SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND

SOCIETY

CHAPTER 1
THE MEANING OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

Science, Technology and Society (STS), also

referred to as science and technology and the study of
how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific
research and technological innovation, and how these,
in turn, affect society. STS scholars are interested in a
variety of problems including the relationships between
scientific and technological innovations and society,
and the directions and risks science and technology.
The field of STS is related to history and philosophy of
science although with a much broader emphasis on
social aspects of science and technology.
Science, Technology and Society refers
to the interaction between science and
technology and social cultural, political and
economic contexts which shape and are
shaped by them; specific examples
throughout human history of scientific and
technological developments.
MEANING OF SCIENCE

 Science is a systematized body of

knowledge.
 Science is an organized and dynamic
inquiry (following scientific method).
 Science is knowledge gained through
observation and experimentation.
 Science is a human activity; scientist.
 Science is a social enterprise: people,
knowledge, skills, facilities, apparatuses
and technologies.
 Science leads to formation of concepts,
methods, principles, theories, law and
procedures which seek to describe and
explain nature and its phenomena.
MEANING OF TECHNOLOGY

 Technology as material products; results of

scientific inquiry; hardware produced by a
scientist.
 Technology as the application of knowledge in
solving scientific and practical problems that will
help humans to survive and improve his life.
 Technology as human cultural activities or
endeavors
 Technology as a social enterprise -- Technology
is a complex system of knowledge, skills,
people, methods, tools, materials and resources
applied and allocated to the development,
operation and production of a new or improved
product, process or services.
 Technology as modern technology based on the
advances of science since the end of WWII to
the present.
L E S S O N 1 : H I S TO R I C A L A N T E C E D E N T S I N T H E C O U R S E O F
S C I E N C E A N D T E C H N O L O GY

• An antecedent is described as a precursor to the

unfolding of something, or life. Historical backgrounds
in science and technology are therefore influences
which paved the way for advanced and sophisticated
advancements in science and technology that are
present today.
• Awareness of science and technology history is
useful in today 's evaluation of such inventions.
Through recognizing how previous generations affected
and were affected through scientific and technological
advances, today's generation will come up with
educated decisions on the correct application of science
and technology to everyday life.
• In the ancient, times, people were concerned with
transportation and navigation, communication and
record-keeping, mass production, safety and protection,
as well as hygiene, aesthetics, and architecture.
A. I NV EN T I ON B EFORE A N C I EN T PE RI OD

1. CUNEIFORM. The invention of

the first writing system known as
cuneiform is one of the
Sumerians' main contributions. It
is a device that makes use of
word representations and
triangular symbols carved on clay
using wedge instruments and left
to dry. Cuneiform enabled the
Sumerians
2. THE COMPASS

Before, mariners navigate with the star, but

that method didn’t work during the day or
on cloudy nights. The Chinese invented
the first compass sometime between the 9th
and 11th century; it was made of lodestone,
a naturally-magnetized iron ore, the
attractive properties of which they had
been studying for centuries. Soon after, the
technology passed on to the Europeans and
Arabs through nautical contact. The
compass enabled mariners to navigate
safely far from land, increasing sea trade
and contributing to age of Discovery.
3. WHEEL

The Sumerians have been able to

invent the wheel in the latter part
of their history, as the advanced
tools required to build it were
already available. The first wheels
were not designed for transport
but mass manufacturing with the
use of the wheel and axle. Farmers
managed to mill grain in less time
with less effort.
4. PAPER OF PAPYRUS

A welcome advancement was

the Egyptian discovery of a
paper or papyrus. Papyrus was a
plant in Egypt which grew
abundantly along the river Nile.
They were able to process the
plant to create thin sheets that
one could write stuff down on.
Because papyrus was lighter and
thinner than clay tablets, the
carrying and storage was simple.
5. H I E R O G LY P H I C S

Like the Sumerians, the Egyptians also

established a writing system that used
symbols, known as hieroglyphics. Some
claim that hieroglyphics were adapted
from the early writing system that formed
by Mesopotamia as a result of trade
between civilization. The Egyptians
claimed that their gods provided this
writing system to them. Hieroglyphics was
a language which tells the modern world of
the ancient Egyptians' history and culture.
Their documents were well-preserved as
they were carved at pyramid walls and
other important structures of Egyptians.
6. WATERMILLS

Watermills were considered one of the

greatest contributions of the Greek civilization
to the world. They were widely used in
agricultural processes such as the milling of
grains, a type of food processing. The use of
watermills made milling possible, mass
production of grains, cereals, flours and the
like. Watermills were considered better than
farm animal-powered mills because the less
effort and time needed to operate because the
farmer had no chance to raise animals. They
only required access to rivers or flowing water
where a large wheel mechanism could be
installed with small "buckets" of water
attached to it.
7 . N E WS PA P E R

One of the Romans' greatest

contributions is newspaper. The first
articles, known as gazettes, published
people's reports of the Roman
Empire. Such gazettes, made before
the invention of paper, were etched in
metal or stone tablets and then
displayed in public. When paper was
invented, it became easier for the
Romans to "publish" matters which
required the Roman's attention.
8. CODEX

With the advent of paper, civilizations

were made easier to write down anything
that happened in their time. Record-
keeping was much simpler because paper
didn't crack easily, was lightweight, and
didn't take a lot of space. As a result,
societies were fond of record-keeping, in
particular recording past events and newly
passed legislation. The ancient Roman
Empire was able to produce the first books
or codex, with the papyrus pages bound
together and covered with animal skin.
B. INVENTION DURING ANCIENT PERIOD

1. PRINTING PRESS- Johann

Gutenberg managed to invent the
printing press after the Chinese
invented woodblock printing, a more
efficient method of printing using a
cast type. He used wooden
machines which extracted fruit
juices, attached a metal impression
of letters to them, pressed the cast
metal firmly into a piece of paper
and then made an exact impression
on paper.
2. MICROSCOPE- Another optical
innovation of the Middle Ages. Growing
immigrants have during this time triggered
significant migration and urbanization.
More and more people were heading to
dirty and crowded urban areas,
contributing to more people becoming ill
and seeking medical care. Experts need to
understand the condition through an
examination to establish the best drugs for
illnesses. They wanted a tool capable of
magnifying objects that were invisible to
the eye. In earlier years, Zacharias Janssen
was able to create the first compound
microscope, led by the principles used for
the invention of eyeglasses
3. TELESCOPE-The need for nautical
innovations was strong, as the
Middle Ages was also regarded as
the Age of Discovery. Given the vast
and barren oceans that divided the
countries, it was important for ship
captains to see far and wide for
them to navigate or escape danger
at sea. The telescope's invention, an
optical instrument that helps to
view distant objects, has been of
great benefit to navigators.
4. WAR WEAPONS- Since wars
during the Middle Ages were
widespread, there was also great
progress in the technology of guns.
Both sides need to grow weapons
not only as offensive instruments
but also as defensive instruments.
People built cross bows and long
bows for open-area battles so that
they could target the enemy at long
distances, keeping themselves
protected with the defense of walls
and fortifications.
C . INVENTION DURING THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

1. PASTEURIZATION. People must establish better

production means to meet the needs of the
population, food security and food safety became
an issue. With dairy products, particularly milk,
the challenge to keep processed food from rotting
was greater because they typically spoiled faster.
Such products had to be consumed almost
immediately after delivery, or they would cause
disease such as d i p h t h e r i a , fo o d
poisoning and typhoid fever. French biologist,
microbiologist, and chemist Louis Pasteur has
found a way to solve the problem. He developed
pasteurization, the method of heating dairy
products to destroy harmful bacteria, which
helps them to spoil more easily.
2. The Internal combustion Engine- In
these engines, the combustion of fuel
releases a high-temperature gas, which,
as it expands, applies force to a piston,
moving it. Thus, combustion engines
convert chemical energy into mechanical
work. Decades of engineering by many
scientists went into designing the internal
combustion engine, which took its
essentially modern form in the later half
of the 19th century. The engine steered in
the Industrial age which enabled the
invention of a huge variety of machines,
including modern cars and aircrafts.
3. PETROLEUM REFINERY- Animal oils
production could not keep up with the
demand. In the face of this problem,
kerosene was invented by Samuel M.
Kier by refining petroleum. Kerosene
was later referred to as the "illuminating
oil," since at first it was used to provide
home illumination. It was applied for
heating purposes after a certain time.
The petroleum refinery industry was
founded with kerosene production
(Skrabec, 2010). Petroleum currently is
widely used, among others, in powering
automobiles, factories, and power plant.
4. TELEPHONE. The more people got
acquainted through trade and discovery,
the more they wanted a way to keep
these links securely and communicate
with each other in real time.
Governments also required some form
of communication system that would
enable them to better administer their
states. Relevant day-to-day decisions
need to be discussed and answered as
soon as possible. Thus, Alexander
Graham Bell’s telephone development
was one of the most significant
developments at the time
5. CALCULATOR- Calculator had
already been built, and circumstances
in modern times demanded a quicker
way of calculating more complex
equations. Computing tools do need
to be easy to handle, because they
can be used every day. The invention
of modern calculators not only paved
the way for simpler arithmetical
calculations, but also created more
complicated processing machines. It
was invented by great mathematician
Blaise Pascal in 1942.
6. Penicillin- In 1928, the Scottish
scientist Alexander Fleming noticed a
bateria-filled Petri dish in his
laboratory, the sample had become
contaminated with a mold, and
everywhere the mold was, the bacteria
was dead. That antibiotic mold turned
out to be the fungus Penicillium, and
over the next two decades, chemists
purified it and developed the drug
Penicillin, which fights a huge number
of bacterial infections in human without
harming the humans themselves.
Penicillin was being mass produced and
advertised in the year 1944.
7. THE INTERNET- is the global system
of interconnected computer networks used
by billions of people worldwide. It is
impossible to credit the invention of the
Internet to a single person, as countless
people helped develop it. In the 1960s, a
team of computer scientists working for
the U.S Defense Department’s ARPA
(Advanced Research Projects Agency)
built a communications network to connect
the computers in the agency, called
ARPANET. It used a method of data
transmission called “packet switching”.
ARPANET was the predecessor of the
internet that eventually emerged to become
the “information superhighway”.
8. Eco-friendly Technologies/Advantages- These are the sustainable
Technologies. This technology utilizes resources from the
environment without causing negative effects to it. Some of these
are:
1. Solar Energy-use of solar panels to Provide electricity.
Solar thermal energy has a place in the history of solar energy from the year 1767. In this year
the Swiss scientist Horace Bénédict De Saussure invented an instrument with which solar
radiation could be measured. The further development of his invention gave rise to today's
instruments for measuring solar radiation. Horace Bénédict De Saussure had invented the 
solar collector that will have a decisive impact on the development of low-temperature
 solar thermal energy. From his invention will emerge all subsequent developments of flat plate
solar water heaters. The invention was about hot boxes made of wood and glass with the aim
of trapping solar energy.
In 1865, the French inventor Auguste Mouchout created the first machine that converted solar
energy into mechanical energy. The mechanism was about generating steam through a solar
collector.
History of Photovoltaic
In 1838, the French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect
 for the first time. Becquerel was experimenting with an electrolytic cell with platinum
electrodes. He realized that exposing it to the sun increased the electrical current.
2. Geothermal Energy- is
the heat produced deep in
the Earth's core.
Geothermal energy is a
clean, renewable resource
that can be harnessed for
use as heat and electricity
3. Wind Power- is considered
a renewable energy source.
Historically, wind power in
the form of windmills has
been used for centuries for
such tasks as grinding grain
and pumping water. Modern
commercial wind turbines
produce electricity by using
rotational energy to drive an
electrical generator.
4. Hydroelectricity is
electrical energy
generated when falling
water from reservoirs or
flowing water from rivers,
streams or waterfalls (run
of river) is channelled
through water turbines.
D . P H I L I P P I N E INVENTIONS

1. SALAMANDER AMPHIBIOUS TRICYCLE.

Converting transport vehicles to something more
useful has become commonplace for Filipinos. An
example is the conversion of American military jeeps
used in World War II to jeepneys, adding a sidecar to
a vehicle, turning it into a tricycle with more
passengers to handle. In several parts of the world
flooding is a normal occurrence during the rainy
season. Tricycles have a really hard time navigating
the streets. Victor Llave and his team at H2O
Technologies have been able to develop the
Salamander, but also rivers and lakes, to answer the
problem. This can also be used for Island-to-Island
travel. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, the
Salamander is a useful innovation with much promise
2. SALT LAMP.
As a developing country, one of the big needs in
the Philippines is electrification. Electricity powers
different machine types, including light sources.
Activities in many rural areas of the world will stop
when it is dark. Traveling too becomes more
dangerous. Luckily, a young scientist from
Philippines named Aisa Mijeno was able to
develop a lighting device using a plentiful resource
in the Philippines-saltwater. She developed the
Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt) lamp, an
environmentally friendly source of light that works
and does not emit harmful gases. Apart from
people living in coastal areas, it can also help those
from far-flung barrios because by adding two
tablespoons of salt and a glass of tap water, they
can make their own saltwater.
3. MEDICAL INCUBATOR. High mortality rates
of newborn babies are a major issue in the
Philippines. One explanation for this problem in
the 20th century was the lack of available
incubators, due to a lack of resources and
electricity, particularly in far-flung rural areas.
Dr. Fe del Mundo, a pediatrician from the
Philippines and the first Asian women admitted to
Harvard Medical School, built a medical
expensive materials that do not operate on
electricity. The incubator was made by Dr. del
Mundo by placing a native laundry basket inside a
larger one. In order to provide ventilation, hot
water bottles were placed between baskets and an
improvised hood to allow oxygen circulation. Its
main purpose was to maintain suitable for
conditions for a newborn, normally a preterm
baby
4. MOSQUITO OVICIDAL/
ARVICIDAL TRAP SYSTEM. In
2010, the Institute for
Development of Science and
Technology-Industrial Technology
(DOSTI-ITDI) was able to introduce
the Mosquito Ovicidal / Larvicidal
Trap System, also known as OL
Trap. This trap device consists of
naturally occurring components
that are deadly to mosquitoes but
safe for people and climate.
4. E-JEEPNEY. The Jeepney ruled the
streets of the Philippines and is known
as the primary form of transportation
for most Filipinos. Nevertheless, the
diesel-powered jeepney emits huge
amounts of black smoke, and due to
its rudimentary exhaust system is
typically a major contributor to noise
pollution. The electric Jeepney
(ejeepney) was developed to combat
these disadvantages. This new method
of transportation uses electricity
rather than costlier diesel. It is
environmentally friendly because
there is no smoke ad noise it releases
DISADVANTAGES AND
ETHICAL DILEMMAS OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Threats to human Survival- the
invention of nuclear weapons in
1945, like the nuclear bombing of
Nagasaki and Hiroshima that
caused deaths of many people. This
was a product of chemical and
biological warfare (bio-warfare);
toxic wastes produced by
manufacturing companies that
threaten human survival and
stability of the environment.
The United States detonated two atomic bombs
over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively.
The two bombings killed between 129,000 and
226,000 people, most of whom were civilians,
and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in
armed conflict.
WWII
JAPANESE-AM ERIC AN WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES

• The invasion of the Philippines started on 8 December 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As at Pearl Harbor,
American aircraft were severely damaged in the initial Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the American Asiatic Fleet in the
Philippines withdrew to Java on 12 December 1941. General Douglas MacArthur was ordered out, leaving his men at 
Corregidor on the night of 11 March 1942 for Australia, 4,000 km away. The 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino
defenders in Bataan surrendered on 9 April 1942, and were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March on which
7,000–10,000 died or were murdered. The 13,000 survivors on Corregidor surrendered on 6 May.

• Japan occupied the Philippines for over three years, until the surrender of Japan. A highly effective guerrilla campaign by
Philippine resistance forces controlled sixty percent of the islands, mostly forested and mountainous areas. MacArthur
supplied them by submarine, and he sent reinforcements and officers. The Filipino population remained generally loyal to the
United States, partly because of the American guarantee of independence, because of the Japanese mistreatment of Filipinos
after the surrender, and because the Japanese had pressed large numbers of Filipinos into work details and put young
Filipino women into brothels.[1]

• General MacArthur kept his promise to return to the Philippines on 20 October 1944. The landings on the island of Leyte were
accompanied by a force of 700 vessels and 174,000 men. Through December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro were
cleared of Japanese soldiers. During the campaign, the Imperial Japanese Army conducted a suicidal defense of the islands.
Cities such as Manila were reduced to rubble. Around 500,000 Filipinos died during the Japanese Occupation Period.
2. Ethical Dilemmas- exploitation of
advanced scientific knowledge and
technological devices and systems gave
rise to situations in which advances
seem to have turned against their
beneficiaries, creating ethical
dilemmas. The negative effects of
technology are numerous. In our march
to progress we have degraded the
natural world. Forests are chopped
down, topsoil is washed away, rivers
are polluted and our waste is dumped in
the oceans.
3. Social and Cultural
conflicts- Military power
is vital for national
security of many
governments; Superior and
highly technical weapons
dictated the outcomes of
some recent wars.
4.Innovating
technologies can have
negative consequences
for certain sectors or
constituencies;
a. include pollution
associated with
production processes
b. Increased unemployment
from labor-saving new
technologies
c. Conversion of
agricultural land into
urban areas
d. Effects on humans
psychologically and
emotionally-the usage and
addiction of new gadgets.
PORNOGRAPHY AND RAPE
5. Effect of overused
technologies in medical
industry that can cause
fatal births and diseases.
6. Global warming-
temperature increase
of our planet
QUIZ #1
1. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT
BIOTECHNOLOGY

a. Genetically modified organisms

b. Cellphone
c. Sheep
d. Cloning
2. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY

a. Solar energy
b. Wind power
c. Geothermal energy
d. Biowarfare
3. WHICH IS NOT TRUE ABOUT
SCIENCE

a. Allows quick solution to a problem

b. Systematized body of knowledge
c. An organized and dynamic inquiry
d. A social enterprise
4. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS
TECHNOLOGY

a. Laptop
b. Microorganisms
c. Cell
d. digestions
5. WHICH SENTENCE IS NOT TRUE

a. Science and technology is vital for national security of many

governments
b.Science and technology help in the improvement of products
c. Science and technology could lead to under industrialization
d.Science and technology advances medical diagnosis
6. WHICH IS THE LIMITATION OF
SCIENCE?

a. Discovery
b.Moral judgement
c. Inventions
d.Theories
7. HE IS KNOWN AS THE INVENTOR OF
TELEPHONE?

a. Lawrence Roberts
b.Alexander Fleming
c. Alexander Graham Bell
d.Thomas Edison
8. IT I S THE DRUG KNOWN TO BE AN ANTIB IOT IC THAT
KILL S SOME BAC TERIA THAT WAS DISCOVER ED BY
ALEXANDE R FL EM ING

a. Penicillin
b.Amoxicillin
c. Streptomycin
d.Augmentin
9. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY

a. Solar Energy
b.Wind Power
c. Geothermal energy
d.Biowarfare
1 0 . WHICH OF THE FOL LOWING IS NOT CONS IDERE D
AS P ENALT IES OF SCIE NCE AND T ECHNOLOGIES

a. Threats to human survival

b.Advanced countries enjoying STS
c. Ethical dilemmas
d.Advancement of countries