developments affect society; and

o identify the paradigm shifts in history.

Introduction

Antecedents of science and technology are factors that facilitated

scientific progress
Chapter 2: and technological advancement that
shaped the nature of our modern world.
Historical Antecedents of In this presentation, we will look at the
Science & Technology milestones, breakthroughs, and emergence
of new ideas and discoveries in human
(From the Ancient Times history that led to the development of
science and technology.
through
the Post-Industrial Society)

S&T in the Ancient Times

(through 599 BCE)

 This segment dates back from prehistoric era to

599 BCE.
 In this period, early humans and their ancestors
were able to make useful tools, create new
At the end of this presentation, you should materials, construct large structures, cure diseases,
be able to: and even work out some mathematical rules.
 However, these are merely products of an
o trace the interaction between S&T and accumulation of learned skills rather than an
society throughout history; organized body of knowledge.
o discuss how scientific and technological
 S&T in the Ancient Times:  The Greek civilization produced philosophers who used
Milestones reasoning

 The first recognized technology are stone tools (2.5 alone to understand the universe, which turned out
million years ago) to be a precursor to science.
 Learned how to make and use fire (790,000 BCE)
 Used wooden tools like spears for hunting S&T in Antiquity:
(400,000 BCE) Milestones
 Made ceramics and pottery (24,000 BCE) ∆ Introduced the earliest form of scientific method
(more on observation and reasoning with very little
 Discovered farming (8,500 BCE) experimentation).
 Civilization started with the discovery ∆ Developed theories on the causes of natural
of farming and domestication of animals. phenomena and
 Learned to cast bronze (5,500 BCE) the nature of matter.
and iron (1,400 BCE) ∆ Greek philosophers such as Thales of Miletus,
Pythagoras, Aristotle, Archimedes, and Plato
S&T in Antiquity pioneered new branches ofknowledge.
(600 BCE through 529 CE) ∆ Aristotle popularized the notion that the Earth is
the center of
 The rise of Greek civilization fostered the universe (Geocentric Model).
the development of a systematic view
of the universe beginning in 600 BCE. Medieval (Middle Ages)
 The Greeks built institutions, such as Science and Technology
the Academy, the Lyceum, and the Museum, to pursue and (530 – 1452)
advance ∆ With the fall of the Roman Empire in 529 and the
science. closure of the great centers of learning from
 The Greek era in science concluded Antiquity,
with the closing of the Academy and Lyceum, and the
destruction of the Museum in 529 CE (common era). ∆ pursuit in science declined and
 The works by the Greeks in this period almost stopped in the Western world (Dark Age).
have immense influence, even after a thousand years, in ∆ Civilizations from other parts of the
many areas in world, such as China, the Arab world,
science and technology. and India, were thriving in advancing science and
technology.
∆ The Chinese society, for instance, developed theories on
matter and S&T in the Middle Ages:
living beings (Chinese philosophy) Milestones
and developed new technologies in printing, mechanical  Chinese recorded in 1054 a supernova (exploding
devices, and firearms. star) with great precision.
∆ On the other hand, the Indians  Indians introduced the true role of zero as a
excelled in mathematics, astronomy, number.
and medicine.  The Islamic empire established learning centers,
such as the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, to
Medieval (Middle Ages) become
Science and Technology (530 – 1452)
 Pioneering developments in science
were observed in the Arab world
through the Islamic empire, the centers for scientific and mathematical
most advanced civilization in the researches.
world in the Middle Ages.  Chemistry developed into an experimental science among
 The contributions of the Islamic Arabs,
culture in the advancement of science while instrument making in the fields of Physics and
can be seen by the many scientific Astronomy was progressing.
 Vast improvements in communication (printing) and
transportation (the rudder) from the Far East found its
terms with Arabic origins, such as algebra, way to the Islamic empire and then brought to the Western
algorithm, alkaline, world.
azimuth, borax, chemistry, sodium,
and zero. The Renaissance and the
 The Islamic Golden Age played a vital role in Scientific Revolution (1453 – 1659)
linking the period of Antiquity and the  The depletion of the population of
Renaissance. Europe, due to the bubonic plague
 With the translations of Arab works into Latin in (Black Death) and other crises such
the twelfth century, the knowledge collected by the as the Hundred Years War, prompted
Muslim scholars found its way to Christian Europe, the smaller communities to strive
which resulted to the revival of science in the harder and find means to function.
Western world.  This new environment encouraged
 the development of arts, science and technology. scientific experiments.
 States recognized that technology for defense and trade is  Printed books became the means to spread technological
vital, while kings contracted engineers to enhance their developments.

defenses and arms; thus, fostering technological S&T in the Renaissance:

development. Milestones
 Technology became completely accepted.  Design of machines developed into
an art (gadgets)
The Scientific Revolution  Artists, like Leonardo da Vinci,
 In the year 1543, the publication of Copernicus’s became architects and technologists.
heliocentric theory (Sun-centered universe), which  Mathematics was introduced into. universities and became
contradicted the Aristotelian view, and the printing the basis of
of Vesalius’s book on human anatomy, which the arts and technology.
refuted the traditional beliefs at that time, started  The 15th century was a period of the absorption of
the Scientific Revolution. classical learning and adoption of Arabic mathematics.
 In many ways, these works laid out the beginning  Time of colonization, adventure,
of modern science. and exploration.

S&T in the Renaissance:

Milestones
 Explorers discovered a wealth of previously Scientific Method: Measurement and
unknown plants and animals. Communication (1660 – 1734)
 Mathematics introduced various symbols and  This period started with the establishment of
conventions. organized groups of scientists, most notably the
Royal Society in London.
 These societies were responsible in collecting,
registering, and
 Galileo laid the foundation of modern science by disseminating scientific information.
emphasizing the importance  This resulted in making science grow immensely
of experimentation and integrating mathematical tools into and become a communal endeavor.
science.  The English scientist and mathematician Isaac
 New inventions (e.g. lenses) led to new technology (e.g. Newton dominated this era.
telescope, simple microscope), which were used for
 - Newton’s Principia laid the foundation of physics
and formed the basis of the scientific method that  This method put great order to
we know today. identifying species while preventing confusion
- Newton refined Galileo’s work and postulated that with misleading common names.
every natural phenomenon can be explained by
mathematical laws. The Industrial Revolution
 During the Enlightenment period, machines were
designed and developed
to make work faster and more efficient, which led
S&T in the Measurement and to the Industrial Revolution.
Communication Era:  As a result, this movement affected
Milestones science.
 Theories were formulated from observations and were
used to predict other phenomena  Upsurge in the study of thermodynamics was
 Separation of physics and metaphysics (philosophy) observed due to invention of steam engine.
 Scientists recorded phenomena in  This also marked the beginning of the
terms of numbers formalization of the concepts of work and power.
 Classification of plants, animals, minerals, fossils became
a trend
 Societies and journals became the
means of communication (printing press)

The Enlightenment and the Industrial

Revolution (1735 – 1819) S&T in The Enlightenment Period:
 This period is characterized by a Milestones
change in philosophical approach
from previous eras by emphasizing  Emergence of mechanical philosophy, a belief that all
more on reasoning and order. phenomena could be explained by sets of simple
 The Enlightenment starts in the year mechanical laws.
when Linnaeus put forward a scheme (Linnaean Two approaches to philosophy emerged: (1) empiricism
Classification System) to classify all living things known (knowledge comes from experience) and (2) rationalism
at that time. (knowledge comes from reasoning).
 Scientific works and technologies were published in  The idea that science could ultimately explain all
Encyclopedias, which allowed the public to have access to phenomena in nature became stronger.
the development in science and technology.
 The profession of engineers was acknowledged as one of
the great inventions of the era.
 The relationship between scientific education and
Science and Technology in the 19th technological progress became fully understood.
Century (1820 – 1894)
 In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted accidentally discovered Rise of Modern Science and
that electricity and magnetism are connected. Technology (1895 – 1945)
 Scientists began to experiment  Starting in 1895, major advancement in physics, such as
further on electricity and find ways the discovery of X rays, subatomic particles, radioactivity,
quantum theory, and the theory of relativity, resulted in a
profound change on how scientists regard matter and
for its practical application. energy.
 Michael Faraday invented the first prototypes of  This further affected technology and many fields in
electric motor and science including astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology,
electric generator. and medicine.
 Other fields in science commenced, including  More significantly (and regrettably), this period concluded
anthropology, archaeology, cell biology, with the invention of the atomic bomb in 1945.
psychology, and organic chemistry.
Rise of Modern Science:
Science and Technology in the Milestones
19th Century:  The number of scientists grew immensely.
Milestones  Science became much more of a communal effort (Many
 Occupation of science became a paid profession. scientific
 Universities developed into centers
where science flourished.
 Teaching of science became linked to scientific advances were made by teams of researchers).
research.  Science started having a direct effect on society
 Publication of scientific information started. (the time span between a discovery and its
 Scientists started meeting at national scientific technical application became shorter).
congresses.
  Science became highly successful in explaining the Milestones
nature of matter, mechanisms of chemical  Equipment/instruments for scientific research were shared
reactions, fundamental processes of life, and the (interdisciplinary)
general structure of the universe.  More people became scientists
 Quantum theory changed the way philosophers  Scientists specialized in a particular
think about the universe.

Rise of Modern Science:

Milestones field in science (In physics, for instance, one can
 Technology did not remain confined become a particle physicist, nuclear physicist,
to large enterprises only but rather became an materials scientist,
important part of astrophysicist, biophysicist, or nanotechnologist.
everyday life.  Technology overwhelmingly
 Enormous growth of automobile influenced how society works.
industry.
Rise of Big Science and the
Post-Industrial Society:
 Electricity revolutionized technology. Milestones
 Laboratories for testing and development of new products  Technology overwhelmingly
were established. influenced how society works.

Big Science and the Post-Industrial - Availability of automobiles

Society (1946 – 1972) changed how people migrate.
 Technological change was most apparent in this period due - Automation allowed many manufacturing
to the accelerated development in science as part of the processes to be
war effort during World War II. done by less skilled workers.
 This includes the inventions and discoveries of radar, - Technical know-how became very important.
synthetic rubber, penicillin, DDT, nuclear fission, ballistic
missiles, helicopters, jet-powered aircraft, and the
electronic digital computer.

Rise of Big Science and the

Post-Industrial Society: