STS FINALS

SCIENCE vs. TECHNOLOGY

 Science ≠ Technology
 Science
 Technology can exist in the absence of science because:
- It encompasses the practices and products that humans develop to modify and control nature for substance and comfort.
- Predates the birth of science by many centuries. (Agriculture, Tool-making, etc.)
 Initially, technology facilitated scientific progress by leading to observations and experimentation.

TECHNOLOGY and SOCIETY: A TWO-WAY STREET

 Technological innovations develop as solutions to very specific problems and well-defined needs.
 There may also be unforeseen innovations, novel applications, unexpected societal changes.
- E.g., car and the oil industry > uneven distribution of wealth, suburbia, shopping malls, economic decline of some urban areas,
etc.

FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE (THEORY) TECHNOLOGY (PRACTICE)
Search for knowledge Practical application of knowledge
Way of understanding ourselves and the physical world Way of adopting ourselves to the physical world
Process of asking questions and finding answers, then creating Process of finding solutions to human problems to make lives
broad generalizations easier and better
Looks for order or patterns in the physical world Looks for ways to control the physical world
Evaluated by how well the facts support the conclusion or Evaluated by how well it works
theory
Limited by the ability to collect relevant facts Limited by financial costs and safety concerns
Discoveries give rise to technological advances Advances give rise to scientific discoveries

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and SOCIETY: A THREE-WAY STREET

 Science–based technology development accelerates economic growth through its effects on industrial productivity
 New technologies…
- Create new products
- Stimulate the creation of new companies and new industries,
- Improve existing products and processes, and
- Lower manufacturing costs.

TRADE-OFFS and/or BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGY…

 Technology replaces man-power. Good or bad?
 Governments investing in technology and scientific research. Good or bad?

RATE OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IS INCREASING

 Negative vs. Positive Feedback Loop
 The positive feedback loop between scientific understanding and technological innovation drives constantly accelerating rate of technological
change.
 This does not mean that scientific knowledge increases and leads to more technologies.
 For example, time lapse between technology introduction and widespread use:
- Electric lights 80 years
- Personal Computers 16 years
- Internet 4 years

THE NATURE SCIENCE

 Knowing how science works puts scientific facts in perspective
 Theoretical science
 Practical (applied science)
 Media (popular) science
 Science is a process, not a list of discoveries
 Scientific process
- What is the problem with this model?
- What are the step?
 Societal values influence science and technology
 Scientists and nonscientists views science differently
  However, scientists are raised in a society, and a society shapes the way we see the world. (Meaning: Everyone has their own filters.)

HYPOTHESIS, THEORY & PARADIGM

 Hypothesis: one of the steps of the scientific process; an “if – then” statement or educated guess, based on observation, and to be tested,
accepted or rejected (as a result of the analysis of data collected)
 E.g., if all the classroom doors are green in the C- building, and I am in sitting in a classroom with a green door, I must be in C-
building.
(How would you test that?)
 Theory: Accumulated evidence, over time, performed through a series of reproducible experiments
 E.g., evolution
 Paradigm: A widely accepted model, example or framework.
 E.g., the Earth is round
 If we wake up one day and discover the Earth is a cube, the paradigm undergoes a shift (paradigm shift) to accept this.

THE BILOGY CENTURY

 In the last 200 years, the primary scientific drivers of technological development were chemistry and physics.
 Industrial revolution
 Information age
 Green revolution
 In this century, technological development is being fueled by biology, or more specifically, by biotechnology.

WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY?
 Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or life processes to solve problems or make useful products.

MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY
 Modern Biotechnology is the use of cells and biological molecules or cellular and bio-molecular processes to solve problems and make useful
products.
Types of Biological Molecules Familiar Examples
Lipid Fats, Steroid hormones
Protein Enzymes, Collagen
Nucleic Acid DNA, RNA
Carbohydrate Starch, Glucose
BIOTECHNOLOGY is a collection of technologies used by many industries
 Monoclonal antibody technology
 Bioprocessing technology
 Cell culture technology
 Biosensor technology
 Recombinant DNA technology (genetic engineering)
 Microarray technology
 Protein engineering technology
 Antisense technology

BIOTECHNOLOGY CAPITALIZES ON CELL PROPERTIES

 By using cells and biological molecules as the foundations of a technology, companies can develop products that capitalize on innate
properties of life at those levels:
- Specificity
- Unity
- Reproducibility

SPECIFITY, PRECISION, and PREDICTABILITY

 Cells and molecules are very specific in their interactions (and subsequent reactions) with other cells and molecules.
 As a result, you can make a specialized molecule that does one job… it only targets one location or process.
 By doing this, you can reduce the chances of severe side effects, drugs or devices can be tailored to an individual, and there should
be fewer unintended consequences.

UNITY and FLEXIBILITY

 Cells and molecules display remarkable similarity.
 Because all cells (1) work with essentially the same set of molecule building blocks, (2) have similar manufacturing processes, and (3)
are able to read and implement the genetic instructions from almost another cells, the technologies based on cells and biomolecules
allow greater flexibility in developing products and solving problems.
REPRODUCTION and RENEWABLE RESOURCES
 Many human activities rely on petroleum, a nonrenewable resource and a major contributor to pollution and solid-waste generation.
 Biotech could help replace petroleum with renewable resources with sustainable alternatives for less cost.
HOW GENETIC SELECTION EVOLVED…
 For 99% of human history, people lived as small groups of nomadic hunters and gatherers.
- Then, a curious thing happened…
 AGGRICULTURE (and the way it happened…)
 Developed approximately 10,000 years ago, in several locations, at approximately the same time.
 Led to more permanent, self-supporting communities. (Need more kids to work the farm)
 Led to technological, economic, and social progress. (Need to be able to care for and support the community (and all
those kids).

SOCIETY
In the Philippines, life in the province is certainly different from life in the city. While structures, technology, and transportation continue to
boom in the cities, provinces remain to be less industrialized, but rich in local produce and resources. As such, individuals who grew up in cities
develop as persons differently from those born in the provinces.

INDIVIDUAL and SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATIONS

 Individuals are social animals who need society for food, protection, education, and other forms of support. Meanwhile, a society is a
collection of individuals shaped by social relations and interactions.
 As such, individuals and society need each other to function properly. They have a complementary relationship that is improved and
influenced by culture and social institutions. In effect, societies and individual all around the world develop varying cultures and practices.

TYPES OF SOCIETIES and INDIVIDUALS

In learning about types of societies, it is important to know that classifications were made by socioeconomic conditions and availability of
resources.
Nevertheless, these classifications describe all currently existing models of societies.
TYPES OF SOCIETIES
 Agrarian (Agricultural)
 It focuses on the production of crops and raising of farm animals.
 Women share the same type and mode of labor.
 It utilizes technological and advances to cultivate crops.
 Industrial (Modern Industrial)
 It introduced fuel-driven machinery in goods production.
 Factories are seen as the center of work.
 Transportation is more developed and advanced than agricultural societies.
 Virtual (Post-Industrial)
 Professional services are offered in exchange for money.
 Technology is used in every aspect of life and work.
 It focuses on the production and selling of information.
Apart from these, some more types of societies include pastoral, hunting and gathering, and feudal. However, these models no longer exist at
present.
TYPES OF INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY
The types of individuals in a society are dictated by socioeconomic conditions and capability. Each individual belongs to a certain social
class or group of people with similar levels of wealth and status.
 Lower Class
 Experiences poverty, homelessness, and unemployment
 Relatively higher in number in developing countries.
 Working Class
 Constitutes blue-collared workers (e.g. waiter, driver, salesperson)
 Experiences low career opportunities and minimal wage.
 Middle Class
 Consists of white-collared workers (e.g. doctor, lawyer, engineer)
 Able to survive life with relatively minimal material difficulties.
 Typically provides professional services as sources of income.
 Upper Class
 Consists of individuals born into aristocratic families.
 Usually involves families with large businesses and ventures.
Different combinations between individuals and societal models may occur within the system. As such, culture is developed through simultaneous
societal interactions.
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS and SOCITIES in the SOCIAL SYSTEM
The social system denotes the whole society that is comprised of individuals and institutions interacting within the same structure. Despite
differences in classifications, all types of individuals and social models co-exist and interact within the social system.
Examples: -Individuals from the upper class may primarily live in agricultural setting due to the nature of their family business (e.g. haciendero)
-Provinces near the Metro have an industrialized society and is primarily composed of middle class workers.
Explore: -As society continuously rebuilt itself, vast changes occurred within the last 10 years. The Philippines used to be an industrialized society,
but with the sudden availability of resources and opportunities, it was able to shift to a post-industrial social model.
-Alongside, this many middle class workers emerged since new professional positions were developed. Looking at thses advancements,
what societal changes do you think will occur within the next ten years?