SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
SELECTED VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY
CHAPTER 6
ARISTOTELIANISM
- This views technology as basically a means to an
end.
- To Aristotle , technology is the organizing of
techniques in order to meet the demand that is
being posed by humans.
- This may seem that technology is primarily
concerned with the product.
Technological pessimism
 Jacques Ellul (1912-1994)
- French philosopher
- Holds that technology is progressive and
beneficial in many ways, it is also doubtful in
many ways.
- Technological optimism believes that
technology is the answer to all man’s problems.
According to Ellul’s pessimistic arguments are:
1. technological progress has a price
2. technological progress creates more problems
3. technological progress creates damaging effects
4. technological progress creates unpredictable
devastating effects
Technological optimism
- This view is strongly supported by
technologists and engineers and also by
ordinary people who believe that technology
can alleviate all the difficulties and provide
solutions for problems that may come.
- The extreme version of this philosophy is
technocratism which holds technology as the
supreme authority on everything.
- Technology is beneficial in many ways but can
also be harmful in many ways.
Existentialism
- The main concern of this view is the existence
or the mode of being of someone or something
which is governed by the norm of authenticity.
- This view basically investigate the meaning of
existence or being and is always faced with the
selection must make with which the existent
will commit himself to.
- Martin Heidegger, a philosopher is one of the
most known supporters of this philosophy.
Aristotle’s four causes
Martin Heidegger (1889-1996) on science and
technology
- A well-known German philosopher, examined
the two usual definitions of technology: means
to an end and a human activity, because he
believed that this kind of confusing and there
are questions to it that we easily overlook.
- He called it the instrumental and
anthropological definition of technology or
simply means by which the human ends are
realized.
The instrumental definition of technology
- According to Heidegger, the instrumental
definition of technology encourages us to view
technology from different periods of time as not
having fundamental differences.
- He explained while technology is geared
towards meeting a human needs, still there is a
difference between older handicraft
technologies with modern technology.
- As it is, “a saw mill on a secluded valley of the
Black Forest is a primitive means compared with
hydroelectric plant on the Rhine River”-
Heidegger 1977
- Heidegger also agued that “technology is by no
means technological” and should not be seen as
merely neutral.
- The problem begins when humans see it only as
a means to an end and disregard the fact that
there is a good technology and a bad
technology.
- Another problem Heidegger saw in the
instrumental definition of technology is that it
only invites man to a continual desire to master
it which unconsciously may be making
technology go out of hand.
- Everything depends on our manipulating
technology in the proper manner as a means.
- In order that we may arrive at this, or at least
come close to it, we must seek the true by way
of the correct.
- Heidegger further studied Aristotle’s Four
Causes and illustrated it using a silver chalice
which he said owes its make up from the four
causes:
1.) Causa Materialis or the Material Cause (-
silver)
2.) Causa Formalis or the Formal Cause (-form
or shape)
3.) Cuasa Finalis or the Final Cause (-the
purpose)
4.) Causa Efficiens or the Efficient Cause (-
agent: silversmith)
- The four causes are all responsible for the
bringing forth of the silver chalice.
- The bringing forth is termed as poesis and this is
characterized by an external force.
- It is bringing something concealed to
unconcealment which then makes technology
as not only means to an end but also a mode of
revealing.
- (the silver chalice was brought forth by the
silver, by its form, for its purpose, by
silversmith.)
- External factors have caused for the silver
chalice to be brought forth.
- On the other hand, something that came
without any external force, like a flower
blooming in the field or a tree bearing its fruits
is termed physis.
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
HEIDEGGER’S TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF
REVEALING Heidegger believed that the genuine
substance or the real essence of technology is found in
enframing.
- This is the continuous bringing forth into
unconcealment that which is concealed. This is
a non-stop revealing.
- To further illustrate this, he gave some examples
through contrasting ancient and modern technology.
1. he talked about the ancient windmill
2. he talked about peasant planting seeds only
3. he talked about wooden bridge that is built to join
riverbanks.
The mode of revealing in modern technology
- Unlock and Expose: It carries the idea that nature will
not reveal itself unless challenge is set upon it.
- -the hydroelectric plant causes the Rhine to produce
hydraulic pressure which in turn causes the turbines
to work that eventually electricity is produced.
- Stock piles for future use: As technology is a means to
an end, it aims to meet future demands.
- The electricity produced by the hydroelectric plant set
upon the Rhine River is being stored for future use in
the community.
The essence of technology
- The continuous revealing takes place as man
allows himself to be an agent in the setting
upon of challenges to nature but Heidegger
(1977) argues that this is not mere human
doing.
- Man is able to set upon which was already
unconcealed as he responds to the call of
unconcealment but “ when man, investigating,
observing, pursues nature as an area of his own
conceiving, he has already been claimed by a
way of revealing that challenges him to
approach nature as an object of research , until
even the object disappears into the
objectlessness of standing –reserve.
Enframing
- Gathering of the setting-upon challenges to
bring the concealed to unconcealment.
- Also shows the essence of modern technology.
- Basically putting in order whatever is presented
to the man who sets upon the unconcealed but
it is a two-way relationship:
- -man cannot set himself upon unconcealment
without unconcealment’s call and the
unconcealed will not go into unconcealment
without the man responding to its call.
The danger of the nonstop revealing
- Revealing opens up a relationship between man
and the world but an opening up of something
means a closing down of something which
means as something is revealed, another is
concealed.- ( the rise of a cause-effect
understanding of reality closes off an
understanding of God as something mysterious
and holy)
- Another danger is when man falls into a
misinterpretation of that which is presented to
him. That is when he sees himself in the object
before him rather than seeing the object itself.
The society in the face of science and technology
- When one looks around him now, he will see -
that man tends to find his happiness in the
works of modern technology.
- Heidegger argued that this can be prevented if
man will not allow himself to be overwhelmed
with the enframing that he was set upon, but he
pause for a while and reflect on the value of
what is presented anthropological.
CHAPTER 7
WHO AM I?
- Science and technology has changed human
landscape.
- Man tends to show unlimited contentment-
eager to seek better replacement for anything
that performs the functions of man.
- Robots, machines and other technologies are
intended to enhance human condition, or in the
future, replace the human functions in the
society.
Human being
 Biologists describe human as having the
attributes of living organisms-including plants
and animals.
-This designates that human being is a complex
matter capable of performing life-sustaining processes.
Human being the highest form of these living organisms,
is said to have characteristics which cannot be
substantiated through mere science.
 Smith (2012) shared that, we can’t turn to
science for an answer because in the first place,
science identified human being from another
creature.
-This intellect supports self-consciousness and
awareness sufficient for the achievement of human’s
function, discovery of truth, and development and
mankind.
What is the meaning of human-being?
- According to Heidegger, it was originally the
fundamental question of philosophy, which was
pursued by the ancient Greek philosophers but
later on neglected, if not forgotten, in Western
philosophy.
BUT…
-Heidegger is not convinced with the reason
used to justify such neglect the self-evidence,
universality, and indefinability of the concept of
being. (Mabaquiao, n.d.)
-Furthermore, he argued that asking for the
meaning of the term “being” doesn’t suggest
that the “inquirer” has no idea about it because
in the first place, the meaning of “being” is
associated with the concept of existence, which
means that the “inquirer” already has the idea
on the term “however vague or incomplete”.
The “inquirer” obviously refers to “man” as
“being”, focuses to the “what” of human
existence.
- This somehow justifies human being’s
adaptability to environmental changes and
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
ability to manipulate environment in the
interest of survival.
Dasein
 Conversely, Heidegger used the term “dasein”
which literally means “being there” focuses on
the “mode of existence” or the “who” of
“Dasein”. The “modes of existence” is
fundamentally established by two things:
1. Dasein exist in a world
2. Dasein has a self that it defines as it exist in
such world. (Mabaquiao, n.d
-Hence this support human being’s
capacity to decide on what is good or bad for
them.
Understanding human flourishing
- It has been discussed that human being is
endowed with innate abilities and
characteristics that let him sustain his function
and to survive in the given environment.
Aristotle’s viewpoint
- Aristotle’s teachings suggest that each man’s
life has a purpose and that the function of one’s
life is to attain that purpose.
- For Aristotle, happiness (earthly) is the highest
desire and ambition of all human beings.
- And to achieve it, one must cultivate the highest
virtues within oneself. Aristotle believed that
human beings have a natural desire and
capacity to know and understand the truth, to
pursue moral excellence, and to instantiate
their ideals in the world through action.
- Furthermore, these actions are geared towards
one’s proper and desired end-flourishing,
happiness or eudemenia.
WHAT IS EUDOMENIA
- Etymologically speaking, eudemonia is consists
of Greek words “eu” which means “good” and
“daemon” which means “spirit”.
- meaning “the state of having good indwelling
spirit; a good genius”.
- Eudaimonia (also known as Eudaemonism) is a
Greek word, which refers to state of having a
good indwelling spirit of being in a contented
state of being healthy, happy and prosperous.
- In moral philosophy, eudaimonia is used to
refer to the right actions as those that result in
the well-being of an individual.
EPICURUS’S VIEWPOINT
- Epicurus (born 341 B.C) was a Greek
philosopher who contradicted the metaphysical
philosophers.
- he believed that balance and temperature were
created space for happiness.
- His view is not more of how happiness can be
defined but more on theory about the real
source to experience it.
Nietzche’s viewpoint
- Friedrich Nietzche (1844-1900) was a German
philosopher and cultural critic who published
intensively in the 1870s and 1880s.
- He is known for his criticisms on psychological
analyses that resulted to opposing ideas on the
people’s received ideas.
- As expected, Nietzche viewed happiness in a
different way. For him happiness is an “ideal
state of laziness”.
- Laziness for him is described as to not have
Flourishing
- Philosophers’ views are the evidence of
objective sense of how it means to flourish.
-It accepts that man’s ultimate desire of living is
to flourish and to experience a life of well-being (life
that goes well for him).
- Flourishing can either be based on the state of
mind (e.g mental habit) or a kind of value (e.g
insights, outlook).
CHAPTER 8
- “The good life is a PROCESS,
not a STATE OF BEING.
- It is a DIRECTION, not a DESTINATION”
-Carl Rogers, American
(Psychologist 1902-1987)
- AN INTERESTING QUESTION
POSTED BY MARK MANSON
“What do you do want out of life?”
PROBABLY ANSWER IN THE
SIMPLEST COMMON WAY
“I want to be happy and have a great family and
a job I like”
MARTIN (2012)
- “ Happiness as loving one's life and valuing it in
ways manifested by sufficient enjoyment and
robust sense of meaning.
- Achieving happiness and man's own desire and
needs commonly gives essence for living a good
life.
- In particular, moral decency and goodness,
authenticity, mental health, self-fulfillments,
and meaningfulness describes it .”
DOTSON (2012)
“ Every human being aspires to live a good life.
Conversely, man's idea of “good life” differs in
many dimensions.”
THE CONCEPT OF BEING GOOD
- “GOOD”
Is commonly used interchangeably with the
term “RIGHT”
TRAER (2007)
- Explained that the adjectives good and right are
related in meaning, but are not synonyms.
- It makes no sense to speak of a “right person”
when we mean a “good person; or the right
action as a meaning for good action.
HOW WE CAN DIFFERENTIATE THE TWO TERM
THEN?
- Taking the right action means correctly applying
a norm, premise, presupposition, rule, standard,
or law. This explains that the term “right”
reasons are being used to justify the principle
and its application.
- Right Action compels fulfilling duties
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
and upholding rights.
TRAER 2007
- MORALS refer to an individuals own principles
regarding RIGHT and WRONG.
- Being good involves having the character and
personal qualities that were justified by reason
as having moral worth.
Aristotelean view,
- “The understandability of the good is based on
the idea of what is good for the specific entity
under consideration.”
ARISTOTLE
- The good is what is good for purposeful, goal-
directed entities.
- He defines the good proper to human being as
the activities in which the life functions specific
to human beings are most fully realized.
Being good entails nurturing character and fostering
relationship
TIMBREZA (2008) as elucidated by
GRIPALDO (2013)
- It acknowledges the fact that human being is
endowed with his own rational mind and FREE
WILL.
- Explained that in natural ethician's view, “good
is that which is suitable to and proper for
human nature. Whenever it is not proper for
human nature, it is bad and must avoided”
- ACTING RIGHTLY means doing the right thing
based on the voice of conscience, otherwise,
feeling of guilt, self-reproach, and remorse will
be felt. It follows that a person, as a human
being, has his own consciousness, of function,
survival, and means of having the life he
envisioned.
- Thus, considering the aspect of human being CAN TECHNOLOGY EVENTUALLY
nature, the term “good” denotes a more EXTINGUISH HUMANITY?
objective meaning of “a state or way of being.”
- No one can deny that fact that SCIENCE and
THE GOOD LIFE TECHNOLOGY has a PROFOUND impact on how
- The meaning of this term up to present times modern man thinks and appreciates matter. It
remains vague. can be concretely seen in the present
- Wise men of the past argued with nature and conditions of man in the society. The desire to
prerequisites of the good life. feel satisfaction of research and development
- Similarly, questions such as “Is a meaningful life through genetic engineering, cloning and the
also a happy one?” and “Is living with happiness likes opened endless doors for skeptics.
- means living a good life?” are still part of the
debates even of the philosophers.
“What good life is?”
SOCRATES
- “ The unexamined life is not worht living for”, Remains a question for everyone.
the idea of worthwhile living should be filtered
with experience and vice versa.
CHAPTER 9
ARISTOTLE
WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND
- Further elucidated the idea of relating the
HUMANITY CROSS
essence of happiness to achieving well-being
and experiencing good life.
- “It has become appallingly obvious that
technology has exceeded our humanity.”
STEVE MUELLER (2016)
– Albert Eintein
- THE FOUNDER OF PLANET OF SUCCESS defined
the term as:
Advantage, Disadvantage and Limitations of
Technology
.. a (desirable) state that is primarily
characterized by a high standard of living or the
Importance of Technology to Humanity
adherence to ethical and moral laws. As such,
- Technology has a profound on every aspects of
the term can both be understood as the quest
lives. The way we live, interact changes through
for wealth, material possessions or luxuries and
technology in the different fields of education,
the quest to create a worthwhile, honest and
medicine transportations, economy,
meaningful existence.
communications and politics.
MARTIN HEIDEGGER
Advantages of technology
- An existentialist philosopher, also has a
- Life has become easy through science and
different view on the aspect of life. He dealt
technology.
more on how we live an “authentic life” rather
- Traveling has become faster than before
dealing with the “good life”. For Heidegger,
- Communicating becomes easier, faster and
living an authentic life means living with deep
cheaper it also increase the standard of living.
acceptance on the facticity of “death” and
- Man become advanced
resulting to a “life lived according to what it has
- The impossible become possible due to the
clearly decided as its meaning and purpose”.
progress in science and technology
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Disadvantage of technology
 Humans had misused the technology and used
in damaging purpose
 By the use of technology, man is doing illegal
things
 New technology like mobile are generating bad
consequences to the childrens.
 By means of modern technology, terrorist use it
for destructive purpose.
 Many illness are created due to the
development of atomic energy and atom
bomb.
 Modern technology like nuclear energy have
not only affected and other creatures.
 Natural beauty is decreasing due to the
development of modern technology.
LIMITATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY TO HUMANITY
FACTORS THAT DEFINED THE LIMITS OF TECHNOLOGY:
1. The law of physics
2. The law of software
3. The challenge of algorithm
4. The difficulty of distribution
5. The problem of design
6. The problem of functionality
7. The importance of the organization
8. The impact of economics
9. The influence of politics
THE LAW OF PHYSICS
- Through software a flexible medium. The
Quantum and Thermodynamics effects, that
limits the use of technology.
THE LAW OF SOFTWARE AND ALGORITHMS
- A software limitation: There are a given
computation that we can’t do it, or we cant
afford it and sometimes we don’t know how to
do it.
- David Harel’s delightful book
THE DIFFICULT OF DISTRIBUTION
- A distribution sytem is one in which the failure
of a computer you didn’t even know existed can
render your computer unusable.
- Leslie Lamport, American computer scientist
THE PROBLEMS OF DESIGN
- Web-centric system consist of ten thousands of
lines of customs code on top hundreds of
thousands lines of middleware code on top of
several million lines of operating system code.
- code
“Everything should not be multiplied unnecessarily”
- William Occam
Isaac Newton
projected Occam”s work into physics by nothing. “We are
admit no more causes of natural things such are both true
and sufficient to explain their appearances”
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but
not simplier.”
- Albert Einstein
THE PROBLEM OF FUNCTIONALITY
- Brooks writes: To consider the requirements
functionally, and non-functionally of a machine
has a limitations.
IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATION
- “None Person can ever understand such a
system completely”
– Booch (2003)
- More developers mean more complex
communication and hence more difficult
coordination, particularly if the team is
geographically dispersed.
- With team of developers, the key management
challenge is always to maintain a unity and
integrity of design.
THE IMPACT OF ECONOMICS
- Technological Advancement cost money
- According to Barry Boehm in his classic work on:
- Software Engineering Economics, based upon
empirical evidences, concludes that the
performance of a project can be predicted
according to the equation:
PERFORMANCE = (COMPLEXITY x PROCESS) x TEAM x
TOOLS
PERFORMANCE – effort or time
COMPLEXITY – volume of human- generated
PROCESS – maturity of process and notation
TEAM – skill set, experience and motivation
TOOLS – software tools automation
THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICS
Investment in software development is the key
to success, the political organization can influence its
progress and limitation. Great things could have provided
if the politics influences are on a positive side.
 HUMANITY
- From the latin word “humanitas” which means
“human nature, kindness.”
- Humanity is the human race, which includes
everybody on earth.
- It’s also a word for the qualities that make us
human, such as tha ability to love and have
compassion, be creative and not be a robot or
alien
According to Sagan (2004) todays is a period where he
called it “technological adolescence
POLICIES AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
 UNITED STATES of AMERICA
- U.S industry technological advancement frequently has
been reinforced by congressional initiatives over past 30
and more.
-U.S Industrial Competitiveness and
Technological Advancement article in 2012
- Increase in economic growth in the contribution to the
creation of new goods, new services, new job and new
capital because of the advances technology.
- Technology application can improve productivity and
quality oof products.
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
 CANADA, USA, NORTH and SOUTH AMERICA to
EUROPE and ASIA-PACIFIC
- Scientific developments and technological changes are
important drives of current economic performance.
- Some features of this transformation are the: Growing
impact of information and communications technologies;
rapid application of new products and processes; a
change to more knowledge-intensive industries and
services.
 PHILIPPINES
- The technology market is facing crisis
since the economic environment of the
developing countries are opposing technology
based institutions.
- Research and Development and
Technology in the Philippines
 ETHICAL DILEMMAS
- Science and technology as well as research and
development enjoy and must continue autto
enjoy onomy from the state and society.
- Technology Permeates every aspects of human
life and activity.
REAL-TIME SATELLITE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
 PLANET LABS AND SKYBOX IMAGINING
COMPANIES THAT ARE RECENTLY PURCHASED
BY GOOGLE HAVE LAUNCHED A LOTS OF
SATELLITES IN THE YEAR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS
IS TO RECORD THE STATUS OF THE ENTIRE
EARTH IN REAL TIME.
ASTRONAUT BIOTHICS
(of colonizing Mars)
- The colonization of Mars and plans for a long- term
space missions are alredy on going.
- On December 5, NASA launched the Orion spacecraft.
Charles Bolden a NASA Administrator declared it as a
“Day one Mars era”
- The Company of Mars one is preparing to launch a
robotic mission to Mars in 2018, with succeeding humans
in 2025.,WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
-wearable have the potential to teach us,
protect our health, as well as violate our
privacy in any amount ways.
STATE-SPONSORED HACKTIVISM
AND SOFT WAR
-"Soft war" is a concept used to explain rights and duties
of is urgents even terrorists during armed struggle.
-Soft war incorporates tactics other than armed forced to
achieve political ends.
-Hacktivism or Cyber war could the tools of
soft war, through states in inter-states conflict,
as opposed to isolated individuals or groups.
ENHANCE PATHOGENS
-October 17, 2014 the White House suspend a research
that
would enhance the pathogenicity of viruses.
-Gain-of-function research is not detrimental; it is used to
provide vital understanding to virus and how to treat
them.
NON-LETHAL WEAPONS
- Weapons that may not kill but can cause serious
pain, physical injuries and long term health
costs.
- BLINDING WEAPON, PAIN RAYS, ELECTRIC
WEAPON,LASER MISSILE, ROBOT SWARMS
Harvard University researchers newly created group of
1000 robots.
No human intervention is required on these
"kilobots" beyond the original set of instructions and
works together to complete tasks.
Artificial Forms
 Research on artificial life forms is an range of
synthetic biology focused on custom building
life forms to address specific purposes.
Synthetic life allows scientists to study the
origins of life by building it rather than breaking
it down. Making artificial life forms has been
deemed "playing God".
Resilient Social-Ecological Systems
 Resilient Social-Ecological Systems is what we
need to build. Tolerantly being pushed to an
extreme while maintaining their functionality
either by returning to the early state or by
operating a new state. Able to stand extreme
weather events or regain functionality quickly
afterwards is an example.

Brain-to-Brain Interfaces
- It's no Vulcan mind meld, but brain-to-brain
interfaces have been achieved, allowing for
direct communication from one brain to
another without speech. The interactions can
be between humans or between humans and
animals.
CHAPTER 10
Why Does The Future Not Need Us ?
- Experience of human in technology? Where we
are now? Wearable technology, sensors all over
the place, We have now the power to monitor,
just about everything, giving it to these new
trends.
- Human interests on technology allows them to
expand the range of human experiences.
- These are qualified experiences and what’s
more, they can share these experiences with
other human beings, injecting technology into
their lives, thus, the future of technology is
based on HOW THE HUMAN WILL USE IT.
- Technology, is a double-edged sword, like most
human beings, involving gain and loss, also
merit and demerit.
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
- It links us to those far away, but confuses us
from those that are close, and hospitals save
lives, but takes them to the battlegrounds.
- Most of all, TECHNOLOGY IS A CHOICE. We use
it for our own reasons.
- But most significantly, what makes us
incomparably better off is technology but, in
the end, the true value of technology is NOT
ABOUT REPLACING HUMAN EXPERIENCE BUT
MITIGATE ITS DEFICIENCIES.
HUMAN AND SOCIETY
- Is this societal progress a change for the better?
There always been controversy over this
question, and presently the disagreement
seems more intense than ever, possibly for the
reason that we are more conscious today that
society is making.
- Social change is taking place at an ever
increasing rate.
- One of the issues in this current debate is the
quality-of-life in modern society.
- Progress optimist have confidence in that we
live better now than earlier generations, while
pessimists question that life is getting worse.
Technology and Humanity: A Positive Side
- Human history with a kind of directionality
was provided by technological
development.
- As technology advances, it hacks the
characteristics of every situation over and
over again. The age of automation is going
to be the age of “ Do it yourself. “
The Positive View
- Material Standard of Living – Several
achievements of modern society draws through
the idea of life is getting better. One is the
unparalleled rise in the material standard of
living; the average citizen lives more easily now
than kings did centuries ago.
- Untimely death is reduced – fewer people die in
accidents, epidemics and murders. A number of
social evils have been decreased, such as
poverty, inequality, ignorance and oppression.
- A recent statement of this view can be found in
“its getting better all the time.” by Moore and
Simon (2000.)
- Improvement in Evolutionary View – This view
of development is typically part of an
evolutionary view, in which society is seen as a
human tool that is gradually perfected. This idea
established during the enlightenment period
(18th century).
- The idea that we can progress society by ‘social
engineering’ is part of this belief and forms the
ideological foundation of many major
contemporary institutions such as the welfare
state, and development aid organizations.
- Reduced Suffering - This is a traditional religious
view of earthly life as a phase of penance
awaiting paradise in the afterlife breaks the
knowledge of life is getting better.
- It deem the possibility to reduce suffering by
creating a better world and societal
development seem to head in that way, be with
some ups and downs.
The Negative View
- Contemporary Social Problems - One of the
kind problems is deviant behavior, such as
criminality, drug use, and school refusal.
Another group of problems seen to lessen the
quality of life such as social conflicts, labor
disputes, ethnic troubles, and political
terrorism.
- The decline of the influence of the church,
family and local community are also seen to
deprive the quality of life of modern people. A
recent statement of this view is found in
Easterbrook (2003) “The Progress Paradox.”
- Society drifting away from Human Nature –
This view of deterioration is often part of the
idea of society drifting away from human nature,
because society has changed a lot, while human
nature has not. Not a piece of equipment but rather
an uncontrollable force that presses human into a
way of life that does not really fit them in society
view.
- The idea that life is getting poorer fits a long
tradition of social criticism and apocalyptic
prophecies. In this view, paradise is lost and
doubtful to be restored.
Relevance of the Issue
- If modernization makes society less livable,
we should try to stop the process, or
atleast to slow it down.
- Conservatives have a strong point in
this case and can convincingly argue for
restorative policies.
- However, if modernization tends to
improve the quality-of-life, we better go
along, which would rather fit the liberal
political agenda.
Societal Collapse
- There are several attempts to explain the
society collapse. This includes the following
words; Gibbons’ classic Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire also Joseph Tainter’s
Collapse of Complex Societies, and Jared
Diamond’s more recent Collapse: How
Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
Tainter (1990), notes that societies need to protect
certain resources such as food, energy, and natural
resources in order to sustain their populations.
- In their attempts to solve this supply
problem ,societies may grow in complexity
in the form of bureaucracy, infrastructure,
social class distinction, military operations,
and colonies.
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
- Sometimes, the marginal returns on these
investments in social complexity become
unfavorable, and societies that do not
manage to scale back when their
organizational overheads become too large
finally face breakdown.
Jared Diamond says that many past cases
of societal collapse have elaborate
environmental factors such as
deforestation and habitat destruction, soil
problems, water management problems,
overhunting, and overfishing, the effects of
introduced species, human population
growth, and increased per-capita impact of
people.
- Four new factors that may contribute to
the collapse of present and future societies
was also suggested by Diamond such as
human-caused climate change, build-up
toxic chemicals in the environment, energy
shortages, and the full utilization of the
Earth’s photosynthetic capacity.
Different Classes of Scenarios involving Societal
Collapse
Local Societal Collapse
- Individual societies can collapse, but this is
doubtful to have a determining effect on
the future of humanity if other advanced
societies survive and take up where the
failed societies left off. All historical cases
of collapse have been of this kind
- allow the use of them.
Global Societal Collapse
- We suppose new kinds of threat (e.g. nuclear
holocaust or catastrophic changes in the global
environment) or the trend towards globalization
increased interdependence of different parts of
the world and create a vulnerability to human
civilization as a whole.
Different Conclusions for Different Situations
- Humanity has progressed from the essence that
separates humans from beasts: the mind has
the ability to reason. Reason is the ability to
analyze, create, deduce, and formulate. It is
reason that allows human beings to strive and
to invent; it is through invention that mankind
developed society and created a better world.
- Technology now, we can say that it is the sum
total of instrumentally useful culturally-
transmissible information.
- Technology, a term with Greek origins, is
defined as “the practical application of
knowledge especially in a specific part”.
- Technology sued to collectively describe or
portray the advancements, abilities, creations,
undertakings, views and knowledge of a
singular group of persons: we as humankind.
RELATION OF TECHNOLOGY WITH HUMANITY
- A large number of powerful energy sources-
coal, petroleum, electricity etc. have enabled
humanity to conquer the barriers of nature as
part of discovery and development. All this has
facilities the growth of fast modes of transports,
which in turn has transformed the world into a
global village.
The Future of Humanity
- Technologies in the 21st century such as
Genetics, Nanotechnology, and Robotics (GNR)-
are so powerful that they can spawn whole
new classes of accidents and abuses. These are
widely seen within the reach of individuals or
small group. The will not require large facilities
or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will
STATIC VIEW
- Implausible is the static view. It would imply
that we have just arrived at the final human
condition even at a time when change is
exceptionally fast.
The static view would also imply a radical break with
numerous trends
A. If the economy of the world continues to raise at
the same pace as in the last half century, at that time of
2050 the world will be seven times richer than it is today.
A. Population of the world is predicted to increase
over 9 billion in 2050, so usual wealth would
also increase vividly.
B. Additionally by 2100 the world would be almost
50 times richer than today. A single modest-
sized country might then have as much wealth
as the entire world has at the present.
C. Virtual reality surroundings will constitute an
increasing fraction of our experience.
D. Among the most significant potential growth
are ones that would enable us to alter our
biology directly through technological means.
E. Drugs and other neuro technologies could make
it progressively feasible for users to shape
themselves into the kind of people they want to
be by correcting their personality, emotional
character, mental energy, romantic
attachments, and moral character.
F. Wide-range consequences for manufacturing,
medicine, and computing came from
nanotechnology.
G. Machine intelligence, is additional potential
revolutionary technology.
Prediction of Artificial Intelligence
- The idea of technological singularity tied
specifically to artificial intelligence and stated.
- “Within thirty years, we will have the
technological means to create superhuman
intelligence. Shortly thereafter, the human era
will be ended”
Technology and its Usability
- Technology future will be determined by its
usability, its relevance to the needs of the
future and combined with the simplicity.
- Technology has transformed the way we
communicate , the way we travel, the way we
socialize, it makes the way easy to learn, it has
changed our homes and lifestyles and it has
formed many opportunities.
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
- Technology is a good and it can change our
society, but the way we use it will measure if it
is beneficial or not.
HOW TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING THE HUMAN
EXPERIENCE?
- Hearing colors/hearing at arms length
- Eye-camera/smart contact lens/eyeball jewelry
implant.
- Human compass
- Password pill
- Electronic throats tattoo
- Interaction with devices
- Robots arm/ controlling wheelchair
- Bionic limp
- Artificial vision system
- Terminator arm/ titan arm
- USB finger/ Mind Uploading
Technology is really transforming the human experience,
helping people to achieve things that wound have only
been previously dreamt in fiction, thought some of the
new inventions should potentially stay there.
The new Pandora’s Box- also known as “technology”
- the new Pandora’s boxes of genetics,
nanotechnology, and robotics are almost open,
yet we seem hardly to have noticed.
- Churchill remarked, in a famous left-handed
compliment, that the American people and
their leader “invariably do the right things, after
they have examined every other alternative”
Post Humanity Theory
- A clarification of what has been referred to as
“post human condition” is overdue. It is used to
mention to a condition which has at least one of
the following features:
A. Popular bigger than 1 trillion persons.
B. Larger than 500 years life expectancy
C. Large fraction of the population has
cognitive capacities more than two
standard deviations over the present
human maximum.
D. Near-complete control over the sensory
input, for the majority of people for most
of the time.
E. Human psychological suffer become rare - Technology has and will, change the moral
occurrence. fabric of humanity; it is up to the present
F. Any change of magnitude or profundity generation to heed this warning and not allow
comparable to that of one of the above. such societal travesties of immense proportion
ever to occur again.
Post humanity - Technological advancements will continue to
- Is a theory/concept that is of an advance level advance rapidly as we move into the next
of technology or economic development that millennium.
would involve a radical change in the human - What is important is to ensure that these
condition, whether the change was brought by adanvces benefit humanity as a whole.
biological enhancement or other causes.
The Long Term
- The four families of scenarios we have
considered such as extinction, recurrent,
collapse, plateau, and post humanity, it could
be controlled by varying the period over
hypothesized.
- A few hundred years or a few thousand years
might already be plenty time for the scenarios
to have an opportunity to play themselves out.
- Yet such an interval is a blip compared to the
lifetime of the universe.
- They notice first is that the longer the time scale
it is likely technological civilization will remain
within the zone we termed “the human
condition” throughout.
- The scenarios presented reveals how “human
condition” is among all the possible levels of
organismic and technological development.
- The “human condition” will reveal a much of
the larger picture.
Message to Humanity
- It is needless to say that like any other aspect of
development, the technological development is
similar to a double edge sword which on one
side can kill someone and on the other side can
lead to one’s own protection. However, the
decision to use it proficiently in proper
perspective is one’s own decision and choice.
- If technological advancements are put in the
best uses, it further inspires the development in
related and non-related areas but at the same
time its negative use can create havoc in the
humanity or the world.