Science, Technology, and Society

• Science may be defined as the system of

knowledge of the natural world gained
through the scientific method.
• It was originally called “philosophy of the
natural world” since is stemmed from the
ancient Greeks desire to know about the
nature.
• First scientists were called “philosophers of
nature”.
• Technology comes from the Greek word
Tekhne meaning “art or craft” and logia
“meaning subject of interest.

• “Practical applications of what we know about

nature” using scientific principles for the
betterment of the human situation.
CHED Memorandum Order No. 20
• STS is an interdisciplinary course that engages
the students to confront the realities brought
about by science and technology in society, with
all its socio political cultural, economic and
philosophical underpinnings at play.
• This course also seeks to instill reflective
knowledge in the students so that they are able
to love the good life and display ethical decision-
making in both social and scientific dilemmas.
 Historical Antecedents in the
course of Science and Technology
 Ancient Times
People were concerned with the transportation
and navigation, communication and record
keeping, mass production, security and
protection as well as health, aesthetics, and
architecture.
 Transportation
• Significant at that time since people were
trying to go places and discovers new
horizons.
• They travelled to search for food and find
better locations for their settlements.
• Navigation assisted them in their journeys to
unfamiliar and strange areas and allowed
them to return home.
 Communication
• Record keeping was also important since they
needed the places they had been to and
document the trades they made with each
other and to established their identities as
they tried to relate with other cultures and
civilizations.
 Weapons and Armors
• Development of weapons and armors for
security and protection was considered a
major achievement for preventing stronger
nations from invading weaker ones.
 Sumerian Civilization
• Sumeria is located on the southernmost tip od
ancient Mesopotamia.
• Sumerians are known for their high degree of
cooperation with one another and their desire
for great things.
 Cuneiform
• Development of the first writing system
known as cuneiform.
• It is a system that utilizes word pictures and
triangle symbols which are carve on clay using
wedge instrument and then left to dry.
 Uruk City
• Considered not just to be the first true city but
also the way it was built. The Sumerians were
able to build the city using only mud or clay
from the river, which mixed with reeds,
producing sun baked bricks.
 The Great Ziggurat of Ur
• The mountain of God, the Ziggurat served as
the sacred place of their chef god, where only
their priest were allowed to enter.
 Irrigations and Dikes
• The Sumerians created dikes and irrigation
canals to bring water to farmlands and at the
same time control the flooding of the rivers
and through this they were are able to enjoy a
year long farming and harvesting.
• This is considered as one of the world’s most
beneficial engineering works.
 Sailboats
• Another challenge to the Sumerians was
transportation, at that time the wheel was not
yet invented the main mode of transportation
is waterways. Some sources attribute to the
Sumerians the invention of sailboats to
address their increasing demands.
 Wheel
• In the latter part of their history, the
Sumerians were able to invent the wheel since
the specialized tools needed to create were
already available.
• The first wheel were not made for
transportation but for farm work and food
processes.
 The Plow
• The plow was invented to dig the earth in a
faster pace since farmers needed a technology
which would enable them to dig the ground
where seeds would be planted.
• As the plow breaks the ground , the farmer
would just drop the seeds and farm work
would be done.
 Roads
• In order to facilitate faster and easier travel,
the Sumerians developed the first road, they
made it with the sun-baked bricks that they
laid down on the ground and later poured
bitumen, a black sticky substance similar to
asphalt, to smoothen the roads.
 Babylonian Civilization
• Babylonian civilization emerged near the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers.
• The Babylonians were great builders,
engineers, and architects, one of their major
contribution is the hanging gardens of
Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world.
 Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• It was said to be a structure made up of layers
upon layers of gardens that contained several
species of plants, trees, and vines.
• According to legends, the great Baylonian
King Nebuchadnezzar II built the garden for his
wife Queen Amytis.
 Egyptian Civilization
• The Egyptian Civilization is located in North
Africa. The Egyptians have contributed other
practical things that the world now considers
as essential thus, it is safe to say that the
pyramids are not the only contribution of the
Egyptian Civilization to the modern world.
 Paper or Papyrus
• One of the earlier contributions of Egyptian
civilization was the paper or papyrus. Papyrus
was a plant that grew abundantly along in the
Nile River in Egypt.
 Ink
• The result of the invention the papyrus or the
paper the Egyptian invented ink by combining
soot with different colors.
 Hieroglyphics
• The Egyptian also developed a system of
writing using symbols, known as hieroglyphics.
The Egyptians believed that this writing
system was provided to them by their gods.
 Cosmetics
• The Egyptians also invented the use of
cosmetics. Egyptians wore kohl around the
eyes to prevent and even cure eye diseases.
• Kohl was created by mixing soot or malachite
with mineral galena.
• Egyptians also believed that a person wearing
make up was protected from evil and that
beauty was a sign of holiness.
 Wig
• The ancient Egyptian times wigs were worn
for health and wellness rather than for
aesthetic purposes. The wigs used to protect
the shaved heads of the wealthy Egyptian
from the harmful rays of the sun.
 Greek Civilization
• Greece is an archipelago in the southeastern
park of Europe. Known as the birthplace of
western philosophy, some of the major
achievements of the Greeks include in-depth
works on philosophy and mathematics.
 Alarm Clock
• One of the most utilized gadgets today that
was invented by ancient Greeks is the alarm
clock.
• The purpose is to tell an individual when to
stop or when to start. They made use of
water(sometimes small stones or sand) that
dropped into drums which sounded the alarm.
 Water Mill
• Watermills were also considered as one of the
most important contributions of the Greek
Civilization to the world.
• Watermills were considered better than mills
powered by farm animals because they
required less effort and time to operate since
the farmer did not have to raise animals.
 Roman Civilization
• Roman Empire was perceived to be the
strongest political and social entity in the
west.
• It was considered to be cradle of politics and
governance during the period.
 Newspaper
• One of the major contributions of the Romans
in the newspaper known as GAZETTES, were
engraved in metal or stone tablets and then
publicly displayed.
 Bound books or codex
• Julius Caesar started the tradition of stacking
papyrus to form pages of a book. Later on,
they were able to provide covers to protect
the papyrus.
• The earlier covers were made of wax but were
replaced by animals skin which proved to be
stronger and longer lasting.
 Roman Numerals
• Romans devised their own number system to
specifically to address the need for a standard
counting method that would meet their
increasing communication and trade concerns.
 Chinese Civilization
• Chinese civilization is considered to be the
oldest civilization in Asia. Also known as the
Middle Kingdom, China is located on the far
east of Asia,
 Silk
• Silk is naturally produced by silk worms, the
Chinese were the ones who developed the
technology to harvest the silk and process it to
produce paper and clothing.
 Tea Production
• Tea is a beverage produce by pouring hot or
boiling water over crushed or shredded dried
tea leaves.
• It was believed that the first tea was drunk by
a Chinese emperor.
• Tea production by the ancient Chinese may
have resulted in making tea as one of the most
popular beverages in the world today.
 The Great Wall of China
• Once considered the only man-made structure
that could be seen from the outer space.
• It is said to be the largest and the most
extensive infrastructure that the nation built.
• It was constructed to keep out foreign invaders
and controls the borders of China. The walls
construction put the nation among the
powerful civilizations during the ancient time.
 Gunpowder
• The gunpowder is one of the most interesting
invention is China. Originally, it was develop by
Chinese Alchemists who aimed to achieve
Immortality. They mixed charcoal, sulfur, and
potassium nitrate but instead of creating and
elixir of life, accidentally invented a black
powder that could actually generate large
amounts of heat and gas in an instants.
 Medieval/ Middle Ages
• The start of the middle ages was marred by
massive invasions and migrations. Wars were
prevalent during this time.
 Printing press
• Johann Gutemberg was able to invent the
printing press, a more reliable way of printing
using a cast type.
• He utilizes wooden machines that extracted
juices from fruits, attach to them a metal
impression of the letters, and pressed firmly
the cast metal into a piece of paper, which
made an exact impression on paper.
 Microscope
• Guided by the principles used for the
inventions of eyeglasses in earlier years,
Zacharias Janssen was able to develop the first
compound microscope.
• this device allowed the people to observe
organisms that were normally unseen by the
naked eye.
 Modern Times
• The booming world population during the
nineteenth century onwards demanded that
more goods be produced at a faster rate.
 Pasteurization
• Louis Pasteur, a French biologist,
microbiologist, and chemist found a way to
solve the problem of keeping manufactured
foods from deteriorating especially milk. He in
invented pasteurization, the process of
heating dairy products to kill the harmful
bacteria that allow them to spoil faster.
 Petroleum Refinery
• Samuel M. Kier was to invent the kerosene by
refining petroleum. Kerosene was later
referred to as the “illuminating oil” because it
was used first to provide lighting to homes.
 Telephone
• Alexander Graham Bell’s development of
telephone was one of the most important
inventions at the time. It allows more people
to be connected and maintain these
connection and communicate each other
easily in real time.
 Philippine Inventions
• Despite being considered a developing
country, the Philippines also contributes to the
global advancement of science and
technology.
• Many discoveries and inventions of Filipinos
were built from indigenous materials or
created to adapt to the harsh tropical
environment.
 Salamander Amphibious Tricycle
• The H2O technologies headed by Dominic N.
Chung and Lamberto Armada, together with
Chief designer Victor “Atoy” Llave, was able to
invent the Salamander, an Amphibious
tricycle that can cross not only flooded streets
but also rivers and lakes.
 SALT Lamp
• Filipina inventor named Aisa Mijeno was able
to invent a lighting system that utilizes a
material that is abundant in the Philippines,
Saltwater.
 Medical Incubator
• Dr. Fe del Mundo, a Filipino pediatrician and the
first Asian woman admitted into Harvard
Medical School devised a medical incubator
made from indigenous materials and do not run
on electricity.
• It is made by placing a native laundry basket into
the bigger one. Hot water bottles were inserted
between the baskets to provide warmth and a
makeshift hood to allow oxygen circulation.
 Ejeepney
• A major innovation that changed the
transportation industry in the Philippines was
the development of the jeepney. This iconic
public utility vehicle was built using the
military jeeps left by the Americans after the
WW II.
• The chassis and the body of the military jeeps
were extended to accommodate more loads
and passengers.