MATI DOCTORS COLLEGE

CITY OF MATI

GEC 7
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

Chapter 1- Science, Technology, and Society and the Human Condition

Lesson 1: Human Flourishing

Lesson 2: Technology as a Way of Revealing

Lesson 3: The Good Life

Lesson 4: When Technology and Humanity Cross

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 ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISE

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Subject GEC 7 – Science Technology and Society

Chapter 2 Science, Technology, and Society and the Human

Condition

Lesson 1 Human Flourishing

Objectives At the end of the learning module you shall be able

to:

1. Identify different conceptions of human

flourishing;

2. Determine the development of the scientific

method and validity of science; and

3. Critic human flourishing vis-à-vis progress of

science and technology to be able to define for
themselves the meaning of a good life.

Abstraction SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND HUMAN

FLOURISHING

Eudaimonia, literally “good spirited,” a term coined by

Aristotle to describe the pinnacle of happiness that is
attainable by humans; has often been translated into
“human flourishing”

Western civilization tends to be more focused on the

individual; based on an individual’s values rather than
his belief that the state is greater than him.

The east are more community-centric; community

takes the highest regard that the individual should
sacrifice himself for the sake of the society.

Every discovery, innovation, and success contributes to

our pool of human knowledge; human’s perpetual need
to locate himself in the world by finding proofs to trace
evolution;

The end goals of both science and technology and

human flourishing are related; in that the good is
inherently related to the truth, are two concepts about
science which ventures its claim on truth.

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SCIENCE AS METHOD AND RESULTS

The Scientific Method:

1. Observe
2. Determine the problem
3. formulate hypothesis; reject the null hypothesis
4. Conduct experiment
5. Gather and analyze results
6. Formulate conclusion and provide
recommendation

Verification Theory

The earliest criterion that distinguishes philosophy and

science

The idea proposes that a discipline is science if it can

be confirmed or interpreted in the event of an
alternative hypothesis being accepted.

Several budding theories that lack empirical results

might be shot down prematurely, causing slower
innovation and punishing ingenuity of newer, novel
thoughts.

This theory completely fails to weed out bogus

arguments that explain things coincidentally.

Falsification Theory

Karl Popper is the known proponent of this view.

Asserts that as long as an ideology is not proven to be

false and can best explain a phenomenon over
alternative theories

Allowed emergence of theories otherwise rejected by

verification theory

Encourages research in order to determine which

among the theories can stand the test of falsification

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SCIENCE AS A SOCIAL ENDEAVOR

A new school of thought on the proper demarcation

criterion of science emerged.

Explores the social dimension of science and

effectively, technology

The new view perpetuates a dimension which generally

benefits the society. Sciences cease to belong solely to
gown wearing, bespectacled scientists at laboratories.

Science and Results

People who do not understand science are won over

when the discipline is able to produce results.

 In this particular argument, however, science is

not the only discipline which is able to produce
results—religion, luck, and human randomness
are some of its contemporaries in the field.

 For some communities without access to science,

they can turn to divination and superstition and
still get the same results.

 Science is not entirely foolproof, such that it is

correct 100% of the time.

Science as Education

In the Philippines, a large distribution of science high

schools can be found, forging competition for aspiring
students to undergo rigorous science and mathematics
training based on specialized curricula.

 As students are preconditioned that the field

would later land them high-paying jobs and a
lucrative career after graduation.

 Simply mastering science and technology would

be inadequate if we are to, say, socialize with
people or ruminate on our inner self.

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  A true eudaimon recognizes that flourishing
requires one to excel in various dimensions, such
as linguistic, kinetic, artistic, and socio-civic.

APPLICATION & Activity 2.1 – Processing Questions

ASSESSMENT
What do you think constitutes human flourishing?

Were we successful so far in trying to tie down

technology with what we conceive as human
flourishing?

Is our reverence of science justified? Explain.

State a brief history or discovery that brought about

the invention or discovery of the things stated below.
State their contributions in our scientific development.

a. Gravity
b. Telescope
c. Processed Food
d. Microscope
e. Radio
f. Benzene Ring
g. Large Hadron Collider
h. Guns
i. Internet
j. Cell phones

Activity 2.2 – The Scientific Method

Identify at least 5 Scientific Problem in your household

and solve it using Scientific Method. Support with photo
documentation in every scientific problem solved.

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Subject GEC 7 – Science Technology and Society

Chapter 2 Science, Technology, and Society and the Human

Condition

Lesson 2 TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF REVEALING

Objectives At the end of the learning module you shall be able to:

1. Explain the concept of human condition before

science and technology;

2. Identify the change that happened in human

condition after science and technology; and

3. Name ways on how technology aided in revealing

the truth about the human being.

Abstraction The Human Condition Before Common Era

Homo erectus have been using fire to cook, all the while
without realizing the laws of friction and heat.

Tools from stone and flints marked the era of the Stone
Age, during the advent of our very own Homo sapiens.

People discovered minerals and began forging

metalwork.

Fur clothing and animal skin are primarily used for

comfort against harsh winds. They begin to cover
themselves up out of necessity.

People of the time had also painstakingly wrought and

hewed said figures in honor of some deity; initial roster
of primitive gods includes objects they encounter
through their day-to-day lives.

Driven by their primal need to survive, humans were

quick to find ways to drive off other megafaunas
threatening a prospective hunting spot.

The ongoing extinction of several species—both flora

and fauna—due to human activity

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 They began to hunt, farm, and produce things with
prospect of profit.

When they could not sell products, they used their skills
and got compensated for it—bringing forth a specialized
group of artisans.

Physical strength was valued at most, although there

appeared to be as many intellectually gifted figures just
the same.

The Essence of Technology

Modern humans are reliant on technology in their

search for the good life. Humans are reduced into the
amount of productivity they are able to render during
their lifetime.

By too much reliance on technology, humans lose track

of things that matter, reducing their surroundings to
their economic value.

Martin Heidegger argued that its essence, or purpose,

and being are different from each other.

Technology can either be perceived as first, a means to

achieve man’s end and second, that which constitutes
human activity.

The second perspective paints technology in such a way

that each period reveals a particular character
regarding man’s being.

APPLICATION & Activity 2.3 - Processing Questions

ASSESSMENT
What would have happened to humankind if technology
did not exist?

Do you agree with Martin Heidegger in his idea that

technology should only be seen as one of the
approaches in perceiving truth? What are other possible
approaches we should consider?

Activity 2.4 – What If the Internet Stopped

Working

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Watch the video link (What if the Internet Stopped
Working)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woaKYa9X2Ic

Make a poster that would reflect your reaction on the

video.

Activity 2.5 – Philosophical Debate

Discuss whether technology is a means to an end or an

end in itself. The class will be divided into two groups.
The first group (Family Name starts with A-L) supports
the notion that technology is an instrument to achieve
human goals, and the second group (Family Name
starts with M-Z) supports the notion that technology is
what humanity does. List down pertinent points and
construct an individual position paper regarding your
stance.

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Subject GEC 7 – Science Technology and Society

Chapter 2 Science, Technology, and Society and the Human

Condition

Lesson 3 THE GOOD LIFE

Objectives At the end of the learning module you shall be able to:

1. Examine what is meant by a good life;

2. Identify how humans attempt to attain what is

deemed to be a good life; and

3. Recognize possibilities available to human being

to attain the good life.

Abstraction Aristotle and How We All Aspire for a Good Life

Plato and Aristotle embarked on a different approach in

figuring out reality.

Plato thought that things in this world are not real and
are only copies of the real in the world of forms. Change
is so perplexing that it can only make sense if there are
two realities: the world of forms and the world of
matter:

 In the world of matter, things are changing and

impermanent;

 In the world of forms, the entities are only copies

of the ideal and the models, and the forms are the
only real entities.

Aristotle forwarded the idea that there is no reality over

and above what the senses can perceive, claiming that
this world is all there is to it and that this world is the
only reality we can all access.

 Declares that even human beings are

potentialities who aspire for their actuality

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  Every action that emanates from a human person
is a function of the purpose (telos) that the person
has.

 Every human person, according to Aristotle,

aspires for an end. This end is happiness or
human flourishing.

 Claims that happiness is the be all and end all of

everything that we do

 Human flourishing, a kind of contentment in

knowing that one is getting the best out of life

HAPPINESS AS THE GOAL OF A GOOD LIFE

Materialism

 The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient

Greece.

 Democritus and Leucippus belief is that the world

is made up of and is controlled by the tiny
indivisible units in the world called atomos or
seeds.

 For Democritus and his disciples, the world,

including human beings, is made up of matter.

 Only material entities matter. In terms of human

flourishing, matter is what makes us attain
happiness.

Hedonism

 The hedonists, for their part, see the end goal of

life in acquiring pleasure.

 Life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure

because life is limited.

 The mantra of this school of thought is the

famous, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow
we die.”

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 Stoicism

 The idea that to generate happiness, one must

learn to distance oneself and be apathetic.

 For the stoics, happiness can only be attained by

a careful practice of apathy.

Theism

 The ultimate basis of happiness for theists is the

communion with God.

 The world where we are in is only just a temporary

reality where we have to maneuver around while
waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of
God.

Humanism

 The freedom of man to carve his own destiny and

to legislate his own laws, free from the shackles
of a God that monitors and controls.

 Humanists see themselves not merely as

stewards of the creation but as individuals who
are in control of themselves and the world outside
them.

APPLICATION & Activity 2.6 - DISCUSSION POINTS

ASSESSMENT
1. What is the good life?

2. What is the relationship between the good life and

science?

3. Does technology always lead us to the good life?

How and why?

Activity 2.7 - GOOD LIFE COLLAGE

Cut out pictures in magazines or newspapers that

demonstrate how technology has made the man’s
desire for a happy life more realizable. You may also opt
to print out pictures from websites and other sources.
Explain how these technological advancements have

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made the campaign for the attainment of good life
easier or otherwise.

Activity 2.8 - WHAT MAKES A GOOD LIFE?

Watch the YouTube video “What makes a good life?

Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Robert
Waldinger”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI)

Answer the following question based on your personal

understanding:

1. Are you surprised with what is said in the video?

How?
2. How can we analyze the entire life of somebody?
3. What is the lesson they learnt? Give as many details
as possible
4. Do you agree with this lesson?
5. What’s the effect of long-lasting and close
relationships in our lives?
6. Now you know the secret, what can you do to
achieve a better life? Design a plan.

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Subject GEC 7 – Science Technology and Society

Chapter 2 Science, Technology, and Society and the Human

Condition

Lesson 4 When Technology And Humanity Cross

Objectives At the end of the learning module you shall be able

to:

1. Know the different technological advancements

in society;

2. Discuss the development of science and

technology in the Philippines; and

3. Discuss the effects of the interplay between

technology and humanity through the
dilemma(s) they face.

Abstraction TELEVISION SETS, MOBILE PHONES,

COMPUTERS, AND HUMANITY

People all over the world use these technologies every

day to accomplish different purpose;

 Television was a product of different experiments

by various people;

 Paul Gottlieb Nipkow’s invention was called the

"electric telescope" that had 18 lines of
resolution;

 Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton and Boris

Rosing their experiment gave rise to two types of
television systems, namely, mechanical and
electronic television.

 On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, a senior

engineer at Motorola, made the world’s first
mobile phone call;

 In 1983, Motorola made their first commercial

mobile phone available to the public., It was
known as the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X.

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 Charles Babbage who designed the Analytical
Engine which was used as the basic framework
of the computers even until the present time;

 The first design of computer was so big that it

could occupy whole floors of buildings;

 The first true portable computer was released in

April 1981. It was called the Osborne 1;

 The evolution of laptops continued until the

present time where various designs and models
are already available.

ROLES PLAYED BY THESE TECHNOLOGICAL

ADVANCEMENTS

 Television is mainly used as a platform for

advertisements and information dissemination;

 Television also is a good platform for different

propagandas and advocacies.

 Mobile phones are primarily used for

communication;

 People use their mobile phones to surf the

Internet and to take pictures more than to text
or to call people;

 Other applications include music player,

calendar, radio, television, and photo editor,
among others.

 Personal computers and laptops can be used to

surf the Internet and communicate;

 The availability of a mouse or a touchpad made

these two technological devices easier to
maneuver than mobile phones.

ETHICAL DILEMMA FACED BY THESE

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

 People who are fixated on these technological

advancements start and end their day by using

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 such devices. It causes them to become
reclusive, alienating themselves from other
people.

 Children who are not capable yet of rationally

deciding for themselves what is right or wrong
are freely exposed to different things on
television, mobiles phones, laptops, or
computers.

ROBOTICS AND HUMANITY

A robot is an actuated mechanism programmable in

two or more axes with a degree of autonomy, moving
within its environment, to perform intended tasks.

A service robot is a robot that performs useful tasks for

humans or equipment excluding industrial automation
application.

A personal service robot or a service robot for personal

use is a service robot used for a noncommercial task,
usually by laypersons.

A professional service robot or a service robot for

professional use is a service robot used for a
commercial task, usually operated by a properly
trained operator.

ROLES PLAYED BY ROBOTICS

They are primarily used to ease the workload of

mankind.

They were invented to make life more efficient and less

stressful; perform activities to entertain people; made
to serve as toys.

Robots also have their own set of rules and

characteristics that define what a good robot is:

 Law One: A robot may not injure a human being

or, through inaction, allow a human being to
come to harm.

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  Law Two: A robot must obey the orders given
by human beings except where such orders
would conflict with the First Law.

 Law Three: A robot must protect its own

existence as long as such protection does not
conflict with the First or Second Law.

ETHICAL DILEMMA/S FACED BY ROBOTICS

Safety. Who should be held accountable if someone’s

safety is compromised by a robot?

Emotional Component. What if robots become

sentient should they be granted robot rights? Should
they have their own set of rights to be upheld,
respected, and protected by humans?

APPLICATION & Activity 2.9 - DISCUSSION POINTS

ASSESSMENT  Do people really need technology in their lives?
Is it really a necessity?
 Should there be an ethics of technology?

Activity 3.1 – TECHNOLOGY AS WE GROW

Identify different age group and ask them the question
what are the roles played by these technological
advancements in our lives.
Age Group are as follow:
12-20 years old
20-40 years old
40-60 years old
>60 years old

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