This module provides an overview of how science and technologies that have

evolved throughout history as responses to human needs and curiosity. Early

civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, and the Islamic world made
significant contributions in fields such as mathematics, medicine, engineering, and
astronomy. These early innovations laid the foundation for modern scientific methods
and technological advancements. Key historical periods like the Renaissance and
Industrial Revolution further accelerated progress, shaping the science and
technology we know today.

This module discusses the historical antecedents of science and technology,

and highlights the early developments that paved the way for modern
advancements. Since prehistoric times, humans have relied on observation,
experimentation, and innovation to survive and thrive. Ancient civilizations
such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome made
significant contributions in fields like astronomy, medicine, engineering,
mathematics, and agriculture. These early innovations were often responses
to basic human needs—such as food production, health care, transportation,
and communication—and gradually evolved into more complex scientific
knowledge and technological systems. Understanding these historical roots
helps us appreciate how science and technology have continually shaped
human society and progress across time.

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. explained the importance of studying the history of science and technology; and
2. explained how the scientific and technological inventions shaped and were
shaped by various social context and how these affect the society and
environment.

Historical Antecedents Defined

FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO 600 BC

Some of the earliest records from history indicate those 3,000 years before Christ,
the ancient Egyptians already had reasonably sophisticated medical practices.

● IMHOTEP was renowned for his knowledge of medicine around 2650 B.C.
● Egyptian medicine was trial and error.
● Egyptian medicine was considered advanced compared to other ancient
nations because of one of the early inventions of Egyptian civilization-the
papyrus.
● PAPYRUS-is an ancient paper-made from the papyrus plant; a reed that
grows in marshy areas around the Nile River.
● The invention of this ancient form of paper revolutionized the way information
was transmitted from person to person and generation to generation.
● Before papyrus, Egyptians, Sumerians, and other races wrote on clay tablets
or smooth rocks. (This was a time-consuming process, and the products were
difficult to store or transport.)
THE MESOPOTAMIANS

● Mesopotamians were making pottery using the first known potter's wheel.

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● Not long after, horse-drawn chariots were being used.

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Chinese
in their travels.
● As early as 1,000 years B.C., the Chinese used compasses to aid themselves

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The Advent of Science (600 BC to 500 AD)

The ancient Greeks were the early thinkers, and as far as historians can tell, they
were the first actual scientists.
● They collected facts and observations and then used them to explain the
natural world.
● In circa 385 B.C., Plato founded the Academy. With Plato's student Aristotle
begins the "scientific revolution" of the Hellenistic period, culminating in the 2nd
to 3rd centuries with scholars such as Eratosthenes, Euclid, Aristarchus of
Samos, Hipparchus, and Archimedes.
● An awareness of the importance of certain scientific issues, especially those
related to the issue of change and its cause.
● Recognition of the methodological importance of applying mathematics to
natural phenomena.
● Undertaking empirical research.

Islamic Golden Age

● The Islamic Golden Age was a period of cultural, economic, and scientific
flourishing in the history of Islam.
● This period is traditionally understood to have begun during the reign of the
Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.
● House of Wisdom in Baghdad, inaugurated by Abbasid caliph Harun al-
Rashid.
● Scholars from various parts of the world with different cultural backgrounds
were mandated to gather and translate all of the world's classical knowledge
 into the Arabic language. Subsequently, development in various fields of
science began.
● Islamic science is characterized in having a practical purposes and the goal of
understanding.
● There was also significant progress in medicine during this period.
● Al-Biruni and Avicenna produced books that contain descriptions of the
preparation of hundreds of drugs made from medicinal plants and chemical
compounds.
● Islamic doctors describing diseases like smallpox and measles, and
challenged classical Greek medical knowledge.
● Islamic physicists such as Ibn Al-Haytham, Al-Biruni and others studied optics,
mechanics, and astronomy. Also, criticized Aristotle's view of motion.

Science and Technology in Ancient China ●

Ancient China gave the world the Four Great Inventions:
1. Compass
2. Gunpowder
3. Papermaking
4. Printing

These were considered among the most important technological advances.

The Renaissance (1300 AD - 1600AD)

● The 14th century began the cultural movement of the Renaissance, which
were considered by many as the Golden Age of Science.
● The rediscovery of ancient scientific texts is accelerated after the Fall of
Constantinople in 1453. Also, the invention of printing democratized learning
and allowed a faster propagation of new ideas.
● Marie Boas Hall coined the term Scientific Renaissance to designate the early
phase of the Scientific Revolution, 1450-1630.
● Peter Dear argued for a two-phase model of early modern science:
1. The Scientific Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries focused on
the restoration of the natural knowledge of the ancients.
2. The Scientific Revolution of the 17th century, when scientists shifted
from recovery to innovation.
● Renaissance philosophy lost much of its rigor as the rules of logic and
deduction considered as the secondary to intuition and emotion.
● At the same time, Renaissance humanism stressed that nature came to
animate spiritual creation by laws or mathematics.
● The most important technological advance in this period was the development
of printing, with movable metal type, about the mid-15th century in Germany.
● Johannes Gutenberg was an inventor. Many people and steps were involved.
1. Block printing on wood
2. Papermaking
3. Oil painting
4. By 1500, Europe had produced six million books.
 The Enlightenment Period (1715 A.D. to 1789 A.D.)

● The Enlightenment Period, or the Age of Reason, was characterized by a

radical reorientation in science, which emphasized reason over superstition
and science over blind faith.
● The Enlightenment's important 17th-century precursors included the key
natural philosophers of the Scientific Revolution, including Galileo Galilei,
Johannes Kepler, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. John Locke-"Essay
Concerning Human Understanding" (1689), Isaac Newton-"Principia
Mathematica" (1686)
● Newton's system strongly encourages the Enlightenment conception of nature
as an orderly domain governed by strict mathematical-dynamical laws.
● Enlightenment was achieving through how humans think about nature and
how we know it.

Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1840)

● The rise of modern science and the Industrial Revolution were closely
connected.
● Science and industry worked side by side in the development of society.
● Science offered the hope that careful observation and experimentation might
improve industrial production.
● The main features involved in the Industrial Revolution were technological,
socioeconomic, and cultural.

Technological
- the use of new basic materials, chiefly iron and steel; the use of new energy
sources, including both fuels and motive power, such as coal, the steam
engine, electricity, petroleum, and the internal-combustion engine; the
invention of new machines, such as the spinning jenny and the power loom,
that permitted increased production with a smaller expenditure of human
energy.

Socioeconomic
- New organization of work known as the factory system entailed an increase
division of labor, specialization of function, and the mass production of goods.

Cultural
- Essential developments in transportation and communication, including the
steam locomotive, steamship, automobile, airplane, telegraph, and radio.

20th Century Science: Physics and the Information Age

● It generated entirely novel insights in all areas of research.

● Twentieth-century cosmology significantly improved our knowledge of the
place man and his planet occupy in the universe.
 ● Albert Einstein-he strongly marked the formulation of the theory of relativity
(1905), including the unifying concept of energy related to mass and the
speed of light: E = mc2.
● He made many more contributions, notably to statistical mechanics, and he
provided a significant inspiring influence for many other physicists.
● In the second half of the 20th century, several branches of science continued
to make great. For example:
1. semiconductor (transistor)
2. nanotechnology
3. nuclear physics

BIOLOGY
● Crick and Watson described the structure of the DNA (1953).
● Development of genetics.
● A cure for many life-threatening diseases.
● Beginning of organ transplants.

Science and Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

● The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the boundaries

between the physical, digital, and biological worlds.
● It's a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of
Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other
technologies.
● The Fourth Industrial Revolution paved the way for transformative changes in
our lives and radically disrupted almost every business sector. It's all
happening at an unprecedented, whirlwind pace.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) describes computers that "think" like a human-
recognizing complex pattern, process information, draw conclusions, and
make a recommendation.
- Virtual reality (VR)-offers immersive digital experiences (using a VR headset)
that simulate the real world, while augmented reality merges the digital and
physical worlds.
- Biotechnology harnesses cellular and bio-molecular processes to develop
new technologies and products, including developing new pharmaceuticals,
materials and cleaners, and efficient energy sources.
- Robotics refers to the design, manufacture, and use of robots for personal
and commercial use.
- 3D printing allows manufacturing businesses to print their parts, with less
tooling, at a lower cost, and faster than via traditional processes.
- Internet of Things (IoT) describes the idea of everyday items from medical
wearable’s that monitor users' physical condition to cars and tracking devices
inserted into parcels that was being connected to the internet and identifiable
by other devices.

Historical Development of Science and Technology in the Philippines

PRE-SPANISH ERA

● The first inhabitants in the archipelago

● , who settled in Palawan and Batangas around 40, 000 years ago made
simple tools or weapons of stone, which eventually developed into techniques
for sawing, drilling, and polishing hard rocks.
● This very primitive technology was brought by the primal survival needs,
hunting wild animals, gathering fruits and vegetables in the forest.
● They have learned how to extract, smelt, and refine metals like copper, gold,
bronze, and iron from nature and fashion them into tools and implements.
● In this period, people learned to settle in areas near the water source. They
also learned how to weave cotton, engaged themselves in agriculture, and are
knowledgeable about building boats for coastal trade.

SPANISH COLONIAL ERA

● The beginning of modern science and technology in the country.

● Established schools and hospitals, and started scientific research that had
significant consequences in the country’s development.
- Schools are run mainly by Spanish friars, who formed the first Filipino
professionals.
- This era saw the strict hold of the church, intervention in government, and the
fear of intellectual awakening.
- A few persistent Filipino scientists succeeded by educating themselves
abroad.

Dr. Jose P. Rizal

- Brilliant man and his life stood out among his contemporaries.
- Scientist (extensive knowledge of medicine)
- Doctor (able to operate on his mother's blinding eye)
- Engineer (designed and built a water system in Dapitan and improved the
sanitation of households in the area.)
- Journalist
- Novelist
- Urban planner
- Hero
- Charity hospitals became the breeding ground for scientific researches on
pharmacy and medicine, with significant focus on problems of infectious
diseases.

Laboratorio Municipal de Ciudad de Manila (1887)

- The Laboratorio Municipal de Ciudad de Manila created functions to conduct
biochemical analyses for public health and undertake specimen examinations for
clinical and medico-legal cases.
- Probably, the first scientific journal in the country, entitled Cronica de Ciencias
Medicas de Filipinas, showed the studies undertaken during that time.
 ● The exploitation of natural resources of the country through agriculture,
mining of metals and minerals, and establishing various kinds of industries
were further promote economic growth.
● Manila has become the cosmopolitan center and modern amenities were
introduced.

AMERICAN PERIOD

● Rapid growth in science and technology. (due to the government's extensive

public education system from elementary to tertiary schools.) ● Established
various public tertiary schools, such as:
1. Philippine Normal School
2. University of the Philippines
● Supported basic and applied research in the medical, agricultural, and related
sciences.
[Link] University of the Philippines Los Baños-College of Agriculture (1909)
[Link] University of the Philippines-Diliman-Colleges of Arts, Engineering and
Veterinary Medicine (1910)
[Link] University of the Philippines-College of Medicine (1914)

Bureau of Science (Bureau of Government Laboratories)

- It was composed of a biological laboratory, chemical laboratory, serum
laboratory producing virus vaccine, serums and prophylactics, and a library.
- Served as the primary training ground for Filipino scientists and paved the
way for pioneering scientific research, most especially on the study of various
tropical diseases that were prevalent during those times, like leprosy,
tuberculosis, cholera, dengue fever, malaria, and beri-beri.
- The primary research center of the Philippines until World War II.
∙ Philippine Journal of Science-published research done in local laboratories
and reported global scientific developments relevant to Philippine society. ∙
National Research Council of the Philippines, established on December 8,
1933.

COMMONWEALTH PERIOD TO JAPANESE OCCUPATION

● The Filipinos were busy working towards economic reliance for the vital role of
science and technology into the economic development of the country.
● The short-lived Commonwealth Government was being succeeded by a
Japanese occupation when the Pacific War broke out in 1941.
● Japanese regime had made developments in science and technology
practically impossible.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SINCE INDEPENDENCE

● Bureau of Science-replaced by the Institute of Science (1946) and was placed

under the Office of the President of the Philippines. Factors such as lack of
financial support from the government, planning and coordination problems,
 low salaries of scientists employed by the government naively left in the
researchers’ discretion.
● The National Science Development Board (NSDB) was established during the
regime of President Carlos P. Garcia due to the Philippine Congress passing
the Science Act of 1958.
● There has been little innovation in education and training of scientists and
engineers since 1946 during independence.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE 1960S TO 1990S

● The government gave greater importance to science and technology.

● During this period, science and technology was declared in Section 9 (1) of
the 1973 Philippine Constitution that the “advancement of science and
technology shall have priority in the national development.”

President Ferdinand E. Marcos

Philippine Science Community

On April 6, 1968, declared that PSC was located at Bicutan, Taguig, with 35 hectares
of land.

1969
- The government efforts and programs:
1. Provided funds to private universities
2. Conducted seminars for science teachers
3. Training programs
4. Scholarships for graduate and undergraduate science scholars
5. Workshops on fisheries and oceanography

1970's

● Focused on applied research and the main objective were to generate

products and processes that were supposed to have a greater beneficial
impact on society.
● Several institutes established under NSDB:
1. Philippine Coconut Research Institute
2. Philippine Textile Research Institute
3. The Philippine Atomic Energy Commission explored the uses of atomic
energy for economic development.
● To prepare the pool of scientists who will work on Philippine Atomic
Commission, Pres. Marcos assisted: 1. 107 institutions in undertaking nuclear
energy work by sending scientists abroad to study nuclear science and
technology; 2. by providing basic training to 482 scientists, doctors, engineers,
and technicians.
1972

● National Grains Authority was created under Presidential Decree No. 4, which
tasked to improve the rice and corn industry and thereby help in the country’s
economic development.
● Philippine Council for Agricultural Research was also created on the same
Presidential Decree to support the progressive development of agriculture,
forestry, and fisheries in the country.
● Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration
(PAGASA) under the Department of National Defense to provide
environmental protection and to utilize scientific knowledge to ensure the
safety of the people through Presidential Decree No. 78.

1973

● The Philippine National Oil Company was created under Presidential Decree
No. 334 to promote industrial and economic development through effective
and efficient use of energy sources.

1976

● The National Academy of Science and Technology was the established under
Presidential Decree No. 1003-A constituted scientists with "innovative
achievement in the basic and applied sciences" who will serve as the
reservoir of scientific and technological expertise for the country.
1982

● The National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) was National Science
Development Board and composed of four research and development
councils:
1. Philippine Council for Agriculture and Resources Research and
Development
2. Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research Development
3. Philippine Council for Health Research and Development
4. National Research Council of the Philippines

1983

● In March 1983, Executive Order No. 889 was issued by the President, which
provided for the establishment of a national network of centers of excellence
in basic sciences.
● There were six new institutes created:
1. The National Institute of Physics
2. The National Institute of Geological Sciences
3. The National Institute of Natural Science Research
4. The National Institute of Chemistry
 5. The National Institute of Biology
6. The National Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
● Scientific Career System in the Civil Service was established by the
Presidential Decree No. 901 on 19 July 1983. To attract more qualified
scientists to work in government and encourage young people to pursue
science degrees and careers.

President Corazon Aquino

1986

● The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) replaced the National

Science and Technology Authority, giving science and technology
representation in the cabinet.
● It is the premier science and technology body in the country charged with the
twin mandate of providing central direction, leadership, and coordination of
all scientific and technological activities and of formulating policies,
programs, and projects to support national development.

Twin Mandate

● The Science and Technology Master Plan was formulated for the
modernization of the production sector, upgrading research activities, and
the development of infrastructure for science and technological purposes.
● A Research and Development Plan was formulated to determine the areas
of research needed attention and must be given priority.

President Fidel V. Ramos

● There was a significant increase in personnel specializing in the science and

technology field.

1998

● An estimated 3,000 competent scientists and engineers in the Philippines.

● An increase of scientists of the two newly built Philippine Science High
Schools in Visayas and Mindanao further promotes the development of young
kids through advanced S&T curriculum.
● The government provided 3,500 scholarships for students taking up
professions related to science and technology.
● Priority for S&T personnel increased when the Magna Carta for Science and
Technology Personnel (Republic Act No. 8439) is being established. To give
incentives and rewards to people who have been influential in the field of
science and technology.
 - There were seven identified export products. These products were computer
software; fashion accessories; gifts, toys, and houseware; marine products;
metal fabrications; furniture; and dried fruits.

- The domestic needs identified were food, housing, health, clothing,

transportation, communication, disaster mitigation, defense, environment,
human resources development, and energy.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

● Numerous laws and projects were implemented that concern both the
environment and science to push technology as a tool to increase the
country's economic level. Filipinnovation-was the coined term used in helping
the Philippines to be an innovation hub in Asia.
● Science, Technology, and Innovations (STI) was developed further by
strengthening the schools and education system, such as the Philippine
Science High School (PSHS).

HOPES IN PHILIPPINE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Diwata-1 was the first microsatellite the country launched into space (April 2016).
● It was designed, developed, and assembled by Filipino researchers and
engineers under the guidance of Japanese experts.
● The Diwata (deity in English) provides real-time, high-resolution, and multi-
color infrared images for various applications, including meteorological
imaging, crop and ocean productivity measurement, and high-resolution
imaging of natural and man-made features.
● Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH)- Project NOAH was
initiated in June 2012 to help manage risks associated with natural hazards
and disasters.
● Uses the lidar (light detection and ranging) technology.
● The country is now training the Cambodians on this technology as part of the
partnerships among ASEAN countries.
● Provides timely warning with a lead time of at least six hours in the wake of
impending floods.

Activity 1: "Science Meets Society" Skit or Mini-Play

Objective: Show how science and technology impacted people's daily lives in each
era.
Instructions:
● Divide students into 3 groups (Ancient, Medieval, Modern).
 ● Each group creates a short theatrical skit demonstrating how a major
invention or discovery affected people’s lives (e.g., the invention of the plow,
printing press, or electricity).
● Include societal roles: farmer, merchant, healer, scholar, etc.
● Perform the skits in class or at a school event.
🎭 Encourages empathy and historical thinking by putting students in the shoes of
real people from each time period.
Activity 2: Community Interview Project
Objective: Compare historical technologies with modern equivalents and their
societal impact.
Instructions:
● Students interview family members, elders, or community leaders about
how certain technologies (e.g., communication, farming, transportation,
medicine) have changed society over time.
● They then link those modern tools to their historical roots (e.g., writing
today vs. early writing systems like cuneiform).
● Create a class presentation or display: “From Then to Now: How Science
Changed Society.”
📣 Connects past and present and brings community stories into the classroom.
Activity 3: “If I Lived Then…” Journal Project
Objective: Reflect on how societal roles and daily life were shaped by science and
technology in each period.
Instructions:
● Students write 3 journal entries, one from each era, imagining they are a
person living at the time: o Ancient: a builder using early tools o Medieval: a
healer using herbal remedies o Modern: a scientist working with computers
● Emphasize how society’s needs, beliefs, and values influenced their "work"
and what tools or knowledge they used.
📖 Builds critical thinking and personal connection to societal evolution.
Activity 4: "Society Reacts" Historical News Report
Objective: Simulate how society might have reacted to major inventions when they
were first introduced.
Instructions:
● Students work in groups to create a news report (written, audio, or video)
covering a major scientific or technological breakthrough from any era.
● Include:
o A "field reporter" interviewing citizens from that time o
Reactions from social, political, or religious leaders o
Public opinions or fears
● Examples: the discovery of the heliocentric model, the first printing press, the
invention of the telescope.
🎤 Connects historical context with real societal emotions and reactions. connections.

The historical antecedents of science and technology reveal how human

curiosity, necessity, and innovation have driven the development of tools, knowledge,
and systems throughout history. From ancient civilizations to the modern era, past
discoveries and inventions have laid the foundation for today’s scientific and
technological advancements, shaping the way societies evolve and respond to
changing needs and challenges.