Science, Technology and Society

Module on
Week 7-8 :Science and Technology and the Human Condition

Introduction

In the previous sections you were able to learn that the progress of human
civilization mirrors the development of Science and Technology. Briefly, you
were introduced to the History of Science and Technology. Being the bearers
and beneficiaries of Science and technology, human person flourishes and finds
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meaning in the world he is in. In the pursuit of a good life, one may
unconsciously acquire consume, and even destroy what the Earth has to offer.

It is then prime and necessary that we reflect on what truly matters. Rethink on
the philosophical views, in order to value the importance of science and
technology in the preservation of the environment and the development of the
Filipino nation.

As a student in STS, as you define the meaning of the good life, you must foster
and value a healthy lifestyle, and advocate a mindset that gears towards
sustainable development of society and the environment. As this module
engages you to think and reflect on the role of science and technology as you
pursue a good life, we are hoping that you will value your leanings.

Reminders: All questions asked in this module may serve as

your guide for learning the assigned topics for the 2 weeks. A
separate activity sheet is prepared for you to work with. So
please work closely with your instructors.

As you study this material, it is suggested to watch the videos

and read the articles by clicking the links. This will provide you
a clear overview of the different philosophical discussions
about Science and Technology and the Human Condition.

Intended Learning Outcomes

ILO 1 Analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express
philosophical ramifications that are meaningful to the student as a part of
society.
ILO 2 Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of S&T as you define the
meaning of a good life
ILO 3 Examine shared concerns that make up the good life in order to come up
with innovative, creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical
standards

Topics:
III: Science and Technology and the Human Condition
A.Human Flourishing and the Good Life: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
B. Human Flourishing in terms of Science and Technology
• Martin Heidegger: Technology as A way of Revealing
• CS Lewis: The Magician’s Twin
• Jason Hickel: Forget Developing "Poor" Countries it's time to 'de-develop'
"Rich" countries
What is Aristotle's view on Human flourishing?

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) is the most significant thinker and the most accomplished
individual who has ever lived. Every person currently living in Western civilization
owes an enormous debt to Aristotle who is the fountainhead behind every
achievement of science, technology, political theory, and aesthetics
(especially Romantic art) in today's world. Aristotle's philosophy has
underpinned the achievements of the Renaissance and of all scientific
advances and technological progress to this very day.

Aristotle, the teacher of those who know, defended reason, invented logic,
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focused on reality, and emphasized the importance of life on earth. The

importance of reality, reason, and logic in Aristotelian philosophy has enabled
science and technology to develop and flourish.

Human flourishing (also known as personal flourishing) involves the rational use
of one's individual human potentialities, including talents, abilities, and virtues in
the pursuit of his freely and rationally chosen values and goals. An action is
considered to be proper if it leads to the flourishing of the person performing
the action. Human flourishing is, at the same time, a moral accomplishment
and a fulfillment of human capacities, and it is one through being the other.
Self-actualization is moral growth and vice-versa.

Not an abstraction, human flourishing is real and highly personal (i.e., agent
relative) by nature, consists in the fulfillment of both a man's human nature and
his unique potentialities, and is concerned with choices and actions that
necessarily deal with the particular and the contingent. One man's
self-realization is not the same as another. What is called for in terms of
concrete actions such as choice of career, education, friends, home, and
others, varies from person to person. Human flourishing becomes an actuality
when one uses his practical reason to consider his unique needs,
circumstances, capacities, and so on, to determine which concrete
instantiations of human values and virtues will comprise his well-being. The idea
of human flourishing is inclusive and can encompass a wide variety of
constitutive ends such as knowledge, the development of character traits,
productive work, religious pursuits, community building, love, charitable
activities, allegiance to persons and causes, self-efficacy, material well-being,
pleasurable sensation

To flourish, a man must pursue goals that are both rational for him individually
and also as a human being. Whereas the former will vary depending upon
one's particular circumstances, the latter are common to man's distinctive
nature – man has the unique capacity to live rationally. The use of reason is a
necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for human flourishing. Living rationally
(i.e., consciously) means dealing with the world conceptually. Living
consciously implies respect for the facts of reality. The principle of living
consciously is not affected by the degree of one's intelligence nor the extent of
one's knowledge; rather, it is the acceptance and use of one's reason in the
recognition and perception of reality and in his choice of values and actions to
the best of his ability, whatever that ability may be.
To pursue rational goals through rational means is the only way to cope
successfully with reality and achieve one's goals. Although rationality is not
always rewarded, the fact remains that it is through the use of one's mind that a
man not only discovers the values required for personal flourishing, he also
attains them. Values can be achieved in reality if a man recognizes and
adheres to the reality of his unique personal endowments and contingent
circumstances. Human flourishing is positively related to a rational man's
attempts to externalize his values and actualize his internal views of how things
ought to be in the outside world. Practical reason can be used to choose,
create, and integrate all the values and virtues that comprise personal
flourishing.

Virtues are the means to values which enable us to achieve human flourishing
and happiness. The constituent virtues such as rationality, independence,
integrity, justice, honesty, courage, trustworthiness, productiveness,
benevolence, and pride (moral ambitiousness) must be applied, although
deferentially, by each person in the task of self-actualization. Not only do
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particular virtues play larger roles in the lives of some men than others, there is
also diversity in the concrete with respect to the objects and purposes of their
application, the way in which they are applied, and the manner in which they
are integrated with other virtues and values. Choosing and making the proper
response for the unique situation is the concern of moral living – one needs to
use his practical reason at the time of action to consider concrete contingent
circumstances and to determine the correct application and balance of
virtues and values for himself. Although virtues and values are not automatically
rewarded, this does not alter the fact that they are rewarded. Human
flourishing is the reward of the virtues and values and happiness is the goal and
reward of human flourishing.

Self-direction (i.e., autonomy) involves the use of one's reason and is central
and necessary for the possibility of attaining human flourishing, self-esteem,
and happiness. It is the only characteristic of flourishing that is both common to
all acts of self-actualization and particular to each. Freedom in decision
making and behavior is a necessary operating condition for the pursuit and
achievement of human flourishing. Respect for individual autonomy is required
because autonomy is essential to human flourishing. This logically leads to the
endorsement of the right of personal direction of one's life, including the use of
his endowments, capacities, and energies.
Source: http://www.quebecoislibre.org/031122-11.htm Retrieved: October 6,
2020
To learn more about Aristotle’s view on Human flourishing, and
Nicomachean Ethics, you watch these videos thru these links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_7deR0idvs (1:59 mins)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFPBf1AZOQg.
(5:57mins)
As you watch the video lecture, take note of important points.

What is your view of a good life?

Before watching the short film, answer the question

on your mind. Dreams: Village of the Watermills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK4mtPQ_THM
(13:33 mins)

What is your view of a good life? Compare it with was shown in the
video. Do you aspire this kind of life?Just think, think, think….
Human Flourishing in Science and Technology

Now you learn about human flourishing by Aristtotle. This time let us consider
how human flourish amidst development in Science and Technology by
reading the work of Martin Heidegger: The Question of Technology

Who is Martin Heidegger? Martin Heidegger

(1889–1976) was a German philosopher whose
work is perhaps most readily associated with
phenomenology and existentialism, although his
thinking should be identified as part of such
philosophical movements only with extreme care
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and qualification. His ideas have exerted a seminal

influence on the development of contemporary
European philosophy. They have also had an
impact far beyond philosophy, for example in
architectural theory (see e.g., Sharr 2007), literary
criticism (see e.g., Ziarek 1989), theology (see e.g.,
Caputo 1993), psychotherapy (see e.g.,
Binswanger 1943/1964, Guignon 1993) and
cognitive science (see e.g., Dreyfus 1992, 2008;
Wheeler 2005; Kiverstein and Wheeler 2012).

Sources:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heidegger/ retrieved October
5, 2020
https://iep.utm.edu/heidegge/ retrieved October 5, 2020

This is going to be a long read, but instead, you watch these

videos thru these links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0V7qtjmUU (8:58 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaVmEN-vGWk ((17:34 mins)

These are guide questions. As you read the article, make sure to highlight the
answers to the following questions.

1. How is technology a mode of revealing?

2. Does the idea that technology as poesis applicable to Modern
Technology? Explain your answer (make sure to give the characteristics of
modern technology)
3. Why should technology be questioned?

The Question Concerning Technology: Martin Heidegger

If you want, you can also read his works using these links:
1. An Article on Martin Heidegger on Science and Technology:
It’s Implication to the Society
http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol12-issue6/A0126
0105.pdf
2. Martin Heidegger’s Thoughts on Technology:
https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/30416/05chapter5.pdf?
sequence=6&isAllowed=y
CS Lewis: The Magician’s Twin: Science, Scientism, and Society

Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual

giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the
most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and
Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954,
when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of
Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge
University, a position he held until his retirement.

Source: https://www.cslewis.com/us/about-cs-lewis
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To learn more please watch this video thru this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPeyJvXU68k (31:12 mins)

Pause and think: What is the message of CS Lewis’ work The Magician’s Twin?
1. What is scientism and scientocracy?
2. How is science comparable to magic?
3. Why is science more dangerous than magic?
4. What is the presented essence of modernity and its consequence?
5. What do we need for the sciences to be good?

Human Flourishing amidst progress and development:

Along with the progress in Science and Technology, society also progresses. As
society progresses, this puts a lot of pressure to our environment. We hope that
this article by Dr Jason Hickel will help you re-think our standards of
development, for us to enjoy a good life fully.

As you read the article, highlight major points and answer the following
questions. Your task sheets will be provided by your instructor

These are guide questions as you read and reflect

1. Why must we change our paradigm of growth and consumption to that

of de-development?
2. Why are the terms de-development, de-growth, and zero growth
seemingly unacceptable to the usual framework of human progress”?
3. How have we been enframed by the notion of growth?
4. How do we improve our lives and yet reduce consumption?
5. What are the similarities and differences between Heidegger’s The
Questioning Concerning Technology and Hickel’s article?

Who is Dr Jason Hickel? Dr. Jason Hickel is an

anthropologist, author, and a Fellow of the Royall
Society of Arts. He has taught at the London School
of Economics, the University of Virginia, and
Goldsmiths, University of London, where he convenes
the MA in Anthropology and Cultural Politics.

Jason has received a number of teaching awards,

including the ASA/HEA National Award for
Excellence in Teaching Anthropology,
and his ethnographic research has been
funded by Fulbright-Hays, the National
Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren
Foundation, the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, and the Leverhulme
Trust.

You can watch this video using this link : Jason Hickel: ‘Our addiction to
economic growth is killing us’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HckWP75yk9g (2:02 mins)

Forget 'developing' poor countries, it's time to 'de-develop' rich countries- Jason
Hickel

As the UN’s new sustainable development goals are launched in New York,
there’s little to celebrate about the business-as-usual approach
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This week, heads of state are gathering in New York to sign the UN’s new
sustainable development goals (SDGs). The main objective is to eradicate
poverty by 2030. Beyoncé, One Direction and Malala are on board. It’s set to be
a monumental international celebration

Given all the fanfare, one might think the SDGs are bout to offer a fresh plan for
how to save the world, but beneath all the hype, it’s business as usual. The main
strategy for eradicating poverty is the same: growth.

Growth has been the main object of development for the past 70 years, despite
the fact that it’s not working. Since 1980, the global economy has grown by
380%, but the number of people living in poverty on less than $5 (£3.20) a day
has increased by more than 1.1 billion. That’s 17 times the population of Britain.
So much for the trickle-down effect.

Orthodox economists insist that all we need is yet more growth. More progressive
types tell us that we need to shift some of the yields of growth from the richer
segments of the population to the poorer ones, evening things out a bit. Neither
approach is adequate. Why? Because even at current levels of average global
consumption, we’re overshooting our planet’s bio-capacity by more than
50% each year.

In other words, growth isn’t an option any more – we’ve already grown too
much. Scientists are now telling us that we’re blowing past planetary
boundaries at breakneck speed. And the hard truth is that this global crisis is due
almost entirely to overconsumption in rich countries.

Right now, our planet only has enough resources for each of us to consume 1.8
“global hectares” annually – a standardized unit that measures resource use
and waste. This figure is roughly what the average person in Ghana or
Guatemala consumes. By contrast, people in the US and Canada consume
about 8 hectares per person, while Europeans consume 4.7 hectares – many
times their fair share.

What does this mean for our theory of development? Economist Peter Edward
argues that instead of pushing poorer countries to “catch up” with rich ones, we
should be thinking of ways to get rich countries to “catch down” to more
appropriate levels of development. We should look at societies where people
live long and happy lives at relatively low levels of income and consumption not
as basket cases that need to be developed towards western models, but as
exemplars of efficient living.

How much do we really need to live long and happy lives? In the US, life
expectancy is 79 years and GDP per capita is $53,000. But many countries have
achieved similar life expectancy with a mere fraction of this income. Cuba
has a comparable life expectancy to the US and one of the highest literacy
rates in the world with GDP per capita of only $6,000 and consumption of only
1.9 hectares – right at the threshold of ecological sustainability. Similar claims
can be made of Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Tunisia.

Yes, some of the excess income and consumption we see in the rich world yields
improvements in quality of life that are not captured by life expectancy, or even
literacy rates. But even if we look at measures of overall happiness and
well-being in addition to life expectancy, a number of low- and middle-income
countries rank highly. Costa Rica manages to sustain one of the highest
happiness indicators and life expectancies in the world with a per capita
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income one-fourth that of the US.

In light of this, perhaps we should regard such countries not as underdeveloped,

but rather as appropriately developed. And maybe we need to start calling on
rich countries to justify their excesses.

The idea of “de-developing” rich countries might prove to be a strong rallying

cry in the global south, but it will be tricky to sell to westerners. Tricky, but not
impossible. According to recent consumer research, 70% of people in middle-
and high-income countries believe overconsumption is putting our planet and
society at risk. A similar majority also believe we should strive to buy and

own less, and that doing so would not compromise our happiness. People sense
there is something wrong with the dominant model of economic progress and
they are hungry for an alternative narrative.

The problem is that the pundits promoting this kind of transition are using the
wrong language. They use terms such as de-growth, zero growth or – worst of all
– de-development, which are technically accurate but off-putting for anyone
who’s not already on board. Such terms are repulsive because they run against
the deepest frames we use to think about human progress, and, indeed, the
purpose of life itself. It’s like asking people to stop moving positively thorough life,
to stop learning, improving, growing.

Negative formulations won’t get us anywhere. The idea of “steady-state”

economics is a step in the right direction and is growing in popularity, but it still
doesn’t get the framing right. We need to reorient ourselves toward a positive
future, a truer form of progress. One that is geared toward quality instead of
quantity. One that is more sophisticated than just accumulating ever increasing
amounts of stuff, which doesn’t make anyone happier anyway. What is certain
is that GDP as a measure is not going to get us there and we need to get rid of
it.

Perhaps we might take a cue from Latin Americans, who are organizing
alternative visions around the indigenous concept of buen vivir, or good living.
The west has its own tradition of reflection on the good life and it’s time we
revive it. Robert and Edward Skidelsky take us down this road in his book How
Much is Enough? where they lay out the possibility of interventions such as
banning advertising, a shorter working week and a basic income, all of which
would improve our lives while reducing consumption.

Either we slow down voluntarily or climate change will do it for us. We can’t go
on ignoring the laws of nature. But rethinking our theory of progress is not only an
ecological imperative, it is also a development one. If we do not act soon, all
our hard-won gains against poverty will evaporate, as food systems collapse
and mass famine re-emerges to an extent not seen since the 19th century.
This is not about giving anything up. And it’s certainly not about living a life of
voluntary misery or imposing harsh limits on human potential. On the contrary,
it’s about reaching a higher level of understanding and consciousness about
what we’re doing here and why.

Source:https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-profes
sionals-network/2015/sep/23/developing-poor-countries-de-devel
op-rich- countries-sdgs

Everyone is in pursuit of a good life, We do certain things because we want to

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achieve a life that will make us happy and content. By studying and working
hard, we try to attain this good not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones
and the rest of humanity. - McNamara

But as we pursue a good life, are we taking considerations of the things that we
use? Are we consuming the earth’s resources without harming the environment?

As presented in the introduction, it is then prime and necessary that we reflect

on what truly matters. Rethink on the philosophical views, in order to value the
importance of science and technology in the preservation of the environment
and the development of the Filipino nation.

References:
1. Dr. Edward Younkins is a Professor of Accountancy and Business
Administration at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.
2. Date Retrieved: October 6,
2020
3. Martin Heidegger: The Questions of Technology: https://www2.
hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil394/he%20Question%20Concerning%20T
echnology.pdf Date Retrieved:October 5, 2020
4. Jason Hickel’s Forget 'developing' poor countries, it's time to 'de-develop
'rich countries: https://www.theguardian.com/global-
development-professionals-network/2015/sep/23/developing-poor-countries-
de-develop-rich-countries-sdgs
5. About CS Lewis https://www.cslewis.com/us/about-cs-lewis
6. CS Lewis: The Magician’s Twin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPeyJvXU68k
7. Village of the Watermills by Akira Kurosawa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK4mtPQ_THM Date retrieved;
October 10, 2020
8. Human flourishing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0 cGi72MnVM
9. The nature of Science and Technology and Society:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idu6-cF42NA
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4--OcOMaWZU
11. https://iep.utm.edu/heidegge/ retrieved October 5, 2020

Reminders: All questions asked in this module may serve as your guide for
learning. There is a separate activity sheets prepared for these weeks topics. So
please work closely with your instructors.

The contents in these modules were extracted from sources shown above. This
module is for Class Use only. DO NOT share nor give a copy of this to anybody
outside the class.