Science, Technology, and Human Flourishing: Philosophical and Ethical Perspectives
Concepts of Human Flourishing
Individual Potentiality * Involves the rational use of one’s individual human potentialities. * This includes talents, abilities, and virtues utilized in the pursuit of freely and rationally chosen values and goals.
Reflective Requirement * Science and Technology must be treated as a part of human life that necessitates reflective and meditative thinking.
Aristotelian Eudaimonia * A term coined by Aristotle to describe the pinnacle of happiness attainable by humans. * Often translated as "human flourishing." * Defined as: * Happiness * Living well * Flourishing * Requires a proper balance of: * Honor * Fortune * Pleasure * Virtue
Individual versus Community Centric Perspectives
Individual-Centric * Focuses on the individual and depends on individual values. * The state is not viewed as greater than the individual.
Community-Centric * The community is held in the highest regard. * The individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of the society.
Relationship to Science and Technology * The end goals of science/technology and human flourishing are related. * The "good" is inherently related to the "truth," two concepts fundamentally explored by science.
Scientific Theories and Methodology
Verification Theory * The earliest criterion distinguishing philosophy and science. * A discipline is considered science if it can be confirmed or interpreted in the event of an alternative hypothesis being accepted. * Criticisms of Verification Theory: * Budding theories lacking empirical results may be shot down prematurely. * Causes slower innovation and punishes ingenuity regarding novel thoughts. * Fails to weed out bogus arguments involving coincidental explanations.
Scientific Method Fundamentals * The use of empirical data, observation, tests, or experiments to confirm truth or rational justification of a hypothesis. * Fundamental concepts: Truth and Justification (Warrant). * Truth: A hypothesis is true if it corresponds to the way the world is. * Justification: The grounds we have for believing a statement to be true.
Falsification Theory * Karl Popper is the known proponent. * Asserts that an ideology is scientific as long as it is not proven false and can best explain a phenomenon over alternative theories. * Allows the emergence of theories rejected by verification theory. * Encourages research to determine which theories can stand the test of falsification.
Karl Popper’s Seven Tenets of Scientific Theory
Ease of Confirmation: It is easy to find confirmations for nearly every theory if one looks for confirmations.
Risky Predictions: Confirmations should only count if they result from risky predictions where an event incompatible with the theory would be expected without it.
Prohibitions: Every "good" scientific theory forbids certain things from happening. The more it forbids, the better it is.
Refutability: A theory not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Irrefutability is a vice, not a virtue.
Testability: Every genuine test is an attempt to falsify or refute. There are degrees of testability; some theories are more exposed to refutation.
Genuineness of Evidence: Confirming evidence counts only when resulting from a genuine test.
Conventionalist Stratagem: Some falsified theories are still upheld by admirers who use a "conventionalist twist" to rescue the theory.
Science as a Social Endeavor
Social Dimension * A new school of thought on the demarcation criterion explores the social dimension of science and technology. * Science benefits society and ceases to belong solely to "gown-wearing, bespectacled scientists at laboratories."
Dr. Rod Dunbar (University of Aukland) * States that science cannot exist without interactions between people. * While some fields of pure thought exist, understanding science requires understanding the personalities driving it.
Collective Effort * Science involves groups of scientists working together to correct or verify each other.
Results as Validation * People unaware of scientific theory are won over by results. * Science is not the only discipline producing results; religion, luck, and human randomness are contemporaries. * Communities without science may turn to divination and superstition for similar results. * Science is not foolproof and is not correct of the time.
Science in the Philippines * A large distribution of science high schools exists, creating competition for students undergoing rigorous training in science and mathematics based on specialized curricula.
The Human Condition: Evolution and Survival
Early Ancestors (Before Common Era) * Fire: Homo erectus used fire for cooking without realizing the laws of friction and heat. * Stone Age: Humans used stone and flints to sharpen tools like knives. * Metalwork: Discovery of minerals led to the forging of metalwork. * Clothing: Fur and animal skins were used primary for comfort against winds and out of necessity to cover the body.
Social and Religious Growth * Religion remains a strong contender to science as it is easily grasped. * Humans attempted to justify events outside their control as the work of supernatural beings. * When humans stop connecting cause and effect, they turn to alternatives for their inadequacies in making sense of the world. * Growing populations necessitated additional resources, leading to the formation of communities and territorial expansion.
Development of "The Good Life" * Initially, communities were self-sufficient nuclear units. * Depleting resources led to reliance on other communities' produce. * Objectives shifted from mere survival to gathering products for profit (hunting, farming, producing). * Humanity became complex; the goal became living "the good life," making life comfortable and enriching. * Medicine: Born from the perception of death as unpleasant; early medicine involved "potions" to ward off evil.
Modern Indicators of Flourishing * Mortality Rate: Fewer women and children die during birth. * Average Lifespan: Humans are less likely to die from treatable diseases. * Literacy Rate: Generally creates a more informed public. * Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Higher productivity brings higher country income.
Martin Heidegger and Technology
Biographical Context * Martin Heidegger (1977) is widely acknowledged as one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. * Quote: "The essence of technology is by no means anything technological."
Definitions of Technology * In The Question Concerning Technology, Heidegger explains two views: 1. Instrumental Definition: Technology is a means to an end; a tool for making impact or getting things done. 2. Anthropological Definition: Technology is a human activity; the production and use of means to achieve ends.
True Essence of Technology * Both definitions are "correct" but do not touch the true essence. * Technology is not merely "instrumentum" but a way of revealing. * Bringing Forth: Understood through Poiesis (Ancient Greek act of bringing something out of concealment). * Truth: Understood through Aletheia (translated as unclosedness, unconcealedness, disclosure, or truth).
Causality and Technology * Where instrumentality reigns, there reigns causality. * Aristotle’s Four Causes: 1. Causa Materialis: The materials something is made from. 2. Causa Formalis: The shape or form. 3. Causa Efficiens: The process by which it is made. 4. Causa Finalis: The final reason for its existence. * Heidegger’s Synthesis: "Technology is a form of a way of revealing (poeisis) that conceals the truth (aletheia)."
Modern Technology as Enframing
Distinction from Poiesis * Modern technology is a "Challenging Forth" rather than a "Bringing Forth." * It puts unreasonable demands on nature to extract and store resources.
Examples of Challenging Forth * Depletion of petroleum resources. * Introduction of synthetic dyes, artificial flavorings, and toxic materials into consumer streams. * Ripening agents in agriculture threatening food and health security.
Enframing (Gestell) * The way of ordering nature to better manipulate it. * Occurs because of the human desire for security. * Standing Reserve: Humans view nature not for what it is, but as resources ready for exploitation to fulfill needs.
The Danger and the Saving Power * The danger lies in humans becoming part of the "standing reserve" themselves and becoming instruments of technology. * "Where Enframing reigns, there is danger in the highest sense." * Questioning as the Piety of Thought: Reassessing one's position through questioning allows humans to witness the crisis of preoccupation with technology and find the "saving power."
Greek Philosophy on Reality and The Good Life
Plato’s View of Reality * Things in the world of matter are changing, impermanent, and only copies of the real entities. * World of Forms: The only location of real entities/ideals.
Aristotle’s View of Reality * There is no reality over and above what the senses can perceive. * Human beings are potentialities aspiring for actuality. * Every action follows a purpose or telos. * Happiness is the "be all and end all" of everything humans do. * Practical Thinking: Aiming at goals and the means to reach them. * Purposeful Action: Contrasts with aimless/thoughtless action.
Plan for Living * As humans mature, they act more purposefully and develop a plan for living. * The final end is to flourish and have a good life.
Desires * Natural Desires: Things we need; "Real goods" that are good whether we want them or not. * Acquired Desires: Things we want; "Apparent goods" that appear good only because we want them.
Components of the Good Life * Bodily Goods: Health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure. * External Goods: Food, drink, shelter, clothing, sleep. * Goods of the Soul: Knowledge, skill, love, friendship, aesthetic enjoyment, self-esteem, honor. * Note: One can have less "limited goods" than needed, but cannot have more "unlimited goods" than needed.
Ethical Theories and Schools of Thought
Greatest Happiness Principle (John Stuart Mill) * An action is right if it maximizes the attainment of happiness for the greatest number of people.
Materialism * Originated with atomists like Democritus and Leucippus. * Belief: The world is made of indivisible units called atomos (seeds). * Happiness is attained through material entities.
Hedonism (Epicurus) * The goal of life is acquiring pleasure because life is limited. * Mantra: "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."
Stoicism (Epicurus) * Happiness is attained through a careful practice of apathy. * Learning to distance oneself from pain or hardship without complaint or displaying feelings.
Theism * Ultimate happiness is communion with God. The world is a temporary reality while waiting to return to the hands of God.
Humanism * Emphasis on the freedom of man to carve his own destiny and legislate laws free from a monitoring God. * Humans are in control of themselves and the world.
Virtue Theory (Aristotelian Ethics) * Emphasis on character rather than specific rules. * Adhering to nature is performing the proper function. * Human function involves reasoning and social interaction. * The Golden Mean: Virtue is the midpoint between the extremes of Deficiency and Excess. * Cowardice (Deficiency) → Courage (Mean) → Reckless (Excess) * Failing to Speak (Deficiency) → Honesty (Mean) → Brutal Honesty (Excess) * Stinginess (Deficiency) → Generosity (Mean) → Prodigality (Excess) * Too much Humility (Deficiency) → Pride (Mean) → Vanity (Excess)
Natural Law Theory (Thomas Aquinas) * God provided tools to know what is good. Nature has built-in desires for virtue.
Modern Roles and Dilemmas of Technology
Etymology * Techne: Art. * Logos: Word.
Specific Technological Devices * Television: Platform for advertisements, information dissemination, and propaganda/advocacy. * Radio: Recreational activity, stress reliever, and family bonding. * Mobile Phones: Primarily texting and calling (communication). * Computers/Laptops: Surfing the internet, communication, and document-related work.
Ethical Dilemmas * Decline in health/increase in laziness. * Alienation: People no longer leave houses to mingle. * Moral Dilemma: Children exposed to content unsuitable for their age, making them vulnerable to character change.
Ethics of Responsibility * FOCUS: Accountability (to someone and for something). Every person in development is a "proxy" to another. * Focuses on the positive: "What ought to be allowed?"
Robotics and Service Technology
Definitions (IFR & UNECE) * Robot: Actuated mechanism programmable in two or more axes with a degree of autonomy moving within its environment. * Autonomy: Ability to perform tasks based on sensing without human intervention. * Service Robot: Performs useful tasks for humans/equipment (excluding industrial automation).
Types of Service Robots * Personal Use (Non-commercial): Domestic servant robots, automated wheelchairs, pet exercising robots. * Professional Use (Commercial): Operated by a trained person. Examples: Cleaning robots for public places, delivery robots (offices/hospitals), firefighting robots, surgery robots.
Germany and the DESIRE Project * DESIRE: Deutsche Servicerobotik Initiative (Germany Service Robotics Initiative). * Objectives: Attain technological edge for everyday use; create reference architecture for mobile manipulation; promote technology convergence; conduct pre-competition R&D. * Expected Tasks: Clearing kitchen tables, filling dishwashers, clearing rooms.
General Roles of Robotics * Ease workload, increase efficiency, perform tasks humans cannot do, and provide pleasure/entertainment (child-friendly toys).