Bicol University

College of Science

LESSON A -NATURE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and SOCIETY

Nature of Science

What is an example of scientific knowledge changing?

An example of when scientific knowledge has changed is when Copernicus proposed
the heliocentric )a cosmological model in which the Sun is assumed to lie at or near a
central point (e.g., of the solar system or of the universe) while the Earth and other
bodies revolve around it) model of the universe during the 16th century. Before that, it
was the geocentric model of the universe ( theory of the Universe with Earth at the
center). Under the geocentric model, the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets all orbit Earth..
The scientific knowledge changed based on new observations and discoveries along
with pieces of evidence and support.

Science is important to people because it can help resolve problems,

concerns, and issues that people face in the day-to-day aspects of
living. Science is a systematized knowledge derived from observation,
study and experimentation carried on in order to determine the
nature of what is being studied. It came from the Latin word scire
(meaning to know). It was originally called “Philosophy of the natural
world.”

The Scientific Method

Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something
that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
The scientific method is the process of objectively establishing facts through testing and
experimentation. The basic process involves making an observation, forming a
hypothesis, making a prediction, conducting an experiment, and finally analyzing the
results.

Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan
for answering your question, do library and Internet research to help you find the best
way to do things and make sure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is

an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested. A good
hypothesis allows you to make predictions:

Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your
prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important that
your experiment be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change
only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, you
collect your data and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

Communicate Your Results: Professional scientists do publish their final report in a

scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster or during a talk at a scientific
meeting.

It is important to differentiate observation, hypothesis, and theories. Observation is

something that is witnessed and can be recorded. The hypothesis is a possible
explanation for an observation. A theory is a set of tested hypotheses that gives an
overall explanation of some natural phenomena. It is an interpretation or explanation of
why nature behaves in a particular way. Theories change over time as more information
becomes available. For example, the motion of the solar system has changed greatly
since ancient times.
Scientists in all periods of time are driven by their deep passion to know and discover.
Thus, the scientific attitudes include the following:

 Honesty. This attitude allows a scientist to recognize the work done by other
scientists before him. This attitude is also shown by reporting data truthfully.
 A scientist is open-minded. Open-mindedness is an attitude that allows a
scientist to look at other possibilities.
 Creative and Critical Thinking. This enables a scientist to come up with new
concepts which lead to discoveries that traditional scientists have overlooked.
 Curiosity. It enables a scientist to discover more about the things around him.
 Persistent. It enables a scientist to continue a project despite obstacles and
failures.
 Objectivity. A scientist must be objective in declaring the results of his/her
experiments and judgment is based on observable phenomena and not
influenced by emotions or personal prejudices
 Precision. A scientist must always consider the precision of his work if it forms a
pattern or repeatedly occurs in nature. Lack of precision would mean
inconsistency.
 Responsibility. The moral, social and personal responsibility and accountability of
a scientist to all of his works must be observed.
 Collaboration. One needs to consider suggestions and recommendations of
others for improved work.

Nature of Technology

Technology is the result of accumulated knowledge and application of skills,

methods, and processes used in industrial production and scientific research.

The initial nature of technology is for survival. According to Steve Jobs, the pioneer
microcomputer revolution, the thing that separates us from high primates is that we are
tool builders. A caveman created fire to warm himself, cook food to kill bacteria and
protect himself from predators. Technology, science of craft, comes from the
Greek word techne, is the collection of techniques, skills, methods and processes
used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives,
such as scientific investigation. Every product of technology helps human to move
forward and make life comfortable.
Nature of Society

The society is made up of a community of people. Among these people are Scientist
and technologists. Proceed from the work of the scientist and technologist are
used up by the society. For instance, the bus is first developed by Blaise Pascal, the
benefactor of this great invention is the people in the society. But, exploitation of
advanced scientific knowledge and technological advances give rise to situations in
which society suffers the consequences.

It is important to keep in mind that scientists are human. They have

prejudices; they misinterpret data; they become emotionally attached to their theories
and thus lose objectivity; and they play politics. Sciences are affected by profit motives,
budgets, fads, wars, and religious beliefs. Galileo, for example was forced to recant his
astronomical observations in the face of strong religious resistance.

Human nature develops in man only when he lives in society, only when he shares
with his fellow beings.

Man lives in society because necessity compels him to. Many of our necessities will
be satisfied by the cooperation of the people in society. Every individual is the offspring
of social relationships established between man and woman. Man is totally dependent
on the survival of the existence of some sort of society.

Man lives in society for his mental and intellectual development. Society preserves
our culture and transmits it to succeeding generations. It both liberates and limits our
potentialities as individuals and molds our attitudes, our beliefs, our morals and ideals

Relationship Among Science, Technology, and Society

Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that studies the
conditions under which the production, distribution and utilization of scientific knowledge
and technological systems occur; the consequences of these activities upon different
groups of people.

Some sectors that have been boosted by science and technology are energy,
physical sciences, information, and communication. Society has greatly gained with
the invention of technology.

Without society then there would be no science and technology and that is
why the inventions and innovations have helped achieve big things. Society needs
science and technology to have a comfortable life. The creation of computers is work of
art by individuals was a milestone that would come a long way in helping the society. A
computer helps us to leverage ourselves by gaining valuable information that we can
use
Science and technology have actually largely contributed to the vision of man about
himself. Science has modified the opinion about the origin of man and place of origin
too. Through the results of scientific discoveries, the perception of a man about his
behavior and his place of origin has been modified diversely. Experiments in science
today are in one way or another affecting society. Take, for example, Chinese
biophysicist He Jiankui conceived two children through artificial insemination. He had
manipulated their genetic material with the help of the CRISPR/Cas9 "genetic scissors"
before implanting the embryos. Ethicists and experts from a wide range of disciplines
sharply criticized his action. They said he had created a dangerous precedent and
committed a grave ethical breach. Later, the Chinese government issued strict rules
preventing future attempts at germline manipulation.

Ex:
Korina Sanchez-Roxas said in an interview that she always wanted to be a mom. But in
a series of unfortunate events, the 'Rated K' host only got the chance of her lifetime to
give birth to twins with her husband, senatorial candidate Mar Roxas, through
gestational surrogacy in the United States.

The developing world has a long tradition of participatory action research, popular
education, and community organization joining up to solve some science and
technology issues that affect society. How science and technology are related to society
is something that is calling even for government intervention. Science and technology-
related issues are actually discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has resulted in
the ability to produce diverse types of material items.

Positive Impacts of Technology on Society

Technology Has Mechanized Agriculture

Today's agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots,

temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology
GPS allows farmers to accurately navigate to specific locations in the field, year after
year, to collect soil samples or monitor crop conditions. Crop advisors use rugged data
collection devices with GPS for accurate positioning to map pest, insect, and weed
infestations in the field.

Proper use of technology in agriculture has also resulted in the manufacturing of genetic
crops which grow fast and are resistant to many pests and diseases. Likewise, when
use responsibly, artificial fertilizers add value to the soil and boost the growth of high-
quality crops. Agriculture in dry areas has been made possible through technology. By
using advanced water pumps and sprinklers which derive water from rivers to the farms,
For instance, Egypt can now grow crops by pumping water daily from River Nile to the
rice fields.

Technology Has Improved Transportation

Technology has improved transportation: Transportation is one of the basic areas of

technological activity.. Transportation, like all other technologies, can be viewed as a
system. It is a series of parts that are interrelated. These parts all work together to meet
a certain goal. Transportation uses vehicles, trains, airplanes, motorbikes, people,
roads, energy, information, materials, finance and time. All these parts work together to
move and relocate people and goods. Technology has helped in advancing all the four
types of transportation and these include ; (1) road transport used by automobiles ,(2)
air transport which is used by airplanes , (3)water transportation which is used by ships
and speed boats and (4) space transportation used to go to the moon. The most used of
all these is Road transportation, this one facilitates the movement of goods and people

Technology Has Improved Healthcare Services

From improved operational efficiency to standards in patient care, the healthcare

transformation has enhanced the entire experience for both patients and medical
professionals. Elcom enumerates five of the top healthcare technology and healthcare
industry trends and innovations that are revolutionizing the field.

a) Availability of Information and big data. The Internet, intranet systems, search
features and the ability for healthcare professionals to rapidly share information have
enhanced the synthesis and analysis of data. “Big data” in healthcare allows the entire
field to benefit from comprehensive research studies. Their analyses can be used to
identify risk factors and recommend the right preventative treatment by comparing
patient data with data from thousands of other patients;

b) Medical professionals can now use media such as video, online discussion platforms
and real-time meeting capacities to communicate and advance the spread of knowledge
in the field. Electronic medical records in-house are accessible by all relevant
departments and care providers. This results in improved case management,
treatments and patient recovery;

c) Electronic medical records allow all patient histories, test results, diagnoses and
relevant information to be stored centrally in an online location. The data allows for
more focused and accurate care as well as the ability to see health trends for each

Store or Google Play Store, you will find many educational applications which can allow
students and teachers exchange academic information at any time, this has made
learning mobile. Also, programs like Long distance learning have opened boundaries
too so many scholars around the world.

Technology has Improved Business or Job Opportunities

Modern technology has been prominent in job role creation and the emerging of
technology-based companies. With access to a computer and internet, anyone can start
a business while at home. Most successful technology-based ventures like Amazon or
Facebook started from home but now they employ thousands of people.

Technology has Improved Entertainment

Technology has changed the entertainment industry; now people have many options to
choose from. They can have a playlist of 10,000 songs on their smartphone or you can
watch movies on the go with an iPad; the list is endless.

Negative Impacts of Technology on Society

Resource Depletion
The more demand for new technologies and advancement of current technologies, the
more pressure is put on earth’s natural resources. The high demand for more mobile
phones or laptops will certainly lead to exploitation of Mother Nature for resources like
aluminum. Once these resources are extracted from the earth plates, they may never
return back because it took them a billion years to mature. That means that at one time,
the world shall be left with no natural resource which can be a problem to the future
generation and economy. Likewise, the intensive farming practices will deplete the soil.
This makes heavy applications of commercial fertilizers necessary to yield healthy
harvests, but also these fertilizers have chemicals which are dangerous to the soil and
human lives.

Increased Pollution

Pollution affects the land we grow crops on, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
The increased demand for new technologies and advancement of technologies has
resulted in many manufacturing and processing factories. As they work so hard to
create the best technologies for both society and business, they release harmful

chemicals and gasses which have polluted our environment and this has resulted in
climate changes (global warming). So the more technology we enjoy, the more we harm
our environment. Experts have tried to implement ways of reducing this impact by
encouraging factories to go green, to a small extent, this has been achieved through the
development of green technologies like; green cars, green computers, but a great effort
is still needed to reduce the pollution of the air and the earth.

Cyber-Sickness

With the increased addiction to social networks and internet games, people are
spending more time on computers and reject their normal offline life, resulting in
increased isolation and social imbalance. This social isolation has increased a lot as
more and more people are involved in online interaction. The number of children playing
outdoor games is decreasing due to a lot of options available like video games and
apps.

Unemployment

Reduction in employment. Modern technology has replaced many works done by

human beings. Works are being done by machines in more productive and efficient way
thus replacing personnel who used to perform the work.

Science and Technology Fields

Life Sciences is a very broad field, it encompasses numerous specializations. It is

commonly defined by sciences that pertain to living organisms like microorganisms,
plants, animals, and most importantly human beings. Some of the well-known fields in
the Life Sciences are Zoology, Botany, Biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, and
Biomedical technologies.
Engineering is the field of science that applies both science and math to solve
problems. It concerns the use of technology in practical ways that can advance the
human condition. Some of the fields of engineering include mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering, and industrial
engineering.

Agriculture is the field of science wherein it concerns with the different techniques of
land

cultivation, crop and livestock raising, or otherwise, farming. The Department of

Agriculture (DA) is a government agency responsible for the development of the
Philippine's agriculture by generating policies, investments, and support services which
are significant in the local and export-oriented trade.

Aquaculture is the rearing or cultivation of aquatic animals and plants for foods. Oceans
are productive ecosystems on the planet, providing an array of services that directly and