Science, Technology, and Society (GE 7)

LESSON 1: INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS THAT DEFINED SOCIETY

Introduction
This lesson will give light to the development of science and scientific
ideas in the heart of the society. It is the goal of this lesson to articulate
ways by which society is transformed by science and technology.

Scientific Revolution
A. Science as an idea
 It includes ideas, theories, and all available systematic explanations and
observations about the natural science physical world.
B. Science as an intellectual activity
 It encompasses a systematic and practical study of the natural and physical
world. This process of study involves systematic observations and
experimentation.
C. Science as a body of knowledge
 It is a subject or a discipline, a field of study, or a body of knowledge
that deals with the process of learning about the natural and physical
world. This is what we refer to as school science.
D. Science as a personal and social activity
 This explains that science is both knowledge and activities done by human
beings to develop better understanding of the world around them. It is a
means to improve life and to survive in life. It is interwoven with people’s
lives.
Human beings have embarked in scientific activities in order to know and
understand everything around them. They have persistently observed and studied
the natural and physical world in order to find meanings and seek answers to many
questions. They have developed noble ideas, later known as philosophy, to provide
alternative or possible explanations to certain phenomena. Humans also use
religion to rationalize the origins of life and all lifeless forms.

Scientific Revolution was the period of enlightenment when the developments in

the fields of mathematics., physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed
the views of society about nature. It explained the emergence or birth of modern
science as a result of these developments from the disciplines mentioned.
Scientific Revolution was the golden age for people committed to scholarly life
in science but it was also a deeply trying moment to some scientific individuals
that led to their painful death or condemnation from the religious institutions
who tried to preserve their faith, religion, and theological views. Some rulers
and religious leaders did not accept many of the early works of scientists. But
these did not stop people specially scientists to satisfy their curiosity of the
natural and physical world.
Scientific Revolution is very significant in the development of human beings,
transformation of the society, and in the formulation of scientific ideas. It
significantly improved the conduct of scientific investigations, experiments, and
observations. The scientific revolution also led to the creation of new research
fields in science and prompted the establishment of strong foundation for modern
science. In many ways, scientific revolution transformed the natural world and
the world of ideas.

Some Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas

A. Nicolaus Copernicus: One of the Renaissance men, particularly in the field of

science. Knowledge about the nature of the universe had been essentially
unchanged since the great days Ancient Greece, some 1,500 years before Copernicus
came on the scene (Gribbin, 2003). This continued up to the Renaissance period.
In one important way, Copernicus resembled the Greek ancient philosophers or
thinkers- he did not do anything extensive such as observing heavenly bodies or
inviting people to test his ideas. His ideas were an example of what is presently
called as a thought experiment.
 Copernicus was a busy man. His duty as a canon and as a doctor affected his
time to formally publish his work and advance his career in astronomy. The
publication of hid book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543 is often cited as the start of
the scientific revolutions.
 In his book, he wanted a model of the universe in which everything moved
around a single center at unvarying rates. Copernicus placed the Sun to be
the centerpiece of the universe. The Earth and all the planets are
surrounding or orbiting the Sun each year. The Moon, however, would still be
seen orbiting the Earth. Copernicus’s model of the Earth orbiting around the
Sun automatically positioned the planets into a logical sequence. In his
model, Copernicus outlined two kinds of planetary motion:
1. The orbits of Venus and Mercury lay inside the orbit of the earth, thus,
closer to the sun;
2. The orbits of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter lay outside the earth’s orbit,
thus, farther from the sun.
From this model, he would work on the length of time it will take for each planet
to orbit once around the sun. The result would from a sequence from Mercury, with
a shortest year, through Venus, earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn with the longest
year. He placed the planets in order of increasing distance from the sun. one of
the great problems in Copernicus model, however, was the position of the stars.
The stars cannot be placed in a fixed position like crystals in a distance
sphere.

B. Charles Darwin: Famous for his theory of evolution. He changed our concept of
the world’s creation and its evolution. Johnson (2012) described Darwin as a
genius who came from a line of intellectually gifted and wealthy family. Darwin
published his book “The Origin of Species” in 1589. This is considered to be one
of the most important works in scientific literature. Darwin collected many
significant materials in order to present his theory with overwhelming evidence.
His book presented evidence on how species evolved over time and presented
traits and adaptation that differentiate species.
Darwin’s observational skills as a scientist were extraordinary that moved
beyond the realms of plants and animals into the realms of humans. His book “The
Descent of Man” was so impressive yet very controversial. He introduced the idea
of all organic life, including human beings, under the realm of evolutionary
thinking. This replaced the dominant views of a religious or biblical design that
places human beings in a privileged position of having been created by God.
What made Darwin truly remarkable was his courage to challenge religious and
unscientific ideas that are deemed to be prominent during those days. His
unorthodox way of pursuing science gave more value to evidence -based science.
Darwin provided a different framework for doing scientific activities. It is a
science marked by observation and experiment.

C. Sigmund Freud: A famous figure in the field of psychology. Also describe him
as a towering literary figure and a very talented communicator who did his share
to raise the consciousness of the civilized world in psychological matters.
Freud also made a significant contribution in the scientific world through
the development of an important observational method to gather reliable data to
study human’s inner life. This method is popularly known as the method of
psychoanalysis. The scientific hypothesis he formulated formed the essential
fundamental version of this method. For Freud, this method of psychoanalysis is a
scientific way to study human mind and neurotic illness. It is no doubt that
amidst all question on his works that led to some sort of academic controversy,
this method of psychoanalysis had great impact on the scientific way of
understanding human nature.
Freud was born in much later period from the scientific revolution but his
contribution to knowledge can be seen in many aspects of the human scene,
including arts, literature, philosophy, politics, and psychotherapy. Whether he
is more of a psychologist or a scientist is for people to decide. The fact
remains that Freudian ideas and theories are still considered nowadays as a great
inspiration to examine human mind and behavior in a more scientifically accepted
way.

Cradles of Early Science

Development of Science in Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica includes the entire area of Central America from Southern Mexico
up to the border of South America. There is no doubt that the Mesoamerica region
is rich in culture and knowledge prior to the arrival of its European colonizers.
Maya Civilization
 One of the famous civilizations that lasted for approximately 2,000 years.
These people are known for their works in astronomy. They incorporated their
advanced understanding of astronomy into their temples and their religious
structures. This allows them to use their temples for astronomical
observation.
 Mayans are also known for measuring time using two complicated calendar
systems. These calendars were very useful for their life especially in
planning their activities and in observing their religious rituals and
cultural celebrations.
 Mayans also developed the technology for growing different drops and
building elaborate cities using ordinary machineries and tools.
 The Mayans are considered one of the most scientifically advanced societies
in Mesoamerica. They are also famous as one of the world’s first
civilizations to use a writing system known as Mayan hieroglyphics. They
were also skills in mathematics and created a number system based on the
numerical 20.
Inca civilization
 Is also famous in Mesoamerica. The Incas made advanced scientific ideas
considering their limitations as an old civilization. The following were
scientific ideas and tools that they developed to help them in everyday
life.
-roads paved with stones
-stone buildings that surmounted earthquakes and other disasters;
-irrigation system and technique for storing water for their crops to grow
in all types of land.
-calendar with 12 months to make their religious festivals and prepare them
for planting season;
-the first suspension bridge
-quipu, a system of knotted ropes to keep records that only experts can
interpret;and
-Inca textiles since cloth was one of the specially prized artistic
achievements.
Aztec civilization
 Has also made substantial contributions to science and technology and to
society as a whole. Some of their contributions are:
1. Mandatory education: The Aztec puts value on education, that is why their
children are mandated to get education regardless of their social class,
gender, or age.
2. Chocolates: The Aztec in Mexico developed chocolate during their time. In
the Mayans culture, they used it as currency. The Aztec valued the cacao
beans highly and made it as part of their tribute to their gods.
3. Antispasmodic medication: They used a type of antispasmodic medication
that could prevent muscles spasms and relax muscles, which could help
during surgery.
4. Chinampa: For agricultural farming in which the land was divided into
rectangular areas and surrounded by canals.
5. Aztec calendar: This enables them to plan their activities, rituals, and
planting season.
6. Invention of the canoe: A light narrow boat used for traveling in water
systems.

Development of Science in Asia

India
 They are known for manufacturing iron and in metallurgical works. Their iron
steel is considered to be the best and held with high regard in the whole
Roman Empire.
 India is also in medicine. They are also notable in the field of astronomy.
They developed theories on the configuration of the universe, the spherical
self-supporting Earth, and the year of 360 days with 12 equal parts of 30
days each.
 Ancient India is also known for their mathematics.
China
 One of the ancient civilizations with substantial contributions in many
areas of life like medicine, astronomy, science, mathematics, arts,
philosophy, and music among others. The Chinese are known for traditional
medicines, a product of centuries of experiences and discovery of the
Chinese people.
 In terms of technology, the Chinese are known to develop many tools.
 In the field of astronomy, the Chinese also made significant records on
supernovas, lunar and solar eclipses, and comets, which were carefully
recorded and preserved to understand better the heavenly bodies and their
effects to our world.
Middle East Countries
 Are dominantly occupied by Muslims. In mathematics, the mathematician
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi gave his name to the concept of the algorithm
while the term algebra is derived from al-jabr, the beginning of the title
of one of his publications. What is now known as the Arabic Numerical system
originally came from India.
 Muslim chemist and alchemists also played an important role in the
foundation of modern chemistry.
 In the field of medicine, Ibn Sina pioneered the science of experimental
medicine and was the first physician to conduct clinical trials.
Development of Science in Africa
 Africa is blessed with natural and mineral resources. The ancient Egyptians
civilization has contributed immensely and made significant advances in the
fields of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.
 Egypt was known to be a center of alchemy, which is known as the medieval
forerunner of chemistry.
 Astronomy was also famous in the African region. Metallurgy was also known
in the African regions during the ancient times.