Science,

Technology and
Society
•Module 1 – Intellectual
Revolutions that Defined
a Society
 Rationale
• The purpose of this learning module is for you to
understand the intellectual revolutions that defined our
society – scientific revolution, some intellectuals with their
revolutionary ideas and the development of science.
• This module contains the lecture notes, exercises and
activities. Zoom or Facebook Messenger will be used in our
online discussion. You are required to answer exercises and
perform activities. Your finished exercises and activities can
be scanned or you can take a photo of it and then send it
through my email.
 Module Content:
• Unit 1: Intellectual Revolutions
• A.Scientific Revolution
• B.Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas
• C.Cradles of Early Science
• Development of Science in Mesoamerica
• Development of Science in Asia
• Development of Science in Africa
• D.Summary
Exercises
and
Activities
 Learning Objectives:
• Analyze how scientific revolution is done in various parts
of the world.
• Articulate the ideas postulated by some intellectuals.
• Evaluate the political and cultural landscapes of the
society that affect the development of scientific culture,
science activities and science literacy.
• Explain how can science influence government policies.
Unit 1. Intellectual Revolutions that
Defined Society
• Scientific Revolution
• Science is as old as the world itself. There is no
individual that can exactly identify when and where
science began but in the Bible in Ps. 90:2- it says that “Before the
mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God”. From the
genesis time, science has existed. It is always interwoven
with the society. So how can science be defined?
1. Science as an idea. It includes ideas,
theories and all variable systematic
explanations and observations about
the natural and physical world. Ex. Biology,
Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry etc...

2. Science as an intellectual activity. It

encompasses a systematic or
methodical and practical study of the
natural and physical world.
3. Science as a body of knowledge. It is a
subject or a discipline, a field of study or a
body of knowledge that deals with the
process of learning about the natural and
physical world. EE body of knowledge, Project mangement body of
knowledge etc.

4. Science as a personal and social activity. It

is a means to improve life and to survive in
life. It is interwoven with people’s lives. Ex.
Economics, Sociology, Political Science etc.
Scientific Revolution was the period of enlightenment when the
developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy,
biology and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.
It explained the birth of modern science as a result of these
developments from the disciplines mentioned.

Figure 1. Influences to Scientific Revolution

•Scientific revolution is very significant in
the development of human beings,
transformation of the society and in the
formulation of scientific ideas. It
significantly improved the conduct of
scientific investigations, experiments
and observations.
 Some Intellectuals and their
Revolutionary Ideas
Scientists in all period of time are driven by their curiosity, critical thinking and
creativity to explore the physical and natural world. Their love for science is driven by
their deep passion
Nicolaus Copernicus
• The "Copernican Revolution" is named for Nicolaus
Copernicus, whose little commentary, written before 1514,
was the first explicit presentation of the heliocentric model
in Renaissance scholarship - the transitional movement in
Europe that marked the beginnings of modern science.
• The Copernican Revolution was the paradigm shift from the
Ptolemaic model of the heavens, which described the
cosmos as having Earth stationary at the center of the
universe, to the heliocentric model with the Sun at the
center of the Solar System.
 Charles Darwin
• Charles Darwin is famous for his
theory of evolution.The Darwinian
revolution started when Charles Darwin
published his book “The Origin of
Species” that emphasizes that humans
are the result of an evolution. Humans came
from apes according to him but for me it is just a foolish speculation.
 Sigmund Freud
• Freud is a famous figure in the field of
psychology. He also made a significant
contribution in the scientific world through the
development of an important observational
method to gather reliable data to study human’s
inner life. This method is popularly known as
method of psychoanalysis.
 Cradles of Early Science -
Place of origin
•Development of Science in Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica includes the entire area
of Central America from Southern Mexico
up to the border of South America.
1.Mayan Civilization
•Mayan civilization is one of the famous
civilizations that lasted for
approximately 2000 years. They
incorporated their advanced
understanding of astronomy into their
temples and other religious structures.
• Mayan knowledge and understanding about
celestial bodies were advanced for their
time, as evidenced by their knowledge of
predicting eclipses and using astrological
cycles in planting and harvesting.
• The Mayans are known for measuring time
using two complicated calendar systems.
• The Mayans also developed the technology for
growing different crops and building elaborate cities
using ordinary machineries and tools.
• Mayans built looms for weaving cloth and devised a
rainbow of glittery paints made from mineral called
mica.
• They are also famous as one of the world’s first
civilizations to use a writing system known as the
Mayan Hieroglyphics.
• They were also skilled in mathematics and created a
number system based on the numeral 20
 2.Inca Civilization
• The Inca civilization is also
famous in Mesoamerica. The
following were scientific ideas and
tools that they developed to help
them in everyday life:
• Roads paved with stones;
• Stone buildings that surmounted earthquakes
and other disasters;
• Irrigation system and techniques for storing
water for their crops to grow in all types of land;
• Calendar with 12 months to mark their religious
festivals and prepare them for planting seasons;
•The first suspension bridge;
•Quipu, a system of knotted ropes to
keep records that only experts can
interpret;
•They value Inca textiles since cloth was
one of the specially priced artistic
achievements.
 3.Aztec Civilization
• Aztec civilization has also made
substantial contributions to science
and technology and to the society
as a whole. Some of their
contributions are the following:
• Mandatory education. The Aztec puts value on
education; that is why their children are mandated to
get education regardless of their social class, gender or
age.
• Chocolates. The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolates
during their time. The Aztec valued the cacao beans
highly and made it as part of their tribute to their gods.
• Antispasmodic medication. They used a type of
antispasmodic medication that could prevent muscle
spasms and relax muscles, which could help during
surgery.
• Chinampa. It is a form of Aztec technology for
agricultural farming in which the land was
divided into rectangle areas and surrounded by
canals.
• Aztec calendar. This enabled them to plan their
activities, rituals and planting season.
• Invention of the canoe. A light narrow boat used
for traveling in water systems.
Development in
Asia
1.India
• India is a huge peninsula surrounded
by vast bodies of water and fortified by
huge mountains in its northern
boarders. The Indians creatively
developed various ideas and
technologies useful in their everyday
life.
• they are known for manufacturing iron and in metallurgical
works.
• India is famous in medicine – The Ayurveda which is a system of
traditional medicine that originated in ancient India before 2500
BC is still practiced as a form of alternative medicine.
• Susruta Samhita – an ancient text that describes different
surgical and other medical procedures famous in Ancient India.
• Field of Astronomy. They developed theories on the
configuration of the universe, the spherical self-supporting
Earth, and the year of 360 days with 12 equal parts of 30 days
each.
• Siddhanta Shiromani book. The interest in astronomy was
evident in this book.
• Indus Valley Civilization. The people in this civilization tried to
standardize measurement of length to a high degree of
accuracy and designed a ruler, the Mohenjo-Daro ruler.
• Aryabhatiya. He introduced a number of trigonometric
functions, tables and techniques, as well as algorithms of
algebra.
• Brahmagupta. He suggested that gravity was a force of
attraction and lucidly explained the use of zero as both a
placeholder and a decimal digit, along with the Hindu-Arabic
numeral system now used universally throughout the world.
 2.China
• China is one of the ancient civilizations with substantial contributions in many
areas of life.
• The Chinese are known for traditional medicines, a product of centuries of
experiences and discovery of the Chinese people.
• Among the famous discoveries and inventions of the Chinese civilizations were
compass, papermaking, gunpowder and printing tools. They also invented other
tools like iron plough, wheelbarrow and propeller.
• In the Field of Astronomy. The Chinese made significant records on supernovas,
lunar and solar eclipses and comets, which were carefully recorded and preserved
to understand better the heavenly bodies and their effects to our world.
Middle East Countries

The Middle East Countries are dominantly occupied by Muslims.

• Muslim scientists placed greater value on science experiments rather
than plain-thoughts experiments that led to the development of the
scientific method and made significant improvements by using
experiments to distinguish between competing scientific theories set
within generally empirical or experiencial/experimental orientation.
• Ibn al-Haytham. A Muslim scientist who is regarded as the Father of
Optics, especially for his empirical proof of the intromission theory of
light.
Development of Science in Africa
Africa is blessed with natural and mineral
resources. Science also emerged in this part of
the planet long before the Europeans colonized it.

• Egyptian Civilization. The ancient Egyptian

civilization has contributed immensely and made
significant advances in the fields of astronomy,
mathematics and medicine.
The development of geometry was a product of necessity to
preserve the layout and ownership of farmlands of the
Egyptians living along the Nile River.
Egypt was known to be the center of alchemy, which is
known as the medieval forerunner of chemistry.
They tried to study human anatomy and pharmacology and
applied important components such as examination,
diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for the treatment of
diseases.
• Astronomy was also famous in the African region. Documents show that
Africans used three types of calendars: lunar, solar and stellar or a
combination of the three.
• Metallurgy was also known in the African regions during the ancient times.
North Africa and the Nile Valley imported iron technology from the near
East Region that enabled them to benefit from the developments during the
Bronze Age until Iron Age.
• Mathematics was also known to be prominent in the life of early people in
the African continent.
• The Lebombo Bone may have been a tool for multiplication, division and
simple mathematical calculations and a six-month lunar calendar is
considered to be the oldest known mathematical artifact dated from 35,000
BCE.
 Unit Summary
Scientific revolution is a golden age in the history of science. It
marked the birth of science as discipline and as a field of inquiry and
gave birth to the development of the scientific methods. It was a time in
the history of science where many scientific ideas and discoveries, which
were considered innovative and useful, were developed. Some of these
ideas were also controversial in the scientific community and in the
political arena. The scientific revolution significantly changed how
people study science and do scientific activities. It inspired human
creativity and critical thinking, moving away from thought experiments
to date-driven and experiment-based ideas.
There were many intellectuals who made essential contributions
on science during the period of scientific revolution. Nicolas
Copernicus developed a model of the universe in which
everything moved around a single center at unvarying rates. He
placed the sun in the center of the universe and all the planets
were surrounding or orbiting it. This is our solar system today.
Copernicus’s model of planets orbiting around the sun
automatically positioned the planets into a logical sequence.
Charles Darwin made contribution in the field of evolutionary
biology and philosophy of science. Sigmund Freud developed the
idea of psychoanalysis that helped in understanding human
behavior especially neurological conditions.
Summary continuation

Science also developed in different parts of the world: in Asia,

Europe, Mesoamerica and Africa. People in these continents invented
tools to help them in everyday life, discovered medicines to cure
diseases, observed heavenly bodies, built structures, discovered many
things and invented mathematics as a tool and as a discipline. Science
provided different ancient civilizations the means to survive and
understand the natural and physical world. It also enabled human
beings to develop various technologies that helped them in their
everyday tasks.