CHAPTER 1

GENERAL CONCEPTS AND STS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Science, technology and society (STS) is an interdisciplinary

program of study that focuses on understanding the relationship
between scientific developments and the everyday lives of people.
This chapter includes analysis of the concepts, theories, principles,
historical events in science and its development in various
civilizations, and the role of science in nation building with emphasis
on government programs and projects for the advancement of
science and technological capability of the country. It lets you
investigate how the present status of science and technology came
into being and explore the major turns during global and national
history that led it to its exhilarating and captivating development.
The chapter will allow you to time travel through the
antecedents. It also presents the historical development of science
in the Philippines.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES
1. Discuss the interactions between S&T and society
throughout history;
2. Discuss how scientific and technological developments affect
society and the environment;
3. Identify the paradigm shifts in history;
4. Explain how intellectual revolution change the way how
humans see the world;
5. Describe the technological advancements that happened in
the information age;
6. Explain the role of science and technology in Philippine
nation-building;

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 7. Evaluate government policies pertaining to science and
technology in terms of their contributions to nation building;
and
8. Identify actual science and technology policies of the
government and appraise their impact on the development of
the Filipino nation.

LESSON1
HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

It is loosely defined as a society's way of life, provides the

basis for forging identities. It allows people to understand
themselves in relation to others and provides them a lens through
which they base what is considered the "right way" of doing things
or to understand better the history of the natural world and how the
natural world works, with observable physical evidence as the basis
of that understanding.

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. discuss the interactions between S&T and society throughout
history;
2. discuss how scientific and technological developments affect
society and the environment; and
3. identify the paradigm shifts in history.

RELATION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science is knowledge about, or study of the natural world
based on facts learned through experiments and observation while
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technology is science or knowledge put into practical use to solve
problems or invent useful tools.

HOW IS SCIENCE USED IN TECHNOLOGY?

Science is the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world
through systematic observation and experiments. Technology, on
the other hand, is the application of scientifically gained knowledge
for practical purpose. Scientists use technology in all their
experiments.

WHAT DOES SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MEAN?

Science is the study to how society, politics and culture affect

scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in
turn affect society, politics and culture.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES

 STS is a relatively recent discipline, originating in the 60’s and
70’s, following Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
(1962).
 STS was the result of a “sociological turn” in science studies.
 STS assumes that science and technology are essentially
intertwined and that they are each profoundly social and
profoundly political.

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HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES
 Science and technology in the Philippines had experienced
periods of intense growth as well as long periods of
stagnation.
 The main managing agency responsible for science and
technology is the Department of Science and Technology.
 Numerous national scientists have contributed in different
fields of science including Fe del Mundo in the field of
Pediatrics, Eduardo Quisumbing in the field of tropical marine
Phycology, Maria Orosa in the field of Food technology and
many more.

In 1879 Thomas Alva Edison, an American inventor,

noticed that when electricity flowed through a piece of iron
wire, the iron wire became red hot. The iron wire glowed
brightly but then the light was not bright enough to light up a
whole room. He 4 used a thinner piece of wire and allowed
electricity to pass through it. He pumped out air (containing
oxygen) from a bulb using a machine. He then enclosed the
wire he was using in what he thought was an oxygen-free
bulb. He repeated this experiment, pumping out more air each
time he used the wire in lighting the bulb. He then discovered
that the length of time that the wire glowed was related to the
amount of air present in the bulb. He noticed that the wire
glowed, but the light was still not bright enough. This time, he
tried other metals. After trying many times, he discovered
that a thin piece of metal called tungsten could glow so bright
that it could light up an entire room. Today, Edison is known
as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb.

PRESPANISH ERA

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  Even before the colonization by the Spaniards in the Philippine
islands, the natives of the archipelago already had practices
linked to science and technology.
 Filipinos were already aware of the medicinal and therapeutic
properties of plants and the methods of extracting medicine
from herbs.
 They already had an alphabet, number system, a weighing
and measuring system and a calendar. Filipinos were already
engaged in farming, shipbuilding, mining and weaving.
 The Banaue Rice Terraces are among the sophisticated
product of engineering by pre-Spanish Filipinos.

SPANISH COLONIAL ERA

 The colonization of the Philippines contributed to growth of
science and technology in the archipelago.
 The Spanish introduced formal education and founded
scientific institution.
 During the early years of Spanish rule in the Philippines,
parish schools were established where religion, reading,
writing arithmetic and music was taught.
 Sanitation and more advanced methods of agriculture was
taught to the ATIVES.

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 Later the Spanish established colleges and universities in the
archipelago including the oldest existing university in Asia, the
University of Santo Tomas.
 The Galleon Trade have accounted in the Philippine colonial
economy

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  Trade was given more focus by the Spaniard colonial authorities due to
the prospects of big profits.
 Agriculture and industrial develo9pment on the other hand were
relatively neglected.
 The opening of the Suez Canal saw the influx of European visitors to
the Spanish colony and some Filipinos were able to study in Europe
who were probably influenced by the rapid development of scientific
ideals brought by the Age of enlightenment.

AMERICAN PERIOD
 The progress of science and technology in the Philippines continued
under American rule of the islands.
 On July 1,1901 the Philippine Commission established the Bureau of
Government Laboratories which was placed under the Department of
Interior. The bureau replaced the Laboratorio Municipal, which was
established under the Spanish colonial era. The Bureau dealt with the
study of tropical diseases and laboratory projects.
 On October 26,1905, the Bureau of Government Laboratories was
replaced by the Bureau of Science and on December 8, 1933, the
National Research Council of the Philippines was established.

POST COMMONWEALTH ERA

 During the 1970s, which was under the time of Ferdinand Marcos’
presidency, the importance given to science grew.
 Under the 1973 Philippine Constitution, Article XV, Section 1, the
government’s role in supporting scientific research and innovation was
acknowledged.
 In 1974, a science development program was included in the
government’s Four-Year Development Plan which covers the years
`1974-1978.

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  Funding for science was also increased. The National Science
Development Board was replaced

HOW SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AFFECT SOCIETY

 Science and technology have had a major impact on society, and their
impact is growing.
 By making life easier, science has given man the chance to pursue
societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education, and justice; to
create cultures; and to improve human conditions.
 Science influences society through its knowledge and world view.
Scientific knowledge and the procedures used by scientists influence
the way many individuals in society think about themselves, others,
and the environment. The effect of science on society is neither
entirely beneficial nor entirely detrimental.

PARADIGM SHIFTS IN HISTORY

 A typical example or pattern of something.
 A distinct set of concepts or thought patterns including theories,
research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitutes
legitimate contributions to a field.

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  The word ‘paradigm’ refers to the commonly accepted theories, values,
and scientific practice that constitute, ‘normal science’ within any
discipline. It is a set of assumptions within which a science operates.
 Quantum, Chaos, Hahnemanian, Kentian, Freudian theories, and
Newtonian mechanisms are all examples of paradigms.

WHAT IS A PARADIGM SHIFT?

 A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
 A concept identified by the American physicist and philosopher Thomas
Kuhn.
 A fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental
practices of a scientific discipline.
 Kuhn presented his notion of a paradigm shift in his influential book
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962).

WHY ARE PARADIGM SHIFTS IMPORTANT?

 Paradigm shift is another expression for more significant changes
within belief systems.
 Within the philosophy of science, this concept is sometimes considered
important and is sometimes given great attention within education.

KUHN’S PARADIGM

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  Thomas Samuel Kuhn (July 18, 1922 – June 17, 1996) was an American
physicist, historian, and philosopher of science whose book The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions was influential in both academic and
popular circles.

HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF PARADIGMS

 Society and Ethics

o Slavery is acceptable to now slavery being inacceptable.

o Role of Children in Society – Child labor was, now is not
acceptable.
o Male Superiority – Beating wives was, now is not acceptable.
o Reading and the Control over Information – Invention of the
printing press allowed for the elites control over reading/writing
to end.
o The Reformation – Broke monopoly of the Catholica Church and
Christian’s ‘relationship’ with God.

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 Natural Sciences
o Darwin’s theory of evolution
o Plate Tectonics – create a physical model of the Earth’s structure.
o Albert Einstein’s space-time is not fixed or objective – subject to
observer’s state of motion relative to another object.
 Human Sciences

o Psychology: Sigmund Freud – we are not fully in control of our

behavior – a subconscious part operates.
o Economics: government intervention in economy is now
accepted.

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