever know once and for all; it is relative in the most literal sense of the word – it
exists only in relations. Reality ‘in itself’, therefore, is inaccessible for human beings. As soon as
we perceive or try to understand it, it is not ‘in itself’ anymore, but ‘reality for us.’This means that
everything we perceive or think of or interact with “emerges out of concealment into
unconcealment,” in Heidegger’s words. By entering into a particular relation with reality, reality
is ‘revealed’ in a specific way. And this is where technology comes in, since technology is the
way of revealing that characterises our time. Technology embodies a specific way of revealing
the world, a revealing in which humans take power over reality. While the ancient Greeks
experienced the ‘making’ of something as ‘helping something to come into being’ – as
Heidegger explains by analysing classical texts and words – modern technology is rather a
‘forcing into being’. Technology reveals the world as raw material, available for production and
manipulation.

Why is technology not a human activity?

According to Heidegger, there is something wrong with the modern, technological culture
we live in today. In our ‘age of technology’ reality can only be present as a raw material (as a
‘standing reserve’). This state of affairs has not been brought about by humans; the
technological way of revealing was not chosen by humans. Rather, our understanding of the
world – our understanding of ‘being’, of what it means ‘to be’ – develops through the ages. In
our time ‘being’ has the character of a technological ‘framework’, from which humans approach
the world in a controlling and dominating way.This technological understanding of ‘being’,
according to Heidegger, is to be seen as the ultimate danger. First of all, there is the danger
that humans will also interpret themselves as raw materials. Note that we are already speaking
about “human resources”! But most importantly, the technological will to power leaves no
escape. If we want to move towards a new interpretation of being, this would itself be a
technological intervention: we would manipulate our manipulation, exerting power over our way
of exerting power. And this would only reconfirm the technological interpretation of being. Every
attempt to climb out of technology throws us back in. The only way out for Heidegger is “the will
not to will”. We need to open up the possibility of relying on technologies while not becoming
enslaved to them and seeing them as manifestations of an understanding of being.

ASSESSMENT

Name: Date:

Course and Year: Module No. 2

Lesson No. 2

Direction: Explain each questions and provide concise answers with some relevant
examples for clarification, if necessary.
1. How the technology evolved from before common era (BCE) to common Era (CE)?
2. What would have happened to humankind if technology did not exist?
3. Do you agree with Martin Heidegger in his idea that technology should only be seen as
one of the approaches in perceiving truth? Why?