Human Flourishing in Science and Technology

Human
Flourishing
in
Science and
Technology
Human Flourishing in Science and Technology
• The end goals of both science and

technology and human flourishing
are related in that good is inherently
related to the truth.
• Scientific Method - a process for

experimentation that is used to
explore observations and answer
questions.
• It presents a general idea of how

to do science.
Steps of Scientific Method
1. Observe and determine if there

are unexplained occurrences
unfolding.
2. Determine the problem and

identify factors involved.
3. Through past knowledge of

similar instance, formulate
hypothesis that could explain the
said phenomenon.
Ideally the goal is to reject the null

hypothesis and accept the
alternative hypothesis for the study
“to count as significant” (can also be
separated into additional step such
as “to generate prediction” or “to
infer from the past experiments”).
4. Conduct Experiment – by setting

up dependent and independent
ones affect dependent ones.
5. Gather and Analyze results

throughout and upon culmination of
the experiment. Examine if the data
gathered are significant enough to
conclude results.
6. Formulate conclusion and

provide recommendation - in case
others would want to broaden the
study.
At a Glance: Who is Martin
Heidegger?
• “The essence of technology is by no means anything
technological” – Martin Heidegger (1977)
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
• German philosopher and part of Continental

tradition of philosophy.
• His stern oppositionist to positivism and
technological world denomination received
unequivocal support from leading postmodernists
and post-structuralists of the time, including Jacques
Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Jean-Francois Lyotard.
Jacques Derrida Michel Foucault Jean-Francois Lyotard

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
• His work on philosophy focused on

ontology or the study of “being” or
dasein in German.
• His philosophical works are often

described as complicated, partly due to his
use of complex compound German words,
such as :
• Seinsvergessenheit (Forgetfulness of
Being),
• Bodenstandigkeit (Rootedness-in-Soil), and
Wesensverfassung (Essential Constitution).
The Essence of Technology
• It cannot be denied that S and T are responsible for the ways of society is
continuously being modernized.
• S and T continuously seep into the way people go about their daily lives.
• However, the omnipresence of S and T must not eclipse the basic tenets of
ethics and morality.
• Instead, it should allow the human person to flourish alongside scientific

progress and technological development.
The Essence of Technology (Heidegger)
1. Instrumental definition: Technology is a means to an end.
• Technology is not an end in itself, it is means to an end.
• Technology is viewed as a tool available to individual to individual, group

and communities that desire to make an impact on society.
• How technology is used varies from individual to individual, group to

groups, and communities according to their individual and collective
function, goals, and aspiration.
1. Instrumental definition: Technology is a means to an end.
• While technology is omnipresent, knowing its functions requires paying

attention to how humans use it as a means to an end.
• In this sense, technology is an instrument aimed at getting things done.

2. Anthropological definition: Technology is a human activity
• Alternatively, technology can also be defined as a human activity because to

achieve an end and to produce and use a means to an end is, by itself, a
human activity.
• The production or invention of technological equipment, tools and machines,

the products and inventions, and the purpose and functions they serve are
what define technology.
Technology as a Way of Revealing
Heidegger stressed that the true can only be pursued through the correct.
Simply, what is correct leads to what is true. In this sense, Heidegger envisioned
technology as a way of revealing-a mode of "bringing forth”.
• Bringing forth can be understood through the Ancient Greek philosophical

concept, poiesis, which refers to the act of bringing something out of
concealment. By bringing something out of concealment, the truth of that
something is revealed.
• The truth is understood through another Ancient Greek concept of aletheia,

which is translated as unclosedness, unconcealedness, disclosure, or truth.
Technology as a Way of Revealing
• Thus, for Heidegger, technology is a form of poiesis a way of revealing that

unconceals aletheia or the truth. This is seen in the way the term techne, the
Greek root word of technology, is understood in different contexts.
• In philosophy, techne resembles the term episteme that refers to the human
ability to make and perform. Techne also encompasses knowledge and
understanding.
• In art, it refers to tangible and intangible aspects of life. The Greeks understood
techne in the way that it encompasses not only craft, but other acts of the mind,
and poetry.
Technology as Poiesis: Does Modern Technology Bring Forth or
Challenge Forth?
• Heidegger, in The Question Concerning Technology, posited that both primitive

crafts and modern technology are revealing. However, he explained that
modern technology is revealing not in the sense of bringing forth or poeisis.
• Heidegger made a clear distinction between technology and modern

technology in that the latter challenges nature. Modern technology challenges
nature by extracting something from it and transforming, storing, and
distributing it.
Challenge Forth?
• On the surface, Heidegger's criticism of modern technology might appear

counterintuitive to the purpose of nature to humas existence.
• However, by digging deeper into Heidegger's question, becomes clear that

the essence of modern technology is not to brag forth in the sense of
poiesis.
Challenge Forth?
• Instead, Heidegger considers motors technology's way of revealing as a

way of challenging forth, because it makes people think how to do things
faster, more effectively, and with less effort. It prompts people into
dominating and enframing the earth's natural resource .
Challenge Forth?
• Challenging forth reduces objects is standing -reserve or something be
disposed of by those who enframe them-humans. This is evident in the
way people exploit natural resources with very little once the ecological
consequences that come with it.
• Challenging forth as a result of modern technology is also evident in the

information age, such that greater control of information to profit from
its value give rise to concerns about privacy and the protection of human
rights.

Challenge Forth?
The challenging forth of modern technology is seen everywhere in

the rise and depletion of petroleum as a strategic resource, the
introduction and use of synthetic dyes, artificial flavorings, and toxic
materials into the consumer stream that bring about adverse effects
on human health; and the use of ripening agents in agriculture that
poses threats to food safety and health security.
Enframing as Modern Technology's Way of Revealing
• If the essence of technology can be understood as a way of bringing forth

the truth in the sense of poiesis, Heidegger distinguished the way of
revealing of modern technology by considering it as a process enframing.
• Humankind's desire to control everything, including nature is captured in this

process. By putting things in this case nature, in frame, it becomes much
easier for humans to control it according their desires.
• Enframing, according to Heidegger, is akin to two ways of looking at the

world, calculative thinking and meditative thinking.
• In calculative thinking, humans desire to put an order to nature to better

understand control it.
• In meditative thinking humans allow nature to reveal itself to them without
the use of force or violence. One thinking is not necessarily better than the
other.
• The role humans take as instruments of technology through enframing is

called destining.
• In destining, humans are challenged forth by enframing to reveal what is real.
• However, this destining of humans to reveal nature carries with it the danger
of misconstruction or misinterpretation.
• Enframing, then, is a way of ordering (or framing) nature to better manipulate

it.
• Enframing happens because of how humans desire for security, even if it puts
all of nature as a standing reserve ready for exploitation.
• Modern technology challenges humans to enframe nature.
• Thus, humans become part of the standing reserve and an instrument of
technology, to be exploited in the ordering of nature.
The Dangers of Technology
• The dangers of technology lie in how humans let themselves be consumed

by it. Although humans are looped into the cycle of bringing forth or
challenging forth, it is their responsibility to recognize how they become
instruments of technology.
• The Brazilian novelist, Paulo Coelho, once remarked that it is boastful for
humans to think that nature needs to be saved, whereas Mother Nature
would remain even if humans cease to exist.

• Recognizing its dangers of technology requires critical and reflective
thinking on its use.
• For example, social media has indeed connected people in the most
efficient and convenient way imaginable, but it also inadvertently gave rise
to issues such as invasion of privacy, online disinhibition, and proliferation
of fake news.
• The line has to be drawn between what constitutes a beneficial use of social
media and a dangerous one. As exemplified, social media comes with both
benefits and drawbacks.
However, the real threat of

technology comes from its
essence, not its activities or
products. The correct response
to the danger of technology is
not simply dismissing technology
altogether.
Art as the Saving Power
• Necessary reflection upon and confrontation with technology are required

in order to proactively address the dangers of technology Friedrich
Hölderlin, a German poet quoted by Heidegger, said: "But where danger
is, grows the saving power also" (1977, p. 14).
• Following this, the saving power can be traced exactly where the danger is
in the essence of technology.
• As mentioned, this essence is not neutral and by no means anything

technological. Along this line, Heidegger proposed art as the saving power
and the way out of enframing: "And art was simply called techne. It was a
single, manifold revealing" (1977, p. 18).
Art as the Saving Power
Heidegger saw art as an act of the

mind, i.e., a techne, that protected
and had great power over the truth.
By focusing on art, people are able
to see more clearly how art is
embedded in nature.
Questioning as the Piety of Thought
• Heidegger concluded his treatise on technology by saying: The closer we

come to the danger, the more brightly do the ways into the saving power
begin to shine and the more questioning we become. For questioning is
the piety of thought (1977, p. 19).
• Heidegger underscored the importance of questioning in the midst of

technology. For him, there is unparalleled wisdom gained only when
humans are able to pause, think, and question what is around them.
• Humans are consumed by technology when they are caught up in

enframing and fail to pay attention to the intricacies of technology, the
brilliance of the purpose of humankind, and the genius of humans to bring
forth the truth.
• Questioning is the piety of thought. It is only through questioning that

humans are able to reassess their position not only in the midst of
technology around them, but also, and most importantly, in the grand
scheme of things.
• Heidegger posited that it is through questioning that humans bear witness to

the crises that a complete preoccupation with technology brings, preventing
them from experiencing the essence of technology.
• Thus, humans need to take a step back and reassess who they were, who they
are, and who they are becoming in the midst of technology in this day and
age.
• "Questioning is the piety of thought" means to question things and

interrogate them to understand new concepts.
A person who doesn't raise any questions means he doesn't think because
when you think, you always have questions.

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Human

• The end goals of both science and

• Scientific Method - a process for

• It presents a general idea of how

1. Observe and determine if there

2. Determine the problem and

3. Through past knowledge of

Ideally the goal is to reject the null

4. Conduct Experiment – by setting

5. Gather and Analyze results

6. Formulate conclusion and

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)

• German philosopher and part of Continental

Jacques Derrida Michel Foucault Jean-Francois Lyotard

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)

• His work on philosophy focused on

• His philosophical works are often

• Instead, it should allow the human person to flourish alongside scientific

1. Instrumental definition: Technology is a means to an end.

• Technology is not an end in itself, it is means to an end.

• Technology is viewed as a tool available to individual to individual, group

• How technology is used varies from individual to individual, group to

1. Instrumental definition: Technology is a means to an end.

• While technology is omnipresent, knowing its functions requires paying

• In this sense, technology is an instrument aimed at getting things done.

2. Anthropological definition: Technology is a human activity

• Alternatively, technology can also be defined as a human activity because to

• The production or invention of technological equipment, tools and machines,

• Bringing forth can be understood through the Ancient Greek philosophical

• The truth is understood through another Ancient Greek concept of aletheia,

• Thus, for Heidegger, technology is a form of poiesis a way of revealing that

• Heidegger, in The Question Concerning Technology, posited that both primitive

• Heidegger made a clear distinction between technology and modern

• On the surface, Heidegger's criticism of modern technology might appear

• However, by digging deeper into Heidegger's question, becomes clear that

• Instead, Heidegger considers motors technology's way of revealing as a

• Challenging forth as a result of modern technology is also evident in the

Technology as Poiesis: Does Modern Technology Bring Forth or

The challenging forth of modern technology is seen everywhere in

• If the essence of technology can be understood as a way of bringing forth

• Humankind's desire to control everything, including nature is captured in this

• Enframing, according to Heidegger, is akin to two ways of looking at the

• In calculative thinking, humans desire to put an order to nature to better

• The role humans take as instruments of technology through enframing is

• In destining, humans are challenged forth by enframing to reveal what is real.

Enframing as Modern Technology's Way of Revealing

• Enframing, then, is a way of ordering (or framing) nature to better manipulate

The Dangers of Technology

• The dangers of technology lie in how humans let themselves be consumed

The Dangers of Technology

The Dangers of Technology

However, the real threat of

• Necessary reflection upon and confrontation with technology are required

• As mentioned, this essence is not neutral and by no means anything

Art as the Saving Power

Heidegger saw art as an act of the

Questioning as the Piety of Thought

• Heidegger concluded his treatise on technology by saying: The closer we

• Heidegger underscored the importance of questioning in the midst of

Questioning as the Piety of Thought