A rticulate the
impacts of science
I CAN DO IT!
and technology on
society, specifically
Philippine society.
Learning Outcome
3
Please wear your
“social lenses”
4
… TOPICS
★ Introduction to Science,
Technology, and Society
★ STS Theories and the history of
Science (The Needham Question)
★ Historical Antecedents (World and
the Philippines) in which social
considerations changed the
course of science and technology
★ Paradigm Shifts and Scientific
and Intellectual Revolutions
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Introduction to Science, Technology, and
Society and its theories
Science * Technology *Society 6
What is Science?
body of personal &
intellectual
idea activity knowledge social activity
● Ideas ● Subject
● Systematic ● Improve Life
● Theories ● Discipline
● Practical ● Survive in Life
● All Available ● Field of Study
Systematic ● Process of
Explanations
Learning
7
What is Science?
Sociologically speaking, we
can treat science as a social
institution grounded in an
explanatory strategy that
does not have recourse to
paranormal, supernatural, or
transcendental causes.
8
Introduction to Science, Technology, and
Society and its theories
Science * Technology *Society 9
What is Technology?
PHYSICAL
01 OBJECTS G
ACTIVITIES OR
02 PROCESSES S
03 KNOW HOW M
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(Bijker, Hughes and Pinch 1987)
What is Technology?
★ Unger (1994) discusses ethics
in engineering and defines
technology as “the intelligent
organization and
manipulation of materials
for useful purposes.”
★ A very simple and elegant
description of technology is
“what we make and what we
do” (Winner 1977). 11
Introduction to Science, Technology, and
Society and its theories
Science * Technology *Society 12
What is Society?
★ A society is a group of
people who share a
culture,have economically
interdependent members,
and that (according to
conventional definitions)
reside in a specific
geographical area.
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What is Society?
★ Society as defined by Emile Durkheim (1961) is
dependent on people sharing “essential ideas,” such
as time, space, cause, and number.
★ Karl Marx (1958, 104–105) defined it as
“the collective sharing of concepts and
cooperation by individuals in some
manner to achieve a set of ends.”
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STS Theories and the History of Science
STS Theories * History of Science 15
Origin of STS Studies
WORLD WARS
Thinkers in the
Enlightenment
Plato, in the fourth Francis Bacon, british Laid out a program for Condorcet,a philosopher,
century BC in the lawyer and thinker, extending knowledge
Gorgias, recognised
during the French
published in 1527 his & repelling Revolution advocated the
the value of engineers,
but went on to protest book Atlantis that superstition. Scientific realisation of Bacon's
about their low status in attempted to outline the academies were vision on democratic
ancient Greek society ideal relationships founded in Europe Lines
between science
technology and society 16
The Politics in STS Studies
EC AN
M
OJ TT
T
IS
PR HA
AL
AN
RN
M
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Marx and Lenin argued that a J.D. Bernal, concluded that
socialist state like the Soviet Union science in Britain should be
represented a higher stage in social organised, like that in the
development. Soviet Union, to solve
pressing economic problems
Materialist Interpretation Theory
Wrote “The Social Function of
Boris Hessen “The Social and
Science” in 1939
Economic Roots of Newton’s
Principia” 17
STS Theories
The reversed linear model of
Epistemology and making
knowledge into reality theory
- Shapley and Roy 1985
- It puts human concerns at
the center and applied
sciences
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STS Theories
The two trees theory
- Shapley and Roy
1985
- This recognizes
their distinct
intrinsic character
and that they are
nurtured
separately by
separate policies.
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STS Theories
Joseph Needham’s Question
why had China and India been
overtaken by the West in
science and technology,
despite their earlier successes?
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