SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND

SOCIETY
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE
1ST SEMESTER , AY 2022-2023

Carl Patrick S, Tadeo

Instructor, Faculty of Social Sciences
 WHEN TECHNOLOGY
AND HUMANITY CROSS
Lesson 4 (Week 10)
Reporters:
Brainard Obana
Renz L. Zabate
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
 Know the different technological advancements in society;

 Discuss the development of science and technology in the

Philippines;
 Discuss the effects of the interplay between technology and
humanity through the dilemma(s) they face.
INTRODUCTION
Tracing back its origins, the word “technology” came from the Greek
word techne and logos which mean art and word, respectively. Taking
the two words together, technology means a discourse on arts
(Buchanan, 2010).

Technology these days enjoys such fame and glory because of the many
different benefits it brings to mankind. Some would even say that it does
not only bring convenience but also pleasure and happiness to people.
Technology keeps on progressing due to not only the changing
times and environment but also to the ever-progressing mind of
mankind.

In this lesson, several technological devices will be properly

introduced, the roles they play in society and their effects,
particularly to the lives of the people will be identified, and the
problems they face will also be examined thoroughly.
TELEVISIONS SETS, MOBILE PHONES,
COMPUTERS, AND HUMANITY
A number of technological devices can be easily
found inside the home, the most accessible place
to anyone.
 First, 70 percent of rural homes in the Philippines own at least
one television set. Television was a product of different
experiments by various people.

 Second, Filipinos love to use their mobile phones anywhere,

anytime. They use it for different purposes other than for
communication.
 Lastly, computers and laptops have also become part of many of
the Filipino households. There are some Filipino families who own
more than one computer or laptop while some of them own at least
one computer or laptop.

 Just like television sets and mobile phones, computers and

laptops also have a long background history of trial and error.

 A typical household owns at least four of the following

devices: a mobile phone (89%), smart phone (53%), tablet
(14%), desktop (39%), laptop or netbooks (37%), and smart TV
(4%) (Philstar, 2013). These data prove the deep-seated
fascination of Filipinos to different technolgical devices.
ROLES PLAYED BY THESE TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENTS
Television sets, mobile phones, and computers or laptops all have
different functions and roles played in the lives of the people, although
some may be a little similar.

For instance, television is mainly used as a platform or advertisements

and information dissemination. Mobile phones, on the other hand, also
have their own roles in the lives of the people. They are primarily used
for communication. Mobile phones offer services like texting and
calling. Lastly, personal computers and laptops can be used to surf the
internet and communicate.
It’s beneficial for the youth and those who love to play different
computer games, personal computers or laptops are really the better
choice because these allow them to play with comfort and
convenience.
ETHICAL DILEMMA FACED BY THESE TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENTS

While it is true that these technological devices are useful and beneficial,
the fact remains that there are several dilemmas faced by these
“necessities”. First most parents would argue that these devices make
their children lazy and unhealthy.

Another dilemma faced by these technological devices is the moral

dilemma. People, especially the children who are not capable yet of
rationally deciding for themselves what is right or wrong, are freely
exposed to different things on television, mobile phones, laptops, or
computers.
It can be said that the agents using the device are the ones to be blamed
for the undesirable consequences, namely, laziness and unhealthiness.

In the second dilemma, adults are to blame for allowing children

unsupervised access to such devices in the first place. In the second
dilemma, neither the people in the scientific world nor the children
are responsible as they are not yet able to decide rationally what is
good and what is bad.
 ROBOTICS AND HUMANITY

Another great product of people's innovative minds is the robot. Robots are
now widespread. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have set themselves the
task of formulating a working definition for service robots. These special robots
do specific jobs, but mostly focus on assisting their masters in their daily
chores.
 A robot is a powered mechanism, programmable in two or more
axes with some degree of autonomy. Autonomy in this context
means the ability to perform intended tasks without human
intervention. A robot can be classified as an industrial robot or a
service robot based on its purpose.

 A professional service robot or a service robot for professional

use is a service robot used for a commercial task, usually operated
by a properly trained operator. Examples are cleaning robot for
public places, delivery robot in offices or hospitals, fire-fighting
robot, rehabilitation robot, and surgery robot in hospitals. In this
context, an operator is a person designated to start, monitor, and
stop the intended operation of a robot or a robot system.
Germany was one of the first countries to develop service robots. As
part of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research's
"Service Robotics Innovation Lead Initiative," it sponsored a
collaborative project called DESIRE (Deutsche Servicerobotik
Initiative-Germany Service Robotics Initiative) which was launched on
October 1, 2005. DESIRE has the following individual objectives
(DESIRE, 2009):

• To achieve a technological edge toward attaining key functions and

components that are suited for everyday use.
• To create a reference architecture for mobile manipulation.
• To promote the convergence of technologies through integration into
a common technology platform.
• To conduct pre-competition research and development activities for
new products and technology transfer in start-up enterprises in the
field of service robotics .
Some of the expected work to be performed by DESIRE are the following: (1)
"Clear up the kitchen table" - all objects on top of the kitchen table will be
inoved to where they belong; (2) "Fill the dishwasher" -the dirty dishes will be
sorted correctly into the dishwasher, and (3) "Clear up this room" - all objects
that are not in their proper places will be moved to where they belong (Mock,
n.d.).

The earliest conception of robots can be traced around 3000 B.C. from
the Egyptians. Their water clocks used human figurines to strike the
hour bells. This mechanical device was built to carry out a specific
physical task regularly.
From that time on, different machines were already built that
displayed the same mechanism and characteristics as the robots in
the present. For example, there was a wooden pigeon that could fly.
a talking doll, steam-powered robots, and hydraulically-operated
statues that could speak and gesture. However, the earliest robots as
people know them were created in the early 1950s by George
Devol. "Unimate" was his first invention from the words "Universal
Automation." Unfortunately, his attempt to sell his product to the
industry did not succeed. After Unimate, several robots were also
invented which were better versions of the previous ones (Stanford,
n.d.). Ever since, people never stopped their quest in the field of
robotics.
ROLES PLAYED BY ROBOTICS

Robots play different roles not only in people's lives but also in society
as a whole. They primarily serve to make work easier for mankind. They
were invented to make life more efficient and less stressful. One of the
reasons robots are so famous is because of movies. A number of local
and national films have been inspired by robots, which shows humans'
fascination with them. Just like humans living in society, robots have
their own set of rules and characteristics. These were formulated by
Isaac Asimov back in the 1940s when pondering the ethical implications
of robots.
Law One :
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction , allow
a human being to come to harm.

Law Two :
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Law Three :
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection
does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
ETHICAL DILEMMA/S FACED BY ROBOTICS

Like any other technological advancement, robotics faces

various problems and dilemmas. Although the idea is to help
people and make their life much easier than before, it is still
not immune to various ethical dilemmas and possible
unwanted outcomes. One of the dilemmas of robots is safety.
Who should be held accountable when a person's safety is
compromised by a robot? Who should be blamed, the robot,
the agent using the robot, or the maker/inventor of the robot?
It's important to know who is to blame and who should be
held accountable when something like this happens.
Another ethical dilemma robots face is the emotional component. This
may seem a little absurd at the moment, but given how fast technology
is advancing these days, it's not entirely impossible for robots to
develop emotions (Evans, 2007).

So here are the questions. “What if robots become sentient? Should

they be granted robot rights? Should they have their own rights,
respected and protected by humans?” It's interesting to know how
humans would react when the time comes when robots can already
feel pain and pleasure. Would they behave differently or not at all?
In the field of robotics, there is what is known as partial autonomy and
full autonomy. Partial autonomy includes active human-robot
interaction, while full autonomy excludes active human-robot
interaction. In other words, a robot with full autonomy can perform
actions or activities even without a master telling it what to do or what
to do next (IFR, 2012).

Using Asimov's laws for robots, it can be concluded that robots are
ethical but only if they strictly follow the laws specified. However, if the
agent using the technology misuses the robot to achieve personal
agendas, then without a doubt, the agent should be held accountable.
In this case, the one that should be blame can both be the maker or
inventor and the robot itself. For the second dilemma, it is just right for
the robots to be given their own set of rights if they develop the ability
to feel different kinds of emotion.
SUMMARY

In modern times, there are different technological advancements

in all forms and sizes. It is now impossible for technology and
humanity not to cross paths. To be more specific, these problems
are ethical in nature that involve not only the machine but also
mankind. It is now impossible for technology and humanity not to
cross paths because as some would argue, technology has
become a necessity for people. At the end of the day, ethics
should still be enforced in the field of technology so as to ensure
the safety and morality of these devices to people.
REFERENCES:

Serafica, J. P. et al. (2018). RBS Science, Technology and Society. Rex

Book Store, Inc: Manila Philippines
https://www.discoveringgalapagos.org.uk/disco ver/human-history/
charles-darwin/voyage-bea gle/