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Science, Technology and Society

Science, Technology and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between science, technology and society. It asks questions such as how science works, how scientific knowledge is affected by various social and cultural factors, and how societies allocate resources for science and technology. STS applies methods from history, philosophy and sociology of science to understand these interactions and prepare students to understand both the technical and social dimensions of science and technology in an increasingly technological world.

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Genesis Gonzales
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169 views

Science, Technology and Society

Science, Technology and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between science, technology and society. It asks questions such as how science works, how scientific knowledge is affected by various social and cultural factors, and how societies allocate resources for science and technology. STS applies methods from history, philosophy and sociology of science to understand these interactions and prepare students to understand both the technical and social dimensions of science and technology in an increasingly technological world.

Uploaded by

Genesis Gonzales
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Science, Technology and Society

What is STS?
 it is a field interested in the nature
of science and its place in society

 it is an interdisciplinary field that ask


questions such as:
1). how does science work?
2). how are we to understand
scientific controversies?
3). how is scientific knowledge and
practice affected by economic,
political, religious or philosophical
currents in a given time and place.

4). How do societies and government


allocate resources for scientific
research and science-based
policies.
5). how have scientific research ethics
evolved, and what ethical issues are
now being contested?
 applies the methods of history,
philosophy, and sociology of science
to answer these five questions and
other questions.
 it has its roots in the history of
of science, philosophy of science,
and sociology of science.
Science, Technology and Society (STS)

 STS prepares students to understand


both the technical and social dimensions
of science and technology, helps them
become more thoughtful and better-
informed citizens of our high-tech society,
and develops their critical
interdisciplinary thinking, research, and
communication skills
On a personal level, STS is…
 Interdisciplinary education for life.
 Relevant to every field of study.
 A way to improve your writing and
communications skills, problem-solving
abilities, and ability to adapt to changes in
science and technology.
 Attractive to potential employers.
 Needed at all levels, in education,
government, the private sector, and
internationally.
ACTIVIST STS
Gets involved in current issues.
Covers a broad social spectrum (not just academic).
Builds coalitions:
1. Awareness of a problem
2. Need to take responsibility
3. Draw on external expertise
4. Make decisions and take actions
(demonstrate, litigate, educate, legislate, etc.).
Strengths —relevance, empowerment, democratic.
Weaknesses — ad hoc, emotional, NIMBY.
Examples: nuclear power, toxic wastes, health care,
climate change action.
The Two Cultures
What does it mean to be human?

Two Possibilities

Homo sapiens sapiens


Primates who think (a lot)
Contemplative
Homo farber
Primates who make things
Manipulative
ACTIVITY NO. 1
FREE RESPONSE
1. Describe some of the interconnections between
science and technology, using at least three
specific examples. Write in complete sentences,
minimum of 3 sentences.
2. Does technology control us? If your position is
yes/no, explain in 2 sentences.
3. Is technology predictable?
4. If you are given the chance to invent one
revolutionary product/process/tool/equipment
what will it be and why do you want to invent
it?
► The state of science and technology
determines the socio-economic
progress of a country.

► It is a well-known fact that national


progress is highly correlated to the
capacity of a country to produce local
industrial goods for domestic needs
and that industrialization is very much
dependent on the capacity of a
country to support it.
 it kills people

 it changes behavior / attitude

 it isolates people
 it allows people to meet and
communicate from distances.

 it makes people antisocial.


How do we define science?
CONTENT Body of organized knowledge about nature
From Latin scientia - knowledge

METHOD Of obtaining that knowledge, experiment,


observation, hypothesis, theory, law

ATTITUDE Organized and systematic skepticism

GOALS Explanation, understanding, prediction, control

LANGUAGE Mathematics and technical vocabulary

TOOLS Uses Instruments and technologies

COMMUNITY Discipline, education, credentials,


careers, patrons, societies, “turf”

PROCESS Organized, but very diverse activity shaped by


social forces and historical change
Science is. . .
Natural knowledge
Natural philosophy
Natural history
Systematic inquiry into nature
A human cultural activity
A total societal enterprise
With vast social consequences
Organized, well-founded knowledge of nature and human nature
“A sophisticated intellectual version of Esperanto or the universal
language that the heroes of the scientific revolution imagined as an
instrument of global communication”
“The cutting edge of ignorance”
In general:
Science is an organized, hierarchical activity that
investigates nature and human nature by experiment
and observation.
Its goals are explanation, understanding, prediction, and
control.
It tests its theories by logical, mathematical, and
technological means.
Science is shaped by social forces and historical change.
While seeking objectivity, science also shapes culture.
Stereotypes

Newton,
John Hershel,
Darwin
Stereotypes
Technology
a. Artifacts or Hardware. Products fabricated by
humans to meet specific needs. Tools,
machines, implements.
b. Knowledge and Methods. A system of tacit and
explicit knowledge, techniques, and materials
utilized in using, making, or repairing a certain
kind of artifact.
c. A human cultural activity or profession. e.g.
military or civil engineers, crafters, machinists.
d. A total societal enterprise. e.g. “American
technological know-how.” R&D, invention,
patronage, mass production and mass
consumption.
What is Technology?
A discourse or treatise on an art or arts;
The scientific study of the practical or industrial arts.

Some other attempts at definitions:


• A system based on the application of knowledge, manifested in physical
objects and organizational forms, for the attainment of specific goals —
Volti
• Cumulative sum of means used to satisfy human needs and desires and to
solve specific problems —Markert
• The sum total of systems of machines and techniques that underlie a
civilization —Nye
• Not merely a system of machines with certain functions, but an expression
of a social world —Nye
• The production of superfluities – today as in the Paleolithic age —Ortega y
Gasset
• “The seeping false-hearted death” —DeLillo
What is Society?

 a group of people who live together


in an organized way, making
decisions about how to do things and
sharing the work that needs to be
done.

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