Science, Technology & Society – Comprehensive Study Notes

Science, Technology & Society – Comprehensive Study Notes

UNIT OUTCOMES (UEOs)

  • Define science, technology, and society.

  • Compare and contrast science and technology.

  • Know the limitations of science and technology.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY: FOCUS AND INTERACTIONS

  • Focus: How scientific, technological, and social factors interact to shape modern life.

  • How social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation.

  • How these, in turn, affect society, politics, and culture.

  • Core trio:

    • Science

    • Technology

    • Society

DEFINITIONS AND CORE CONCEPTS

  • Science

    • The study of the physical and natural world through observations and experiments.

  • Technology

    • The use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes or applications, whether in industry or everyday life.

  • Society

    • A group of individuals sharing beliefs, customs, practices, and behaviors.

SCIENCE: CATEGORIES AND CHARACTERISTICS (Page 4)

  • SCIENCE: Systematic body of knowledge based on careful observation and experimentation.

  • SOCIAL SCIENCE: Study of people, culture, and society.

  • NATURAL SCIENCE: Seeks to understand the natural world.

  • PURE SCIENCE: Seeks to gain knowledge; focuses on understanding "why".

  • APPLIED SCIENCE: Uses knowledge to solve practical problems.

  • Biological science vs. Physical science:

    • Biological science: Living things.

    • Physical science: Non-living things.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS): ROLES AND EFFECTS

  • STS Seeks to improve society by applying science and technology.

  • Technology is the use or application of scientific knowledge for a specific goal or purpose.

  • Informs society; benefits from science; makes life easier; demands more from society.

SCIENCE: A DETAILED VIEW (Page 6)

  • Science as a modern, dynamic, cumulative inquiry into nature using the scientific method.

  • Deals with the WHAT IS (existence) in the natural world; primarily concerned with the acquisition of knowledge.

  • Focuses on research and discovering natural phenomena (knowledge).

  • Science as a cultural activity: practiced by scientists; historically called natural philosophers and savants.

  • A complex system of people, skills, facilities, knowledge, materials, and technologies devoted to inquiry into and understanding of the natural world.

TECHNOLOGY: ORIGINS AND CHARACTERISTICS (Pages 8–9)

  • Etymology: From Greek tekhne (art or craft) + logia (subject or interest).

  • Key ideas:

    • Practical application of knowledge.

    • Science of industrial arts and manufacture.

    • Material products or outcomes of human fabrication and making.

    • A form of human cultural activity practiced by technologists (engineers, craftsmen, machinists).

  • A complex system of knowledge, skills, people, methods, tools, organization, facilities, materials, and resources directed to research, development, production, and operation of new or improved products, processes, or services in a reproducible way.

  • Related view: Interrelation of life, society, and environment; drawing on industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.

  • Focus: Development and Innovation; inventing new or better tools and materials.

DEVELOPMENT, INNOVATION, AND RESEARCH (Page 10)

  • Development: Transforming research findings into prototype inventions of new materials, devices, and processes.

  • Innovation: Commercialization of prototype inventions into marketable products or processes.

  • Research: Process of acquiring new knowledge.

  • Types of Research:

    1. Fundamental/Basic Research — gaining new knowledge.

    2. Applied Research — practical application.

    3. Mission-Oriented Research — aimed at achieving a particular mission or technological objective.

TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY (Page 11)

  1. Material technology — extraction, fabrication, processing, combination, synthesis of materials.

  2. Equipment technology — design and fabrication of tools, instruments, devices, machines.

  3. Energy technology — distribution of energy forms (solar, wind, hydro, etc.).

  4. Information technology — data collection, storage, processing, transmission, and utilization.

  5. Life technology — devices, medicines, procedures to preserve, repair, maintain, reproduce, and improve living systems.

  6. Management technology — planning, organization, coordination, and control of social activities.

BRANCHES OF SCIENCE (Pages 12–14)

  • Physical Sciences:

    • Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Materials Science, Mathematics (foundational language/tools).

  • Biological Sciences:

    • Biology, Botany, Zoology, Genetics, Ecology, Microbiology.

  • Earth and Space Sciences:

    • Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Environmental Science, Paleontology.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD (Page 15)

  • The scientific method is a systematic way of learning about the world and answering questions.

  • Key elements: Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Observation, Analysis, Conclusion.

  • Note: The sequence can be summarized as formulating a hypothesis, then testing it with experiments, followed by analysis and drawing conclusions.

TECHNICAL PROCESS (Page 16)

  1. Identification of a specific need, desire, or opportunity.

  2. Conceptualization of design or plan to satisfy the need/opportunity.

  3. Production or execution of plan or design.

  4. The use phase (utilization and feedback).

CATEGORIES OF TECHNOLOGY (Page 17)

  • Mechanical: wheels, cams, levers, gears, belts, engines.

  • Electronic: computers, household appliances, plug-in devices.

  • Manufacturing: mass production-focused.

  • Medical: technologies that diagnose, treat, or prevent disease.

  • Information technology: networks, data safeguarding, databases, communications.

PARADIGM: THREE WAVES OF CIVILIZATIONS (Page 18–19)

  • 1st Wave Technologies (pre-industrial): Labour-intensive, small-scale, decentralized; based on empirical knowledge.

  • 2nd Wave Technologies (industrial): Industrial Revolution-era; based on classical physics, chemistry, biology.

  • 3rd Wave Technologies (post-industrial/high tech): Science-intensive; based on modern knowledge of molecules, atoms, nuclei.

  • Additional framing on page 19 shows a grid of technology types by wave:

    • Materials Technologies: metals, ceramics, polymers, dyes, etc.

    • Equipment Technologies: plough, lathe, mills, pumps; engines, motors, turbines, machine tools.

    • Energy Technologies: wood/charcoal, wind, water; fossil fuels; hydroelectric, geothermal.

    • Information Technologies: printing, books, letters, messengers; computers, networks.

    • Life Technologies: agriculture, medicine, biology-based devices.

    • Management Technologies: planning, organization, coordination, control.

  • Example: Liquid crystals noted as a technology type in the matrix.

TYPES OF SOCIETIES (Pages 20–26)

  • Hunting and Gathering Societies

  • Pastoral Societies

  • Horticultural Societies

  • Agricultural Societies

  • Industrial Societies

  • Post-Industrial Societies

  • Illustrative examples:

    • Hunting & Gathering: San people of the Kalahari (nomadic, subsistence hunting/gathering).

    • Horticultural: Yanomami of the Amazon (slash-and-burn alongside hunting/gathering).

    • Agricultural: Ancient Egypt (irrigation along the Nile; settled cities; social structure).

    • Pastoral: Maasai of East Africa (herding cattle as central livelihood).

    • Industrial: 19th-century Britain (industrialization, urbanization).

    • Post-Industrial: US/Western Europe (service-based, information tech, knowledge-based work).

HISTORICAL PROGRESSION: ANCIENT WORLD CONTRIBUTIONS (Pages 39–60+)

  • Ancient Ages: Science (scientia “knowledge”) emerges; early civilizations along rivers for water supply and stability.

  • Ancient Times – Core S&T Themes (categorized on a single slide set):

    • Transportation and Navigation

    • Communication

    • Security and Protection

    • Health

    • Architecture and Engineering

    • Mass Production

    • Aesthetic

    • Record Keeping

  • Transportation and Navigation: Sailboats, roads, and the need to move people/goods; exploration and trade.

  • Communication: Prevent and facilitate trade; early writing and records.

  • Record Keeping: Documenting history and culture; identity formation.

  • Mass Production: Increased population, demand for food and goods; need for technology to increase production efficiency.

  • Safety and Protection: Weapons and armor development to defend resources and populations.

  • Health: Early medical practices, trepanation, disease treatment.

  • Architecture and Engineering: Monumental structures; reflection of technological advancement.

  • Aesthetics: Beautification, health-focused technologies, and improving life quality.

  • Ancient Civilizations Featured (examples by civilization):

    • Sumerians: Wheel, roads, cuneiform, Uruk city, ziggurat, irrigation/dikes, sailboats.

    • Babylonians: Hanging Gardens of Babylon (legendary), use of bricks, roads, water management.

    • Egyptians: Papyrus, ink, hieroglyphics, cosmetics, wigs, water clocks.

    • Greeks: Alarm clocks, water mills, and other innovations; contributions to science/engineering.

    • Romans: Codex (bound books), Roman numerals, monumental architecture.

    • Arabs/Islamic world: Arabic numerals, glass lenses, gunpowder, alchemy.

    • Chinese: Silk, tea production, Great Wall, gunpowder.

    • Persians: Coinage, postal system, taxation, qanat (underground water channels), sulfuric acid.

    • Indus-Hindu Civilization: City planning (water wells, sewage systems), medicine, mathematics (zero, roots, pi to nine decimals), iron pillar, Stupa.

  • Medieval/Middle Ages: Printing press (Gutenberg), microscope, telescope, and war weapons.

  • Modern Times: Key innovations include Pasteurization, Petroleum Refinery, Telephone, Calculator, and broader electronics and computing developments.

MODERN INVENTIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES (Pages 91–106)

  • Pasteurization: Heating dairy products to kill pathogens; extends shelf life.

    • Process snapshot: Fresh milk → Heating section → Cooling section → Pasteurized milk.

    • Health and safety impact: Reduces spoilage and disease transmission.

  • Petroleum Refinery: Development of kerosene by Samuel M. Kier; early illumination and heating uses; foundation for modern petroleum industry.

  • Telephone: Real-time long-distance communication; rapid information exchange for governance and commerce.

  • Calculator: Evolved computational devices enabling faster arithmetic; catalyzed development of computers.

  • Electricity, Power, and Electronics: Core elements of modern tech; devices powered by electrical energy; integrated circuits and related tech.

  • Modern devices and concepts (selected):

    • Smartwatches, Robotics

    • Incandescent light bulb, Airplane, Computer

    • USB flash drives, Cellphones, Internet

    • World Wide Web, Email, TV

    • Veterinary medicine (first modern separation from human medicine in 1761)

    • Penicillin (1928) — start of modern antibiotics

    • Genomics, Biotechnology

    • Automobile, Nuclear weapon, Nuclear power

    • Satellites, Vaccine

    • Telegraphy, MRI, CT scan, LCD projectors, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Printer, Camera, CCTV

    • Submarine, Stethoscope, Laptop, Credit card, Steam engine, Laser

PHILIPPINE INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS (Pages 106–112)

  • Salamander Amphibious Tricycle

    • H2O technologies initiative; enables crossing flooded streets and rivers; useful for archipelago with floods.

  • SALT Lamp (Sustainable Alternative Lighting)

    • Invented by Aisa Mijeno; uses seawater as part of a lighting system; environmentally friendly and emission-free.

  • Medical Incubator

    • Dr. Fe del Mundo; indigenous, inexpensive, non-electric incubator (two baskets with hot water bottles for warmth; oxygen circulation via makeshift hood).

  • Mosquito Ovicidal/Larvicidal Trap System

    • Introduced by DOST-ITDI in 2010; uses natural ingredients safe for humans/environment; addresses insecticide resistance concerns.

  • E-Jeepney

    • Electric jeepney as a cleaner, quieter alternative to diesel-powered jeepneys; reduces smoke and noise pollution.

REFLECTIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

  • Ethical considerations: S&T progress raises privacy, human rights, and misuse concerns (e.g., AI, genetic engineering, surveillance).

  • Unintended consequences: Pollution, climate change, cybercrime, misinformation; need for mitigation strategies.

  • Dependence and vulnerability: Critical infrastructure reliance on technology; risks from outages or cyberattacks.

  • Knowledge limits: Science is provisional; many questions (especially meaning and morality) are outside empirical scope.

  • Access and inequality: Disparities in who benefits from S&T; need for inclusive access.

  • Over-reliance on technology: Potential erosion of skills; need for balanced human-technology interactions.

  • Cultural and social resistance: New ideas may meet resistance based on values or traditions; adoption can be slow.

UNIT OUTCOMES REVISITED

  • Explain how science and technology affected society and the environment, and vice versa.

  • Identify inventions and discoveries that changed the world over history.

  • Discuss scientific and technological developments in the Philippines and their societal impact.

KEY CONNECTIONS AND STUDY POINTS

  • Science vs. Technology vs. Society: Distinct definitions but deeply interdependent.

  • PURE vs. APPLIED SCIENCE: Knowledge for knowledge’s sake vs. solving real-world problems.

  • DEVELOPMENT vs. INNOVATION vs. RESEARCH: Path from knowledge to marketable tech.

  • WAVES OF CIVILIZATION: Transition from labour-intensive, empirical tech to classical physics-based industrial tech, to science-intensive high tech.

  • BRANCHES OF SCIENCE: How distinct disciplines contribute to broader STS understanding.

  • ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS: Everyday technologies (irrigation, writing, wheels, sail), monumental architectures, and early engineering feats that laid groundwork for modern tech.

  • MODERN INNOVATIONS: How modern devices emerged from incremental advances across multiple fields (physics, chemistry, biology, information science).

  • REGIONAL FOCUS: Philippines-specific inventions reflect local needs (flood-prone archipelago, electrification challenges) and show how local innovation contributes to national development.

PRACTICE PROMPTS (Page 112–Activity Reference)

  • Activity 1 (prompted in material): Explain with examples at least 3 limitations of Science and Technology.

  • Activity 2 (prompted in material): State the brief history or discovery that brought about inventions/discoveries listed (e.g., wheeled vehicle, internet, telephone, clock, guns, electricity, printing press, paper, telescope, car).

SUMMARY OF SELECTED DEFINITIONS AND NOTABLE FACTS (Glance-Guide)

  • Science: Systematic knowledge from observations/experiments; seeks WHAT IS in nature.

  • Technology: Practical application of science; creates tools, processes, and systems to satisfy human needs.

  • Society: Social groups with shared beliefs/practices; influences and is influenced by S&T.

  • Pure vs Applied: Knowledge vs solutions; applied science translates knowledge into useful products.

  • Fundamental vs Applied Research: Basic knowledge vs practical, mission-oriented objectives.

  • Laboratory to market pipeline: Research → Prototype → Innovation → Commercialization.

  • Ancient innovations show a continuum from wheel and writing to metallurgy, medical advances, and large-scale engineering.

  • Modern era connects new concepts (internet, biotechnology, space tech) to earlier innovations through cumulative knowledge.

  • Philippine inventions demonstrate localized engineering responses to environmental and societal needs.

EXAM-RELEVANT HIGHLIGHTS (Key Points to Remember)

  • UEOs center on defining concepts, comparing science and technology, and recognizing limitations.

  • STS emphasizes the bidirectional influence between science/technology and society.

  • Science and technology are not isolated; they co-evolve with culture, economy, politics, and ethics.

  • The scientific method, technological processes, and development/innovation cycles are foundational for understanding progress.

  • Civilizational waves illustrate evolving technologies: pre-industrial (labour/empiricism), industrial (classical physics/chemistry/biology), post-industrial (science-intensive).

  • Historical inventories (Sumerians to modern) show how diverse civilizations contributed to the toolkit of human progress.

  • Limitations of S&T require ethical judgment, risk management, equitable access, and resilience planning.

  • Local innovation (Philippines) provides practical case studies of technology addressing real-world problems (flooding, energy access, health).

LaTeX NOTATION USED IN NOTES

  • For any explicit mathematical constants or equations encountered in the material, use:

    • extPi≈πapprox3.141592654ext{Pi} \approx \pi \\approx 3.141592654 (nine decimals as referenced by the source)