Science, Technology, and
Society
STS 1
Javier Lozano
Visiting Professor
UP Diliman
2024
Module 4.
Exploring the Dynamic Relationships between
Science, Technology and Society
Topics to cover
How does Science and Technology shape Society
o Cold war, nuclear weapons
o GMOs
o Internet, electronics, communications
o Generational changes
How Society shapes Science and Technology
o Evolution from field expert authority to individual opinions and
politization of controversial topics
o The hive mind effect of collectives of people achieving breakthrough
discoveries. Collaborative science
o Resource allocation
o Applied ethics
How does Society shape Science and
Technology?
We have seen:
• Choosing of priorities
• Establishing ethical boundaries
• Rules for capitalizing on discoveries
• Policy on access to research
But there are more key ways:
Who do we listen to when looking for answers?
How is policy decided upon exactly?
Society relationship with S & T
• Knowledge provides means to power
• All governments desire to know
• The figure of the advisor
• Back when, a king appoint advisors at his discretion
• As Power dispersed, advisors were chosen from a panel
• To be added to a panel, certifications were required
• Colleges and study certifications became important
Society relationship with S & T
• Currently the government establishes councils or
departments to make decisions on certain fields
• These councils will seek advice from a panel of experts
• The panel of experts is selected from the nations preeminent
scientists
• They are selected according to CV, certificates, projects lead,
publications, etc
Society relationship with S & T
• Currently the government establishes councils or
departments to make decisions on certain fields
• These councils will seek advice from a panel of experts
• The panel of experts is selected from the nations preeminent
scientists
• They are selected according to CV, certificates, projects lead,
publications, etc
But in some situations, it may not be enough
We may need someone working in the field to understand all
the issues
Society relationship with S & T
• Democratization of decision-making has led to additional
considerations
• All people affected or involved should have a say in policy
making
• Open panel discussions and hearings are now available in
law-making and policy-making
Reasons for this change:
Societal values of importance of the individual
Now everyone can learn about anything from their home
• Many Universities, including UP are adapting to the internet
• Offer of online courses
• Some free
• Others with official certification
Who is an expert?
• Trend shift on socially accepted experts
• People who are listened to or generally acknowledged as
knowledgeable in an area
• Used to be the government (they were expected to know)
• Moved to those with professional certification
• Now it is shifting to each one own’s understanding of a topic
• Particularly in current or divisive political topics
• Not as much in architecture, chemistry, and other Colleged
fields
“WHO continues to collaborate with experts, Member States,
and other partners to identify gaps and research priorities for
the control of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, including
the identification of the source of SARS-CoV-2 in China.”
RSF Classification of
Ph
Journalism in the
Philippines is considered
“Dynamic” by Reporters
Without Borders
Maybe people resort to
Social Media as a freer
alternative
It offers other advantages
• Easy
Social Media as News Source
• Arguably, people using Social Media has made it harder for local
governments to spin national propaganda
• At the same time, the many sources mean that external propaganda
finds some readers
Social Media as News Source
Another issue with social media is its usage of algorithms in
suggestions (Feed)
• Social Media earns money from ads
• It needs to keep users “engaged” for as long as possible to
male their ads more visible and earn more money
• There are too many things (including news) to show all at
once
• There is a pre-selection by the software on what to show
• It shows what is more likely to keep the user “engaged”
• When it comes to news this means inflammatory,
contentious, or agreeing with the user’s views, but not
necessarily precise or important
Social Media as News Source
When it comes to news the following are promoted:
• Inflammatory
• Contentious
• Agreeing with the user’s views
And the following not necessarily taken into account:
• Accurate
• Contextualized
• Important
Individual thought
Every person has their own differing ideas
Different approaches to a topic may result in new solutions
Discussion about a topic may result in new considerations
To achieve this, some goals are societally set:
• Freedom of thought
• Freedom of expression
• Freedom of association
• Minimal education of individuals
Individual thought
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others
and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in
teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Individual thought
Article 20
1.- Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and
association.
2.- No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 26
1.- Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in
the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be
compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally
available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the
basis of merit.
2.- Education shall be directed to the full development of the human
personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further
the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
How do we achieve this discussion?
Ensure lack of obstacles
Article 27
1.- Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the
community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and
its benefits.
2.- Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material
interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of
which he is the author.
Application of DEI, required diversity
Does ethnic and gender background ensure different thought?
Merit based approach; voluntary engagement is the most productive
Advantages of discussion
Voluntary engagement in a discussion produces the most advances
Scientific progress benefits greatly of such exchanges
Classically this has been achieved through conferences
A Scientific Conference or Congress is a gathering of scientists organized
around a particular topic
Solvay conference
1927
Topic: Electrons and
Protons
Solvay conference
1927
Topic: Electrons and
Protons
Red circle: Nobel in
Physics
Blue circle: Nobel in
Chemistry
18 Nobel prizes in
one picture
Social Networks and Extreme Collaboration
• Social Networks offer the tools and virtual space for many
people to voluntarily engage in discussion
• They share many pieces of information
• The result is Social decisions and insight difficult to replicate
through any other means
• Many researchers and companies are trying to understand
what makes something “viral”
• This has sometimes been dubbed the Digital Hive Mind
• Its practical utility seems limited as people talk about
whatever they are interested at the time
Participative Science
• In some cases, it is beneficial to tag along volunteers for a
project
• The data generated is close to the source
• It involves people that lives in the area
• It considered generally ethically good
• Not applicable to all fields
Participative Science
The fields where this is most common include:
• Environmental conservation, people can report
incidences or encounters with animals
• Ornithology has classically encountered popular support
• Astronomy may benefit immensely if pictures of an event
from around the globe can be compared
• Social studies and History. By definition, you must ask
people in order to make cultural compilations
• Datasets can have reliably high quality, on par with those produced by
professionals.
• Individual volunteer accuracy varies, depending on task difficulty and
experience. Methods exist for boosting accuracy.
• Most types of bias found in CS datasets are also found in
professionally produced datasets and can be accommodated using
existing statistical tools.
• Promote iterated project design, standardization and appropriateness