MODULE 1

NATURE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

Introduction

This section introduces Science, Technology and Society (STS) as a field of study. After
discussing the nature of science, technology and society, the section discusses the relationship
among them. It tackles the different field of Science and Technology. It also enumerates the
positive and negative impact of technology that reinforces the importance of the study on STS in
an age of scientific progress and technological development.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Define science, technology and society
2. Discuss the relationship of science, technology and society
3. Explain how other sciences relate to technology

Nature of Science

Science is important to people, because it can help resolve problems, concerns and
issues that people face in the day-to-day aspects of living. Science is a systematized
knowledge derived from observation, study and experimentation carried on in order to
determine the nature of what is being studied. It came from the Latin word scire (meaning to
know). It was originally called “Philosophy of the natural world.”

Science is a framework for gaining and organizing knowledge. Science is not simply a set
of facts but also a plan of action- a procedure for processing and understanding certain types of
information. Scientific thinking is useful in all aspects of life in order to find a solution for any
problem. The Scientific method is a combination of the creative reasoning and testing of
hypothesis. It is the step by step process of analyzing and solving science problems:

The Scientific method

1. Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something
that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

2. Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan
for answering your question, do library and Internet research to help you find the best
way to do things and make sure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

3. Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is

an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested. A good
hypothesis allows you to make prediction:

4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your
prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important that
 your experiment be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change
only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, you
collect your data and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

6. Communicate Your Results: Professional scientists do publish their final report in a

scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster or during a talk at a scientific
meeting.

It is important to differentiate observation, hypothesis and theories. Observation is

something that is witnessed and can be recorded. Hypothesis is a possible explanation for an
observation. A theory is a set of tested hypothesis that gives an overall explanation of some
natural phenomena. It is an interpretation or explanation of why nature behaves in a particular
way. Theories changes overtime as more information becomes available. For example, the
motion of the solar system has changed greatly since ancient times.

Science is a distinctive form of human cultural activity referred to as scientist, a natural

philosophers. They represent attempts to explain observed natural behavior in terms of human
experiences. They must continue to do experiments to refine it and be consistent with new
knowledge to approach a more understanding of nature. Scientists in all periods of time are
driven by their deep passion to know and to discover. Thus, the scientific attitudes include the
following:

1. Honesty. This attitude allows a scientist to recognize the work done by other scientists
before him. This attitude is also shown by reporting data truthfully.
2. A scientist is open minded. Open-mindedness is an attitude that allows a scientist to look
at other possibilities.
3. Creative and Critical Thinking. This enables a scientist to come up with new
concept which lead to discoveries that traditional scientists have overlooked.
4. Curiosity. It enables a scientist to discover more about the things around him.
5. Persistent. It enables a scientist to continue a project despite obstacles and failures.
6. Objectivity. A scientist must be objective in declaring results of his/her experiments and
judgment is based on observable phenomena and not influenced by emotions or
personal prejudices
7. Precision. A scientist must always consider the precision of his work if it forms a pattern or
repeatedly occurring in nature. Lack of precision would mean inconsistency.
8. Responsibility. The moral, social and personal responsibility and accountability of a
scientist to all of his works must be observed.
9. Collaboration. One needs to consider suggestion and recommendations of others for an
improved work.

As scientist observes nature, they often see that the same observation applies to many
different systems. For example, studies of innumerable chemical changes have shown that the
total observed mass of the materials involved is the same before and after the change. Such
generally observed behavior is formulated into a statement called natural law. For example, the
observation that the total mass of materials is not affected by chemical change in those
materials is called law of conservation of mass.

Nature of Technology
 The initial nature of technology is for survival. According to Steve Jobs, the pioneer of
microcomputer revolution, the thing that separates us from high primates is that we are tool
builders. A caveman created fire to warm himself, cook food to kill bacteria and protect himself
from predators.

Technology, science of craft, comes from the Greek word techne, is the collection of
techniques, skills, methods and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the
accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Every product of technology
helps human to move forward and make life comfortable.

Nature of Society

Aristotle said that man was a social animal by nature and one who does not live in society
was either a beast or God. Human nature develops in man only when he lives in society, only
when he shares with his fellow beings.

Man lives in society because necessity compels him to. Many of our necessities will be
satisfied by the cooperation of the people in the society. Every individual is offspring of social
relationship established between man and woman. Man is totally dependent for the survival
upon the existence of some sort of society.

Man lives in society for his mental and intellectual development. Society preserves our
culture and transmits it to succeeding generations. It both liberates and limits our potentialities
as individuals and molds our attitudes, our beliefs, our morals and ideals.

The society is made up of community of people. Among these people are Scientist and
technologist. Proceeds from the work of the scientist and technologist are used up by the
society. For instance a bus is first developed by Blaise Pascal, the benefactor of this great
invention is the people in the society. But, exploitation of advanced scientific knowledge and
technological advances give rise to situations in which the society suffers the consequences.

It is important to keep in mind that scientists are human. They have prejudices; they
misinterpret data; they become emotionally attached to their theories and thus lose objectivity;
and they play politics. Sciences are affected by profit motives, budgets, fads, wars, and religious
beliefs. Galileo, for example was forced to recant his astronomical observations in the face of
strong religious resistance.

Relationship Among Science, Technology and Society

Science and technology are the best society could ever ask for. Since the industrial
revolution in the 18th century science has been in progress. Some sectors that have been
boosted by science and technology are energy, physical sciences, information and
communication. The society has greatly gained with the invention of technology.

Without society then there would be no science and technology and that is why the
inventions and innovations have helped achieve big things. The society needs science and
technology to have comfortable life. The creation of computers is work of art by individuals was
a milestone that would come a long way in helping the society. A computer helps us to leverage
ourselves by gaining valuable information that we can use to enrich our lives. The impact of
science and technology can seriously be recognized. Many people around the world take for
example scholars in colleges and universities have taken the lead examining the relationship
between science and technology.

The evaluation of this relationship has emerged as an important area of research. Public
interest groups and academic organizations throughout the world are recognizing the
importance of STS. The reason is that people need to recognize that there are people who are
affected by science and technology. Controversies such as nanotechnology, genetic
engineering and robotics are the issues that have brought policy makers and scientists together
to have a way forward on this.

Science and technology has actually largely contributed to the vision of man about
himself. Science has been modified the opinion about the origin of man and place of origin too.
Through the results of scientific discoveries the perception of man about his behavior and his
place of origin has been modified diversely. Experiments in science today are in one way or
another affecting the society. Take for example, Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui  had conceived
two children through artificial insemination. He had manipulated their genetic material with the
help of the CRISPR/Cas9 "genetic scissors" before implanting the embryos. Ethicists and
experts from a wide range of disciplines sharply criticized he's action. They said he had created
a dangerous precedent and committed a grave ethical breach. Later, the Chinese
government issued strict rules preventing future attempts at germline manipulation.

The developing world has a long tradition of participatory action research, popular
education and community organization joining up to solve some science and technology issues
that affect the society. How science and technology related to the society is something that is
calling even for the government intervention. Science and technology related issues are actually
discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has resulted to the ability to produce diverse types
of material items.

Positive Impacts of Technology on Society

1. Technology Has Mechanized Agriculture

Modern agricultural technology allows a small number of people to grow vast quantities
of food in a short period of time with less input which results into high yields and RIO
return of investment. Through government subsidies, small and medium-sized farmers
have managed to acquire plowing, sowing, watering and harvesting machines. Proper
use of technology in agriculture has also resulted in the manufacturing of genetic crops
which grow fast and are resistant to many pests and diseases. Likewise, when use
responsibly, artificial fertilizers add value to the soil and boost the growth of high quality
crops. Agriculture in dry areas has been made possible through technology. By using
advanced water pumps and sprinklers which derive water from rivers to the farms, For
instance, Egypt can now grow crop by pumping water daily from River Nile to the rice
fields.

2. Technology Has Improved Transportation

Technology has improved transportation:  Transportation is one of the basic

areas of technological activity. Both society and businesses have benefited from the new
transpiration methods. Transportation provides mobility for people and goods.
Transportation, like all other technologies, can be viewed as a system. It is a series of
 parts that are interrelated. These parts all work together to meet a certain goal.
Transportation uses vehicles, trains, airplanes, motorbikes, people, roads, energy,
information, materials, finance and time. All these parts work together to move and
relocate people and goods. Technology has helped in advancing all the four types of
transportation and these include ; (1) road transport used by automobiles ,(2) air
transport which is used by airplanes , (3)water transportation which is used by ships and
speed boats and (4) space transportation used to go to the moon. The most used of all
these is Road transportation, this one facilitates the movement of goods and people.
Technologies like automobiles, buses, and trucks have improved the way humans move
and how they transport their goods from place to another.  Also, developing countries
are getting funds from wealthy countries to improve their road transport which has
resulted in the development of rural remote areas.

3. Technology Has Improved Healthcare Services

From improved operational efficiency to standards in patient care, the healthcare

transformation has enhanced the entire experience for both patients and medical
professionals. Elcom enumerates five of the top healthcare technology and healthcare
industry trends and innovations that are revolutionizing the field.

a)  Availability of Information and big data. The Internet, intranet systems, search
features and the ability for healthcare professionals to rapidly share information have
enhanced the synthesis and analysis of data. “Big data” in healthcare allows the
entire field to benefit from comprehensive research studies.  Their analyses can be
used to identify risk factors and recommend the right preventative treatment by
comparing patient data with data from thousands of other patients;
b)  Medical professionals can now use media such as video, online discussion platforms
and real-time meeting capacities to communicate and advance the spread of
knowledge in the field. Electronic medical records in-house are accessible by all
relevant departments and care providers. This results in improved case
management, treatments and patient recovery;
c)  Electronic medical records allow all patient histories, test results, diagnoses and
relevant information to be stored centrally in an online location. The data allows for
more focused and accurate care as well as the ability to see health trends for each
individual. Medical billing systems allow hospitals, clinics and medical practices to
run much more smoothly;
d) Telemedicine/Telehealth Telemedicine/Telehealth services such as video-
conferencing are becoming cost effective ways to complement local health
services. It is particularly beneficial to those living in rural, regional and remote
communities and requiring regular access to medical specialists who live several
kilometers away; and
e) Mobility and Mobile Apps Mobile software applications (aka mobile apps) are key to
improving accessibility for patients and healthcare professionals. Mobile apps enable
people to easily manage their health and wellbeing; everything from prompting them
to get checkups, to finding general medical information or accessing their test results
securely online 24/7 without having to book in an appointment with their GP and wait
days for results. Healthcare professionals on the other hand, can quickly access
information relating to diseases and drugs, images for clinical matters, continued
education activities and so on.

4. Technology Has Improved Communication

 Communication is used for a number of purposes. Both society and
organizations depend on communication to transfer information.  People use technology
to communicate with each other. Today people can use the internet to get the latest
news from any country around the globe. Services like Twitter or YouTube have enabled
people to become journalists. They can now report news instantly by tweeting or
vlogging. Electronic media like mobile phones, radios, televisions, internet, and social
media have improved the way people exchange and share ideas. People can Skype, or
use Viver or Messenger to send messages or make video call totheir loved ones
instantly. Likewise, finding both old and new friends have become very simple. With
social networks like Facebook or Instagram, one can easily keep up with all his/her old
friends and also make new ones. Politicians use smart phone, radio, television and
internet media to reach the people they want to serve.

5. Technology Has Improved Education and Learning Process

Technology has improved education and learning process: Education is the

backbone of every economy. People need well and organized educational
infrastructures so that they can learn how to interpret information. Many schools have
started integrating educational technologies in their schools with a great aim of
improving the way students learn. Technologies like smart whiteboards, computers,
mobile phones, iPads, projectors, and internet are being used in class rooms to boost
students’ moral to learn. The business community has invested money in various
educational technologies which can be used by both teachers and their students.  For
example, on iPhone App Store or Google Play Store, you will find many educational
applications which can allow students and teachers exchange academic information at
any time, this has made learning mobile.  Also, programs like Long distance learning
have opened boundaries too so many scholars around the world.

6. Technology has Improved Business or Job Opportunities

Modern technology has been prominent in job role creation and the emerging of
technology-based companies. With access to a computer and internet, anyone can start
a business while at home. Most successful technology-based ventures like Amazon or
Facebook started from home but now they employ thousands of people.

7. Technology has Improved Entertainment

Technology has changed the entertainment industry; now people have many
options to choose from. They can have a playlist of 10,000 songs on their smartphone or
you can watch movies on the go with an iPad; the list is endless.

Negative Impacts of Technology on Society

1. Resource Depletion

The more demand for new technologies and advancement of current

technologies, the more pressure is put on earth’s natural resources. The high demand
for more mobile phones or laptops will certainly lead to exploitation of of Mother Nature
for resources like aluminum. Once these resources are extracted from the earth plates,
 they may never return back because it took them a billion years to mature.  That means
that at one time, the world shall be left with no natural resource which can be a problem
to the future generation and economy.  Likewise, the intensive farming practices will
deplete the soil. This makes heavy applications of commercial fertilizers necessary to
yield healthy harvests, but also these fertilizers have chemicals which are dangerous to
the soil and human lives.

2. Increased Pollution

Pollution affects the land we grow crops on, the water we drink and the air we
breathe. The increased demand for new technologies and advancement of technologies
has resulted in many manufacturing and processing factories. As they work so hard to
create the best technologies for both society and business, they release harmful
chemicals and gasses which have polluted our environment and this has resulted in
climate changes (global warming). So the more technology we enjoy, the more we harm
our environment. Experts have tried to implement ways of reducing this impact by
encouraging factories to go green, to a small extent, this has been achieved through the
development of green technologies like; green cars, green computers, but a great effort
is still needed to reduce the pollution of the air and the earth.

3. Cyber-Sickness

With the increased addiction to social networks and internet games, people are
spending more time on computers and reject their normal offline life, resulting in
increased isolation and social imbalance. This social isolation has increased a lot as
more and more people are involved in online interaction. The number of children playing
outdoor games is decreasing due to a lot of options available like video games and
apps.

4. Unemployment

Reduction in employment. Modern technology has replaced many works done

by human beings. Works are being done by machines in more productive and efficient
way thus replacing personnel who used to perform the work.

Science and Technology Fields

1. Life Sciences is a very broad field, it encompasses numerous specializations. It is

commonly defined by sciences that pertain to living organisms like microorganisms, plants,
animals, and most importantly human beings. Some of the well-known fields in the Life
Sciences are Zoology, Botany, Biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, and Biomedical
technologies.

2. Engineering is the field of science that applies both science and math to solve problems. It
concerns the use of technology in practical ways that can advance the human condition.
Some of the fields of engineering include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering,
civil engineering, structural engineering, and industrial engineering.
3. Agriculture is the field of science wherein it concerns with the different techniques of land
cultivation, crop and livestock raising, or otherwise, farming. The Department of Agriculture
(DA) is a government agency responsible for the development of the Philippine's agriculture
by generating policies, investments, and support services which are significant in the local
and export-oriented trade.

4. Aquaculture is the rearing or cultivation of aquatic animals and plants for foods. Oceans
are productive ecosystems on the planet, providing an array of services that directly and
indirectly support economic activity and growth. Services including protection from natural
hazards; weather regulation; shoreline stabilization; carbon sequestration; wild-catch
fisheries; energy from wind, waves and offshore oil; sea bound trade; tourism; and many
others all provide the foundation for an estimated 3 to 5 trillion dollars of annual global
ocean economic activity. 

5. Metal Industry deals with the creation and innovation of metallic and steel products. The
metal/steel industries have shown remarkable technological dynamism over the centuries
and with the growing product innovation, there have been a great significance on the steels'
economic and political influence. The Philippines have become part of the growing
revolution of the industry. The Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) is
a government agency under the Department of Science and Technology that supports the
local metals and engineering industry through support services enhancing the industry's
competitive advantage.

6. Food and Nutrition science is the field of science studying the nature of foods and the
natural changes in them resulting from handling and processing. It is the science concerned
with food and nourishment and the role of nutrients in health. In the Philippines, food and
nutrition research investigates the ideal diet for Filipinos to solve the problem of malnutrition
and the current state of nutrition.

7. Forestry practices planting, managing and taking care of trees. The governing body for the
Philippine forestry is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). During
1987, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was formally established.
Under this department, the Forest Management Bureau was the sector that focuses on
preserving the forest and the harvesting of its resources.

8. Natural disaster preparedness is developed to address disaster risk, since the Philippines
is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to natural disasters. Every year, between six
and nine tropical cyclones make landfall, alongside other extreme events such as floods and
landslides. The Philippines has been investing heavily in critical infrastructure and enabling
tools such as Doppler radars, generating 3D disaster-simulation models from Light
Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology and the wide-scale installation of locally
developed sensors for accurate and timely disaster information nationwide.
9. Health. One aspect of healthcare is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases;
the other pertains to provisions for medical care for people in the community. In the
Philippines, healthcare is under the Department of Health (DOH). This government office is
responsible for organizing public healthcare and making sure that all Filipino citizens have
access to quality health services. This office is also responsible for supervising and funding
researches pertaining to new medicines and medical devices.

ACTIVITY 1

A. Create a slogan that reflects your personal view of science and technology as good or
bad, both, or neutral. You can use different art materials to make it visually appealing and
impactful.

B. Draw a diagram showing the relationship among science, technology and society. Write
down 2-3 sentences to explain your diagram.

C. Write five negative impacts of technology and come up with guidelines to resolve the
issues.

Negative Impact

1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________________

Guidelines

1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________________
 SELF-TEST 1

Name :____________________________ Score:_________

Year/Course:_______________________ Date:__________

Multiple Choice. Write the letter of the best answer on the space provided.

___1. It is the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

A. Science C. Society
B. Technology D. Biology

___2. It is a test or trial performed in order to discover something that can change or influences
the results of an inquiry.
A. Problem C. Hypothesis
B. Experiment D. conclusion

___3. It is an educated guess about a possible solution or answer to a problem.

A. Hypothesis C. Law
B. Theory D. Observation

___4. ________ is sequence of steps involved in performing an experiment

A. Procedure C. Result and discussion
B. Conclusion D. Scientific method

___5. The Philippines is one of the top producers of tuna in world. Which of the following field
concerns the production of tuna in our country?
A. Agriculture C. Engineering
B. Aquaculture D. Zoology

___6. Philippines is one of the vulnerable countries in the world. Which field was developed to
address risk resiliency?
A. Forestry C. Natural disaster preparedness
B. Health D. Engineering

___7. Which of the following Philippine executive department responsible for forest and wildlife
protection?
A. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources
B. Department of Agriculture
C. Department of Health
D. Department of Science and Technology

___8. Which is the first step in the Scientific Method?

a) Form a hypothesis b) Research the problem
 c) State the problem d) Interpret data

___9. It is an explanation of an aspect of the natural phenomena that can be repeatedly tested
and verified in accordance with the scientific method,
A. Hypothesis C. Observation
B. Theory D. Law

___10. Which of the following must you consider?

a) choose a problem you don’t know the answer to
b) choose a problem you can work with
c) choose a problem you know the answer to
d) All of the above

___11. Which of the following resources can be used as reference?

a) World Wide Web c) Newspapers
b) Books d) All of the above

___12. Which of the following is NOT a field of life sciences?

A. Botany
B. Zoology
C. Biotechnology
D. Engineering

___13. A Biophysicist who manipulated genetic material of his two children through artificial
insemination.
A. He Jiankui C. Aristotle
B. Albert Einstein D. Steve Jobs

___14. Belinda record the result of her observation during an experiment without biased and
personal prejudice. She developed the attitude of _______.
A. Responsibility C. Collaboration
B. Persistent D. Objectivity

___15. Which of the following scientific attitudes describe social and moral personal and
accountability of scientist
a) Precision
b) Persistence
c) Responsibility
d) objectivity
EXERCISE 1

Draw a diagram showing the relationship among science, technology and society.

Write down 2-3 sentences to explain your diagram.

Rubrics:

MODULE 2

HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS IN THE COURSE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss the paradigm shift through history
2. Explain how science and technology affected the society and vice versa
3. Identify inventions and discoveries that changed the world over the course of history
4. Explain how industrial revolution change the ways of human life

Introduction

This lesson will give light to the development of Science and scientific ideas in the heart
of the society. It explores the dynamic interactions between different societal factors on science
and technology. Along with the discussion of this antecedent during the ancient period, middle
ages and modern ages, it also discussed Philippine invention and innovations. It is the goal of
this lesson to articulate ways by which society is transformed by science and technology.

The development of science and technology is as old as mankind. From the genesis of
time science has existed. It is always interwoven with the society. It indeed plays major roles in
the everyday life.

The birth of technology was when the first human-like species, Homo habilis made sharp
cutting edges from stone. Later, Homo neanderthals or cave men used tools and weapons and
were the very successful ancestors of Homo sapiens.

Many features of civilization emerged gradually as agricultural economics developed. The

invention of tools increased agricultural production, which led both to new job specializations. A
more complex economy also created new needs for more formal governments and better
methods communication and record keeping.

ANCIENT TIMES

12
The Sumerian Civilization

The first civilization emerged in Sumer, the southern region of ancient Mesopotamia
(Iraq and Kuwait) about 3500 B.C.E. Between the desert of Arabian Peninsula, running from the
eastern Mediterranean cost to the plains of great Tigris and Euphrates rivers lays a fertile soil
that generated several features characteristic of civilization including system of farming, writing,
expanded cities, complex social structure, distinctive religious beliefs and artistic styles. It was
so flat that it was open to invasion, leading to the rise and fall of the empire.

Many technical innovations are attributed to the Sumerians. Among these are:
1. Cuneiform is the first form of writing developed by Sumerian. It was a
system that utilizes word pictures and triangular symbols, baked on
clay tablets, which were turned into symbols and gradually
transformed into phonetic elements. It recorded data, generated
scientific knowledge and promoted trade.

2. The wheel around 4500 BC the wheel and axle combination became
the most important invention of all time. The Sumerians were able to
invent the wheels not intended for transportation but for farm work and
food processes.

3. The first successful efforts to control the flood of water and to grow
crops were developed by Sumerian. An irrigation system was
usually made up of canals, dikes, basins, dams, and levees. Water
was stored in basins or dikes, along the fields for the crops. The
canals, levees, and dams were used to stop flooding.

4. Cities and temple complexes, with their famous ziggurats were all built
using oven-baked bricks of clay which were then painted. A ziggurat
is a type of massive structure and it has the form of a terraced
compound of successively receding stories or levels.

5. The invention of the plow helped them provide their city-states with a

stable food supply. Before farmers invented the plow, they used
animal horns or pointed sticks to poke holes in the earth. 

Source:
https://www.ancienthistorylist
s.com/mesopotamia-history/t
op-10-sumerian-inventions-
followed-many-civilizations/

13
Babylonian Civilization

A civilization derived from Sumerian culture around 1800 B.C.E. the Babylonian Empire
arose and again unified much of Mesopotamia. This empire was headed by Hammurabi which
sets the Hammurabi’s law. The Babylonians went on to greatly influence Mesopotamian culture.
More importantly, they had a great impact on the history of western civilization. Among the most
important contributions of Babylonia are the first ever positional number system;
accomplishments in advanced mathematics; laying the foundation for all western astronomy;
and impressive works in art, architecture and literature.

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built on the banks of the Euphrates
river. It may never have existed except in the imagination of Greek poets and historians
although archaeologists claim to have found the remains of its walls. Most scholars attribute its
construction to King Nebuchadnezzar II to console his Median wife, Amytis, who missed the
mountains and greenery of her home land. The Gardens didn't really "hang" but were built on
terraces which were part of the ziggurat and was irrigated by water lifted up from the Euphrates.
There is not a single mention of a "hanging garden" in the Babylon cuneiform record but this is
probably because it was considered part of the ziggurat structure and not a separate entity in
itself.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon

Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian civilization formed by 3000 B.C.E along the Nile River. They benefited from
trade and technological influence from Mesopotamia, but they produced a very different society
and culture. More stable that Sumer and protected from the main invasion route by desert,
Egyptian civilization flourished for more than 2000 years before beginning to decline about 1000
B.C.E.

14
Many inventions and developments of Science and Technology are attributed to Egyptian.
Among these are:

1. The Egyptians kept written records using a writing system

known as hieroglyphics. Some writing was preserved on
stone or clay, and some was preserved on papyrus, a paper-
like product made from reed fiber. Papyrus is very fragile, but
due to the hot and dry climate of Egypt, a few papyrus
documents have survived.

2. Building pyramid, such as the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx

in Giza, and temples for different gods required a centralized
government that could command vast resources.

3. Egyptians cosmetics reflected their social class, so they

devoted a lot of time to their personal appearance. Wigs were
often worn not only for style purposes but also as protection as
people needed to protect their skin from the dry climate and
strong sun. 

Mummification is a process in which the skin and

4. Flesh of a corpse can be preserved. They wanted to
preserve their pharaoh because they believe in afterlife.
When a pharaoh died, his life force would leave his body,
but only temporarily. It was important to preserve the body
because the spirit would return.

5. The Egyptians were among the first to divide their days

into parts. They invented the first portable clock which was
so lightweight that people could carry it with them.

Source:
https://www.ancienthistorylists.co
m/egypt-history/top-10-
inventions-discoveries-ancient-
egypt/

Greek Civilization

Greek civilization began to take shaped around 800 B.C.E. on the peninsula and island
of Greece and in the surrounding territory in the eastern Mediterranean.

15
1. Water mills have been used all over the world for the
purpose of metal shaping, agriculture and, most
importantly, milling. This in turn led to the production of
edible food staples like rice, cereals, pulses, flour, and so
on.

2. Odometer, measures the distance traveled by a vehicle

such as a bicycle or automobile. It was invented by
Archimedes of Syracuse

Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. It

has played an important role in travel and navigation since
ancient times.

3. Hippocrates was an ancient Greek physician of the

Classical age and was considered one of the most
outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He was
referred to as the father of Western medicine in
recognition of his lasting contributions to the field and was
the founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine.

Source: https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/greek-history/

Roman Civilization

Roman and Greek achievements in science and technology were closely intertwined but
somewhat Roman had more focused on engineering. Roman used and copied Greek Science,
monumental architectural styles, sculpture and drama.

1. Romans are the first to set an arch on top of tall pedestal.

These arches went on to become pivotal engineering
constructions that the foundation for building bridges,
aqueducts, sewer, amphitheater and coliseum

2. The first Roman aqueducts were built around 312 BC and

from then on took off as an engineering marvel that used
the downhill flow of water to supply the city centers.

16
3. Roman numerals originated in ancient Rome. Constituting
one of the most popular numbering systems still in use
today, the first use of these numbers dates back to
somewhere between 900 and 800 BC. 

4. Rome was the first to establish a sophisticated system of

circulating written news which it published the Acta Diurna
(“Daily Events”). The majority of the content in the Acta
Diurna usually comprised of political news, trials, military
campaigns, executions and major scandals.

5. The revolutionary concrete developed by the Romans

helped to build impeccable and lasting structures, playing a
huge part in the architectural accession of ancient Rome. 

Source:
https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/r
ome-history/top-10-ancient-roman-
inventions/

Chinese Civilization

Chinese civilization started along Huanghe or yellow river. Established by nomadic

warriors and lasted for six centuries. The vital irrigation systems that earlier inhabitants of the
yellow river basin had begun were greatly expanded and improved. They also developed a
system of writing that has proved critical identity, unity and civilized development among the
chines

Science and Technology development arose in this era. Among these are:

1. Silk was widely used in a variety of sectors including

writing, fishing, and for musical instruments. It was
dominantly used by emperors and high-class society but
later it spread to the rest of the population. 

2. Tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shennong in

2737 BC. During a march, while they were resting, his
servant prepared some boiling water for him. A brown leaf

17
 fell into the water and the water turned brown. The servant
presented it to the emperor, he drank it and found it
refreshing.

3. The Chinese used silk or paper and lightweight bamboo

framework to make kites. Paper kites were being used to
carry messages for rescue missions, to test the wind,
measure distance, and for military communication.

4. The Chinese considered south their cardinal direction, and

the original compass was created by the Chinese using a
lodestone to point south. This was called the south pointer.

5. Invention of the wheelbarrow can be credited to prime

minister Zhuge Liangof Shu Han. It was created the
wheelbarrow to carry military weapons and to move injured
and dead soldiers from the battlefield.

6. Han dynasty invented the first seismograph called

“Houfeng Didong” to measure the movements of the earth
and seasonal winds. 

7. The first chemical explosive known as a gunpowder or

black powder was made from sulfur, charcoal, and
potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Gunpowder wasn’t a sudden
invention. The Chinese used gunpowder and gunpowder-
based weaponry as a military defense.

8. The Great Wall of China was built by the first emperor of

China, Qin Shi Huang to protect the country from northern
invaders. 

Source:
https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/c
hina-history/top-18-ancient-chinese-
inventions/

18
 MEDIEVAL AGES

The Medieval Era, often called The Middle Ages or the Dark Ages, began just before
500 A.D. following a great loss of power throughout Europe by the Roman Emperor. The Middle
Ages span roughly 1,000 years, ending around 1450 A.D.

1. Building great Cathedrals as there was a huge rise in Christianity

The role of the cathedral is chiefly to serve God in
the community, through its hierarchical and
organizational position in the church structure. The
building itself, by its physical presence, symbolizes
both the glory of God and of the church.

https://www.google.com/search?q=image+of+great+cathedral

2. Building great castles for local nobility

A castle was a fortress built to protect strategic

locations from enemy attack or to serve as a
military base for invading armies.
People seeking protection from invading armies
built villages around established castles. Local
nobility took the safest residences for themselves,
inside the castle walls. 
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-castle-architecture

3. Astrolabe was an important Medieval invention, They were used by navigators, astronomers
who studied the movement of celestial bodies

https://www.google.com/search?q=image+of+astrolabe&rlz=

19
4. Printing. Spreading knowledge and information was a very slow process before the invention
of typography. Johannes Gutenberg developed the first mechanical printing machine in the
1440s. The first printed book was the Bible in 1456 with a run of 150 copies.

5. The telescope was invented by Dutchman Hans

Lippershey. In 1610, using his improved design,
Galileo Galilei was able to prove that the Earth
revolved around the Sun. This confirmed the ideas
of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus but it
angered the Catholic Church who had adopted the
idea that the Earth was at the center of everything.

https://www.google.com/
image+of+telescope+during+medieval+peri
od&tbm=isch&source

6. The microscope Looking at small things became possible when a Dutch maker of
spectacles, Hans Janssen and his son, put glass lenses together in 1590 to make a primitive
microscope. Anton van Leeuwenhoek took this invention a step further in 1676 with a
magnification of 270 times and discovered tiny single-celled creatures in pond water. Ultimately,
this helped our understanding of microorganisms and disease.

https://www.google.com/search=image+of+microscope+in+the+mwdieval

6. Lightning conductor In1752, Benjamin Franklin, the American statesman, philosopher

and scientist proved that lightning was a form of electricity when he flew a kite in a

20
 thunderstorm. Around 1754, Franklin and the Czech scientist, ProkopDiviš
independently developed the lighting conductor to protect buildings from being hit and
damaged by lighting.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNY

8. Mechanical clock

Among the traditional time-keeping devices used at the time were water clocks,

candle clocks, the use of astrolabes for determining time and sundials. It was during the
High Middle Ages that new methods of time-keeping were discovered and new instruments
discovered for the purpose.

9. Eyeglasses

When eyeglasses were first produced, they were known as iteros ab oculis ad legend or

“glasses that are for reading. Physical evidence for the use of spectacles during the Concave
glass is used to correct nearsightedness, so that the rays of light are diverged. Convex lenses
are used to aid the correction of farsightedness, so that the light rays are converged. Cylindrical
lenses used to correct astigmatism were invented by Sir George Airy in 1825.

21
 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNY_ eye+glassestheir+uses+inmiddle+age

MODERN ERA

The First Industrial Revolution

The Modern period is a cultural movement that has a lasting impact on the world. The
Romantic period provoked everyone to rebellion and two of the greatest revolutions, the American
and French, were an outcome of that period. Thus, the Modern period was born when the
Romantics faded out and this shift in culture changed the world forever. Modernism changed the
way people lived in a number of different reasons, but there are three that stood out from the rest.

The Modern Era changed the world through literature, producing some of the greatest
works in history, through technology and science, this new scientific movement invented
groundbreaking technology, and lastly through wars, people realized that being ruled by one all-
powerful monarchy is not the way they want to live. A lot of credit can go to the Enlightenment and
Romantic periods, but the Modern period shaped the world so radically that it would not be the
same without it.

Modern history is the history of the world beginning after the Middle Ages. Generally the
term "modern history" refers to the history of the world since the advent of the Age of Reason
and the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries and the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution.

The early modern period is roughly around the 1500s - 1800s. It begins with European
exploration and ends around the period of the French Revolution. The late modern
period follows the early modern period and ends around World War 2.

22
https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/steps/education/msc/courses/162261sciencetechnmodernsociet/

The First Industrial Revolution

Steam power. This era saw the development of steam engines to power factory machinery.
Heating water in a boiler to make steam to power a vehicle was a major technological advance.
James Watt is recognized as the inventor of the steam engine in 1765. Water could be pumped
out of mines and industrial processes speeded up. George Stephenson’s, Rocket was the first
locomotive to pull heavy loads a long distance. This led to the rapid expansion of railways
throughout Britain and the world. The combination of iron and steam paved the way for the great
Victorian engineering projects of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He designed bridges, tunnels,
viaducts and ships.

https/
www..historyhit,com/key imventions

https://www.google.com/search1C1CHNphotography

23
 Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording
light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or
chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film.

A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their
seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are then
processed into various cotton goods such as linens, while any undamaged cotton is used
largely for textiles like clothing.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYCotton+gin&stick

Typewriters were a very good way to write books. Typewriters were much more
comfortable than writing in hand. This helped the industrial revolution by allowing people to write
manuals for the workers and mass produce them much easier.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz+impact+of+typewriter

In the 1880s, when the typewriter was first adopted in many offices, America was a

country in the throes of rapid change. The way in which the typewriter was adopted reflected
changes in women's roles, new ideas about the organization of work, and the rapidly growing
corporations of the day.

Telegraph

Samuel F. B. Morse created the telegraph in 1836. This invention changed the face of
communication. Instant communication became possible between the east and west coasts and
allowed people to know what was happening. This would revolutionize media and personal. It
worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations communication.
The telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication.

Each new communications technology has had a greater impact on society than the one
before. The telegraph changed society indirectly, by transforming the workings of government

24
and industry. But the telephone and radio had direct impacts on people's working and social
lives.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYAbS35jACg&q=i+imaget+of+telegraph

Sewing Machine

Elias Howe created the sewing machine in 1844. This forever changed the way clothes
were made and allowed the mass production of clothing. Before this it was most common for
women to make all of the clothes for their families. Only the very wealthy could afford to have a
tailor or seamstress make custom clothing of the latest fashion. It was later improved upon and
patented by Isaac Singer

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYwAOgib6wBw&qsewing+machine

Power Loom

Edmund Cartwright invented the power loom in 1785. It dramatically changed the way
cloth was woven by making it much easier. It would take almost another fifty years and several
alterations by other inventors before it would become commonly used.

The power loom, which partially automated textile weaving, was one of the most
important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. The loom and associated equipment went into
operation in 1817, and with Lyman's encouragement, Gilmour made his design freely available
to other mechanics.

25
 https://www.google.com/search?q=power+loom+image&rlz=1C1CHNY

Power looms reduced demand for skilled handweavers, initially causing reduced wages
and unemployment. Protests followed their introduction. For example, in 1816 two thousand
rioting Calton weavers tried to destroy power loom mills and stoned the workers.

THE SECOND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Bulb. In 1879, Thomas Edison’s invented electric

light bulbs for cheaper, opt for clean and
convenient electric lights. To sell bulbs, energy was
needed, so Edison’s Electric Illumination Company
built their own power station in New York.

https://www.google.com/search?
rlz=1C1CHNYiimage+of+bulb+in+secon
d+industrial+revolution&tbm

The telephone. This is an invention that made money. Alexander Graham Bell was the
first in the race to patent a machine in 1876 that you could use to talk to someone on the other
side of the world. Admittedly, it was initially from one room to another. The message was “Mr.
Watson, come here, I want you”. A year later in 1877 he set up his company and demonstrated
long distance calls.

26
 https://www.google.com/search?
rlz=1C1CHNYimage+of+telephone+in+second+industrial+revolution

The motor car. Until the 1860s all prototype motor cars were steam driven. German
inventor Nicolas Otto created an improved internal combustion engine in 1876 and this is still
the way cars work today. In 1885, the first car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, was developed by
Karl Benz. It was a long time before cars became common. Petrol, a cleaning fluid, was only
available from the chemist. Famous names such as Rolls Royce and Henry Ford developed the
technology; Rolls Royce for the rich and Henry Ford for the man in the street.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNY_ imageof+motor i+second industrial+revolution

The movies. It has been only just over one hundred years since the first movie, or film,
was shown by the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière at the Grand Café in Paris. The
terrifying film was entitled The Arrival of a Train at Ciotat Station. In 1889, George Eastman
pioneered celluloid film with holes punched in the side so that the movie camera could show the
film precisely frame by frame.

27
 htt
ps://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNY_image+of+movies+
+in+second+industrial+revolution

X-rays Science is impressive when something is discovered that cannot be seen. In

1895, German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen working with electrical discharges in glass tubes
noticed that there was a faint glow on a nearby screen. These rays were invisible and could
pass through most materials. He also recorded them on photographic paper and thus the first X-
ray image was developed. He quickly realized the medical potential of his discovery. Henri
Becquerel discovered radioactivity in 1896 while trying to find more out about X-rays. Marie
Curie, a Polish born French chemist and physicist and two times Nobel Prize winner, is best
remembered for her research into radioactivity and new radioactive elements.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNY-QaWha+image+of++x-ray+machine

Communications Radio waves travel in all directions at an incredible 300 000 km per
second. The German physicist Heinrich Hertz was the first to prove they existed but it was
Guglielmo Marconi who set up the world’s first radio stations to transmit and receive Morse
code. In 1896, he sent the first message across the Atlantic from Cornwall to Newfoundland. He
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. It was not until 1915 that engineers were able
to transmit sound effectively. The first clear television pictures to be transmitted were sent by
Scottish-born John Logie Baird. He founded the Baird Television Company Limited and worked
on programs for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).

28
 https://www.google.com/search?
rlz=1C1CHNYof+communication+radio+in+second+industrial+revolution

Flight. At the turn of the century, in 1903, two bicycle repairmen from Ohio, Wilbur and
Orville Wright built and flew the first really successful airplane near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
From that time progress was rapid and the military advantages of flight were realized in WWI.

https:/
/www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYi+image+ofcommunication+radio

Rockets and space flights. The earliest rockets were used in China in the 11th century
but by the 19th century speed and accuracy were much improved. Knowledge of astronomy
meant that scientists knew the relative movements of the planets in relation to the Earth. A
Russian mathematics teacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was the first person to draw up plans for
space stations and air locks to allow space walks. He correctly calculated that a rocket would
have to travel at 8 km per second to leave the atmosphere and that liquid rocket fuel would be
essential. American scientist Robert Goddard not knowing of Tsiolkovsky’s ideas, independently
developed liquid fuelled rockets from 1926. Ultimately, NASA took up the challenge but the
Russians eventually won the race to put a man into orbit. Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth in 1961.
In the US, NASA scientists redressed the balance in the space race with their moon landing in
1969.

29
 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYspace+flights+in+second+industrial+revolution

The atomic bomb. Science and technological advances can be seen as good or bad.
The invention of gunpowder must have seemed like that. In 1932, physicists John Cockcroft and
Earnest Walton did the impossible. They proved Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and
unlocked the secrets of the atomic nucleus. Splitting the atom was a brilliant scientific
achievement. However, It allowed scientists to develop the atomic bomb that was used to
destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to end the WWII in 1945.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNYatomic+bomb++in+second+industrial+revolution

THE THIRD SCIENTIFIC-TECHNICAL REVOLUTION

After the WWII new discoveries and advances in science and technology came thick and
fast. Plastics were developed for the first time. In 1949, the first practical programmed electronic
computer ran mathematical problems. It fitted into one room! In the 1960s, the electronic silicon
chip was invented, computers became smaller and more powerful. In 1984, the CD was born
and the digital revolution began.

The worldwide web has given us access to billions of documents with information and
images as well as online shopping and banking.

30
 Mobile telephone technology means we have instant contact with friends and family.
During this period, there have also been huge advances in genetics since the discovery of the
structure of DNA in 1953. Today, genetic engineering and nanotechnology show fast growth
trends and, also, are big business

12 Filipino Inventions of All Times – Inventions of the Philippines

Posted on December 21, 2020

1. Patis
Patis (fish sauce) has been around for lower than 100 years. It was found by Aling
Tentay, also called Ruperta David after the Japanese occupation. Aling Tentay used the
juice of fish fragments from the dried fish they promote available in the market, Filipino
inventions.

After some modifications, patis was invented. It was registered in 1949 as a product of
Tentay Food and Sauces. Its pungent saltiness has change into the basis of
Vietnamese and Thai fish sauce, which they eat and incorporate into their menus.

2. Erythromycin
Erythromycin, is a macrolide antibiotic that was offered as an alternative choice to
penicillin. This was found by Abelardo Aguilar, a health care provider who noticed the
antibacterial actions of the Aspergillus species of fungi in his hometown in Iloilo.

He then despatched samples to his employer, Eli Lilly Co. The antibacterial motion was
additionally developed by the Indiana-based company which marketed the antibiotic
below the brand name Ilosone, in honor of the place it was found.

3. Yo-yo
The phrase yo-yo is an Ilocano phrase that suggests “come back”. It was a weapon that
had been utilized by natives for 400 years. However, the deadly model was massive
and had sharp edges and studs.

It was additionally hooked up to thick 20-feet long ropes for flinging at enemies or prey.
The modern model was designed by a legislation undergraduate named, Pedro Flores.
It was fabricated from lighter supplies (wooden and cotton stings) and was mass-
produced within the United States, Filipino inventions.

31
4. Jeepneys
Jeepneys are the king of the Philippine roads. It was created by Filipinos from the US
army jeeps after the Americans left the nation after the struggle. These surplus jeeps
are stripped down and made longer to accommodate a number of passengers on the
back, Filipino inventions.

Metal roofs present shade to the passengers whereas colorful decorations adorn it
inside and outside. It offered reasonably priced transportation that may transfer in
regards to the bumpy roads that paved the post-war Philippines.

5. Panabas
The panabas is a big, forward-curved sword, utilized by sure ethnic teams within the
southern Philippines. Its size diversified from two to 4 feet and was both wielded with
one hand or with each Filipino inventions.

It was used as a fighting weapon, as an execution tool, and as a display of energy.

Occasional use as an agricultural and butchering tool has additionally been famous.
The sword’s name is a shortening of the phrase “pang-tabas”, which suggests
“chopping tool”. As such, its etymological origins are the basis phrase tabas (“to chop
off”).

6. Medical Incubator
An improvised medical incubator was invented by pediatrician Fe del Mundo. This was
made up of two native laundry baskets of various sizes positioned one inside the
opposite. Hot water bottles have been positioned throughout between them to offer
heat.

There was additionally a makeshift hood over the overlapping baskets to permit oxygen
to flow the inside. It was created to deal with the wants of rural areas with no electrical
energy that’s wanted to control new child infants’ body temperature.

7. Quink Quick Drying Ink

The Quink fast-drying ink’ was invented by Francisco Quisumbing, a chemist. It was an
innovative ink at the moment and was additionally developed to work with Parker Pens,
Filipino inventions.

Aside from being fast drying, it was additionally water resistant, didn’t clog the pen
opening, doesn’t blot, and won’t fade. It was manufactured in 4 colors – black, green,
red and blue. It is taken into account as one of the perfect promoting ink for fountain
pens of the millennium.

32
8. Modular Housing System
Rapid urbanization and poor development have left loads of Pinoys homeless within the
city. This inspired Edgardo Vasquez to make the modular housing system.

This made use of pre-fabricated supplies that may face up to typhoons and earthquakes
with Filipino inventions.

9. Spike Game
The spike is a volleyball approach developed by Filipino gamers within the first half of
the 20th century and was often known as the “Manila Bomb”.

10. Karaoke
The musical inclination of Pinoys has spurred Roberto del Rosario to invent the karaoke
sing-along system. Karaoke is definitely a Japanese time period that suggests singing
alongside a popular document with its unique vocals eliminated.

His sing alongside system was a compact audio machine that had a microphone, an
amplifier speaker, cassette tape mechanisms, a microphone mixer that had options that
enhanced voice, and an optional radio tuner.

11. Videophone
The plight of the listening to the impaired inspired Gregorio Zara, a physicist, to create
the first videophone. It was formally often known as the picture telephone sign separator
network.

Five years after he created the machine, AT&T developed it and offered it to the general
public in 1970. Current fashions of videophones now are primarily based on the
preliminary invention of Zara.

12. 16-Bit Microchip

Diosdado Banatao developed the first single-chip graphical user interface accelerator
that made computer systems workloads sooner. This invention has allowed computer
customers to make use of graphics for instructions and never the standard typed
instructions in older computer systems.

It has allowed knowledge processing to be a bit sooner utilizing little or no house (small
chips as an alternative to huge boards).

Source:

https://www.inventiongen.com/filipino-inventions/
MODULE 3

33
 INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTION THAT DEFINED SOCIETY

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Identify the intellectual revolutions that shaped society’s across time;
2. Discuss how the ideas postulated by Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud changed the
way how humans see the world
3. Explain why most intellectual ideas controversial

INTRODUCTION

This section reviews the intellectual revolutions that changed the way people perceive
the influence of science on society in general. It focuses on the most intellectual revolutions in
history: Copernican, Darwinian and Freudian. By discussing these topics in the context of
science, technology and society, the attention of students are drawn again toward the complex
interplay of the various social contexts and the development of modern science. The section
also engages students in a critical analysis of ongoing intellectual and scientific revolutions,
which they may find themselves to be part of.

Human beings have undertaken scientific activities in order to understand how the
nature works. They have persistently studied physical and natural world to find meaning and
answers to their question. Over the years, society has been reformed by new ideas of science.
We learn more and more about global warming, outer space, and technology. However, this
pattern of gaining knowledge did not pick up significantly until the Scientific Revolution. In the
sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution started, which concerned the fields
of astronomy, mechanics, and medicine. These new scientists used mathematics and
observations strongly contradicting religious thought at the time, which was dependent on the
Aristotelian-Ptolemy theory.

Source: http://www.actforlibraries.org/difference-between-heliocentric-and-geocentric-
models-of-the-universe/

34
 The geocentric model of the universe was formulated by the Greek philosopher
Ptolemy(tolemy) around 140 AD. The sun, moon, planets and stars all revolved around the
earth in circular orbits. There were problems with this model because the planets do not move
on circular orbits and they wander among stars. Their speed varies, their orbits wobble, and
they occasionally reverse their direction of travel, what is known as "retrograde" motion. At that
time it was believed that planetary motion must be based on circles. Plato had argued that
heavenly bodies were governed by different laws than those that governed the motion of objects
on earth.

The Copernican Revolution

The view of geocentric universe could not answers irregularities of the movement of the
earth, until the early sixteenth century when the Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus,
develop a different model. According to him, the apparent movement of the heavens was an
illusion, caused by the movement of the observer. He went on to argue that the wandering
motion of the planets could be explained if they were orbiting the sun rather than the earth. This
led to heliocentric theory that the earth was itself just another planet orbiting the sun. This idea
was rejected at first by public. It shocked many since their religious belief taught them the Earth
was created first before all other things. He was even persecuted as a heretic because his
teachings were against what was widely accepted by religion at that time. After some time,
astronomers realized that the Copernicus model simplified the orbits for planets. It also
answered issues that could not be explained using the geocentric model.

Being a distinguished churchman, Copernicus knew how tenaciously it held geocentric

theory. In proposing heliocentric theory, he was not just challenging orthodox science; he was
challenging the established religious view of reality, which in those days held even greater sway
than the scientific view. So, fearing the wrath of the church, he kept his ideas to himself for thirty
years. Only as he was nearing death, he finally decided to publish his book On the Revolutions
of the Celestial Spheres. This is the start of scientific revolution a period which was called the
birth of modern astronomy which resulted in the transformation of society’s thoughts and
beliefs. But his book was immediately placed on the list of forbidden books.

Other works that supported this model started to emerged as well. After eighty years, an
Italian scientist Galileo Galilee took up an interest in planetary motions. Utilizing the newly
invented telescope, he found convincing evidence in favor of the Copernican model. He saw
that Venus had phases, just like the moon, when only half, or just a crescent, of it would be lit,
which is what would happen if Venus orbited the sun. He also found that Jupiter had its own
moons in orbit around it, dispelling the idea that everything went around the earth. Under threat
of torture, he was forced to detest the absurd view that the earth moves around the sun. He was
then put under house-arrest so that he could be watched and remained there till his death.

A German mathematician, Johannes Kepler, put into place another key piece of the
puzzle. He formulated three major laws of planetary motion, conventionally designated as
follows: (1) the planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus; (2) the time necessary
to traverse any arc of a planetary orbit is proportional to the area of the sector between the
central body and that arc; and (3) there is an exact relationship between the squares of the
planets’ periodic times and the cubes of the radii of their orbits.

35
 Kepler himself did not call these discoveries “laws,” as
would become customary after Isaac Newton derived his
mathematical description of gravity for planetary motion.
He regarded them as celestial harmonies that reflected
God’s design for the universe.

Kepler and Newton’s discoveries turned Nicolaus

Copernicus’s Sun-centred system into a dynamic universe,
with the Sun actively pushing the planets around in
noncircular orbits.
https://earthsky.org/human-world/
johannes-kepler-birthday-dec-27-
1571

Darwinian Revolution

Charles Robert Darwin, English naturalist popularized theory of evolution by natural

selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies. In 1859, he published his book
entitled “On the Origin of Species.” His theory sets about explaining the progressive changes
that occur within species down the generations, as well as the formation of new species, when
environmental pressures have differential effects on the reproductive success of all individuals.
However, this theory became very controversial as people perceived it to be against the
church’s teaching that the source of life is a powerful Creator and that God created us and all
other forms of living things during creation week. His theory developed at a time when most
people believed and accepted the Biblical version of creation. This conflict resulted to division
among many – some believed that the theory explained the origin of life, but the religious group
strongly contested it. The conflict even resulted to massive debate between science and
religion. It was only after some time that people came to understand that Darwin’s theory of
evolution was not in fact against the teaching of the church and both can coexist.

Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/sep/18/c
harles-darwin-victorian-mythmaker-review-an-
wilson

36
Darwin's Observations

1. All species have such great potential fertility that their population size would increase
exponentially if all individuals will reproduce successfully.

2. Populations tend to remain stable in size, except for seasonal fluctuations.

3. Environmental resources for things such as food and shelter are limited.

4. Individuals of a population vary extensively in their characteristics which impacts upon

their own ability to survive and reproduce.

5. Much of this variation is genetic and is therefore heritable.

Inferences drawn from observations

1. Due to the limited resources, there is a struggle for existence among individuals - often
with only a fraction of offspring surviving through each generation to reproduce
successfully.

2. It is not a random process that determines which individuals will reproduce and which
will not, as it depends in part on the genetic / hereditary constitution of those surviving
individuals. Those individuals whose inherited characteristics best suit them to that
environment in which they live are likely to have more offspring than those that are not
so well adapted to the environment. This, by definition, is natural selection.

3. The unequal ability between individuals to survive and reproduce will lead to gradual
evolution of the population, with favorable characteristics accumulating over the
generations through natural selection.

Natural selection shapes adaptations and differentiates between the reproductive

success of individuals. Adaptations are anatomical structures, physiological processes, or
patterns of behavior that contribute to ancestral survival through the unique suitability of those
traits(Crawford, 1998).

Theory of Natural Selection

1. Natural selection is differential success in reproduction.

2. Natural selection occurs through an interaction between the environment and the
variability inherent among the individual organisms making up a population.

3. The product of natural selection in the adaptation of populations of organisms to their

environments.

Theory of Evolution

1. Evolution is not progressive - Evolution is not designed to produce the best quality
products, it only seeks to design adaptations 'that will do the job' most efficiently and

37
 economically. Therefore, evolution used the 'mammal template' throughout the
development of all mammal species - eg. pentadactyl limbs, mammary glands, spinal
curvature, pelvis structure - and made the necessary modifications to suit the niche that
species lived in.

2. Evolution is not an argument for the status quo - Evolution does not dictate why things
are the way they are. It must be remembered that some of the animals features may be
by-products of the evolution of an unrelated adaptation.

3. Evolution provides constraints - What has gone before sets physical limits on what we
can do now. This is seen in the fact that we learn some things much more readily than
others. In this sense evolution has also constrained what things we are able to perceive
and attend to.
4. Evolution provides complexity from simplicity - Species that depend on each other for
food (predator - prey relationships) often enter into 'arms races', as they try to outdo
each other.

To understand the origin of whales, it's

necessary to have a basic understanding of how
natural selection works. Natural selection can
change a species in small ways, causing a
population to change color or size over the course
of several generations. This is called
"microevolution". Given enough time and enough
accumulated changes, natural selection can create
entirely new species, known as "macroevolution."
It can turn dinosaurs into birds, amphibious
mammals into whales and the ancestors of apes
into human.

Source:https://reason.kzoo.edu/biology/cour
ses/BIOL102/

Freudian Revolution

In the late 19th century, Sigmund Freud was able to change people’s perception of
psychology with his revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis. In the past psychology was
considered more of an art rather than a science. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist
and the founder of psychoanalysis. His work and theories helped shape our views of childhood,
personality, memory, sexuality, and therapy. His ideas have become interwoven into the fabric
of our culture, with terms such as "Freudian slip", "repression", and "denial" appearing regularly
in everyday language.

38
 Source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html

Psychoanalysis is the study that explains human behavior. Freud explained that there
are many conscious and unconscious factors that can influence behavior and emotions. He
argued further that personality is a product of three conflicting elements: id, ego and superego.
Some scientist however, criticized the legitimacy of psychoanalysis as a science since its
concept was more of philosophical and supernatural and that it has no scientific basis as no
empirical or experimental data could support it. Despite criticisms, Freud still continued refining
his work and in fact tried to explain how psychoanalysis can be a clinical method in treating
some mental disorders. Eventually, people were able to understand the concepts of
psychoanalysis, which resulted in classifying it as a science.

One of his most enduring ideas is

the concept of the unconscious mind, which
is a reservoir of thoughts, memories, and
emotions that lie outside the awareness of
the conscious mind. He also proposed that
personality was made up of three key
elements, the id, the ego, and the superego.
Some other important Freudian theories
include his concepts of life and death
instincts, the theory of psychosexual
development, and the mechanisms of
defense. 

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/dennis43/lec-11-freudian-theory

MODULE 4

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND NATION-BUILDING

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

39
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Explain how early Filipinos applied scientific principles in their daily living
2. Evaluate government policies on science and technology in terms of each contribution to
the nation building
3. Discuss the role of science and technology in nation-building

INTRODUCTION

This section situates science, technology and society in the context of Philippine nation
building. It traced the historical development of science and technology from pre-colonial times
up to present administration. These discussions are geared towards engaging students in a
critical analysis of Science and Technology as a tool for nation building.

The development of Science and technology in the Philippines has already come a long
way. The Philippines has improved in terms of its preparedness for technological change in the
next few years. Many significant inventions and discoveries have been accomplished by or
attributed to Filipinos.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the premiere science and
technology body in the country charged with the twin mandate of providing central direction,
leadership and coordination of all scientific and technological activities, and of formulating
policies, programs and projects to support national development.

Pre-Spanish Period

Prior to colonization by the Spaniards in the Philippine islands, the natives already had
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 called baybayin, an indigenous Indic script that has been
widely used in traditional Tagalog domains. They also have 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

products of engineering by pre-Spanish era Filipinos. It
shows the innovative and ingenious way of the natives to
survive. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built
with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are
occasionally called the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

40
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banaue_Rice_Terraces

Spanish Colonial Period

The Spanish colonization contributed to growth of
science and technology in the Philippines. They
also provided modern means of construction to the
field of engineering by constructing government
buildings, churches, roads, bridges and forts. They
introduced formal education and founded scientific
institution.
Source:https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/
St-Augustine-Church-in-Paoay

Parish schools were established where religion,

reading, writing, arithmetic and music was taught. The study of medicine in the Philippines was
given priority in the Spanish era. Colleges and universities were established including
the University of Santo Tomas.

The Galleon Trade have accounted in the Philippine colonial economy. Trade was given
more focus by the Spaniard colonial authorities due to the prospects of big profits. The opening
of the Suez Canal provides an opportunity for the Filipino to study in Europe. But health and
education systems were only enjoyed by principalia class.

American Period

July 1, 1901 the Philippine Commission established the Bureau of Government

Laboratories under the Department of Interior. 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. The Bureau of Science became the primary research
center of the Philippines until World War II. Its focus is on agriculture, food processing, medicine
and pharmacy.

On December 8, 1933, the National Research Council of the Philippines was

established. It is considered as the oldest scientific organization that promotes country’s
scientific development. Up to present the agency support researches through financial grants to
research projects, the holding of seminar and conferences, support for human development.
Currently, a measly sum is shared for allocation to grants for research to bring about
sustainability, diversity, and continuity for humans within their immediate ecosystems.

In 1946, the Bureau of Science was replaced by the Institute of Science. The lack of
support of experimental work and minimal budget for scientific research and low salaries of
scientist leads to establishment of the National Science Development Board. It was supported
by Science Act of 1958 during the regime of President Carlos P. Garcia.
President Ferdinand Marcos

During Ferdinand E. Marcos' presidency, many agencies in Science and Technology

was established. He declared that the "advancement of science and technology is the key for
national development."  The Department of Education, with the National Science Development

41
Board (NSDB), organized Philippine Science High School System to provide scientifically and
research-oriented student. It focuses in science, technology and mathematics in their
curriculum.

He wanted to reduce “brain drain” by providing medical interns do a tour of duty in

provincial hospitals to arouse their social conscious for the love of the country. On April 6, 1968,
he proclaimed 35 hectares in Bicutan, Taguig, Rizal as the site of the Philippine Science
Community. The government also conducted seminars for public and private high school and
college science teachers, training programs and scholarships for graduate and undergraduate
science scholars, and workshops on fisheries and oceanography.

In 1970, he established the Philippine Coconut Research Institute to the NSDB to

modernize the coconut industry. The NSDB also established the Philippine Textile Research
Institute. The Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) of the NSDB explored the uses of
atomic energy for economic development. Marcos assisted 107 institutions in undertaking
nuclear energy work by sending scientists to study nuclear science and technology abroad, and
providing basic training to 482 scientists, doctors, engineers, and technicians. It leads to the
creation of Bataan Nuclear Power plant that was never operated because of the anomalies and
geographic location.

In 1972, he created the National Grains Authority (NGA) to provide for the development
of the rice and corn industry to fully harness it for the economy of the country. He established
the Philippine Council for Agricultural Research (PCAR) to support the progressive development
of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries for the nation.

He established the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services

Administration (PAGASA) under the Department of National Defense to provide environmental
protection and to utilize scientific knowledge to ensure the safety of the people.

In 1973, he created the Philippine National Oil Company to promote industrial and
economic development through effective and efficient use of energy sources.
In 1976, he enacted a law under Presidential Decree No. 1003-A, s. 1976 to establish the
National Academy of Science and Technology, which is composed of scientists with "innovative
achievement in the basic and applied sciences," to serve as a reservoir of scientific and
technological expertise for the country.

In 1978, he created a Task Force on the formulation of a national action program on

science and technology to assess policies and programs of science and technology. InJuly 23,
1979, the government invested funds and time in organizations for scientific research, such as
the NSDB, the Philippine Council for Agricultural Research and Resources, the Plant Breeding
Institute, the International Rice Research Institute, the Bureau of Plant Industry, and the Bureau
of Forest Products.
In 1979, he constituted the Health Sciences Center as an autonomous member within the
University of the Philippines System to improve the internal organization and unity of leadership
within its units.
In 1980, he created the National Committee on Geological Sciences to advise
government and private entities on matters concerning development in geological sciences.

In 1982, he reorganized the National Science Development Board and its agencies into
a National Science and Technology Authority to provide central direction and coordination of
scientific and technological research and development. He enacted a law on the completion of

42
the National Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Complex at the University of the
Philippines at Los Baños.

Fifth Republic

In 1986, during Corazon Aquino's presidency, the National Science and Technology

Authority were replaced by the Department of Science and Technology. On August 8, 1988,
Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Task Force for Science and Technology which came
up with the first Science and Technology Master Plan or STMP. The goal of STMP was for the
Philippines to achieve newly industrialized country. It was formulated to modernize production
sector, upgrade research activities, and develop infrastructure for science and technology. Free
Public Secondary Education Act of 1988 opened doors to free education up to the secondary
level, implemented in the education system together with this was the “Science for the Masses
Program” which aimed at scientific and technological literacy among Filipinos.

A Research and Development Plan was also formulated to examine and determine
which areas of research needed attention. The criteria for identifying the program to be pursued
were, development of local materials, probability of success, potential of product in the export
market, and the its strategic nature.

During President Fidel Ramos administration there was a significant increase in

personnel specializing in the science and technology field. At 1998, the Philippines was
estimated to have around 3,000 competent scientists and engineers. The government provided
3,500 scholarships for students who were taking up professions related to S&T. Schools were
becoming more modernized and updated with the addition of high-tech equipment for student
improvement and teachers were getting training programs to benefit themselves and their
students. Health care services were promoted through local programs such as "Doctors to the
Barrio Program."

Priority for S&T personnel increased when Magna Carta for Science and Technology
Personnel was established. The award was published in order to give incentives and rewards
for people who have been influential in the field of S&T. Fidel V. Ramos believes that science
and technology was one of the means wherein the Philippines could attain the status of new
industrialized country (NIC). During his term, he was able to establish programs that were
significant to the field of S&T. In 1993, Science and Technology Agenda for National
Development (STAND) were established. Among its priorities were:

1. exporting winners identified by the DTI;

2. domestic needs identified by the President's Council for Countryside Development;
3. support industries and
4. coconut industry development.

Congress, during his term, was able to enact laws that were significant for the field.
Among were:

1. Magna Carta for Science and Technology Personnel (Republic Act No. 8439);
2. Science and Technology Scholarship Law of 1994 (Republic Act No. 7687) and
3. Inventors and Inventions Incentives Act (Republic Act No. 7459).

43
 4. The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293)

During President Joseph E. Estrada's term, two major legislations that he signed were
Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (PCAA) and Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (ECA). PCAA
was designed to protect and preserve the environment and ensure the sustainable development
of its natural resources, and ECA outlaws computer hacking and provides opportunities for new
businesses emerging from the Internet-driven New Economy. Aside from these, President
Estrada launched a full-scale program based on cost-effective irrigation technologies.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration was dubbed as the "golden age" of

science and technology. Numerous laws and projects that concerns both the environment and
science was passed to help increase the productivity from Science, Technology and Innovations
(STI) and help benefit the poor people. "Filipinnovation" was the coined term used in helping the
Philippines to be an innovation hub in Asia.

Helping the environment was one of the focus in developing technology in the
Philippines. One of the more known laws to be passed by her administration was the R.A. 9367
or the "Biofuels" act. This act promotes the development and usage of biofuels throughout the
country. This potentially enables a cheaper alternative to gasoline as a medium in producing
energy that is ecofriendly.

In an effort to improve the efficiency of both land and water, the government imposes
Republic Act 10601 which improves the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector through Mechanization
(AFMech). RA 10601 covers research, development, and extension (RDE), promotion,
distribution, supply, assembling, manufacturing, regulation, use, operation, maintenance and
project implementation of agricultural and fisheries machinery and equipment.

In 2010, President Benigno C. Aquino III proposed 10 ways to fix basic education in
the country. Kindergarten to grade-12 is an education system under the Department of
Education that aims to enhance learners’ basic skills, produce more competent citizens, and
prepare graduates for lifelong learning and employment.

Today, in the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the science and

technology sector is top priority based on the budget given for research and development.
Currently, our country has Philippine Space Technology Program which launched DIwata-2 in
2018 after the launch of Diwata in 2016 that displayed the Philippine flag in space. It also gives
importance to agriculture and disaster preparedness.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 4

I. Interview or ask a person born before 1970 about the development of science and
technology during his/her time.

Guide questions:

44
 1. What are some of the major invention/s in science and technology during your time?
2. How can the Philippines attain the sustainable development plan using Science and
Technology?
3. What specific government policy or policies can you suggest in terms of contributing
to the development of sciences and technology in the country?

II. Conduct a research on the current status of Bataan Nuclear power plant in Bataan. Cite the
advantages and disadvantages of reopening the power plant.

MODULE 5

HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Describe human flourishing in terms of science and technology
2. Discuss the revolutionary developments in the human condition
3. Explain what technology reveals
4. Examine modern technology and its role in human flourishing

INTRODUCTION

Among the animals on earth, we, human, identify ourselves as the ones who have
higher intellectual capacity. We have learned that things around us hold potential
when combined with other things. Through time, passionate search and experiment, a lot of
things were discovered and produced.

This lesson explains br iefly t he attributes and capacit y of m an and his

r ole in r elat ion t o technology and to society. It also establishes some philosophical
considerations on how technology can be constructed as a tool for higher purposes aside from
the usual idea of it being the provider of more efficient and comfortable ways of achieving
and doing things. Technology as a product of Human Reason and Freedom Man is rational and
with this rationality comes also his creativity. This creativity means man has the capacity
to innovate whatever are those available and “create” new things which other animals
cannot.

Concept of Human Flourishing

Human flourishing is defined as an effort to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment

within the context of a larger community of individuals, each with the right to pursue his or her
own such efforts.

45
 The term "eudaimonia" is a classical Greek word, commonly translated as "happiness",
but perhaps better described as "well-being" or "human flourishing" or "good life". We will
discuss more Aristotelian ethics for the next chapter. Unlike our everyday concept
of happiness, eudaimonia is not a state of mind, nor is it simply the experience of joys and
pleasures.

According to St. Augustine, “Human beings are endowed with a power that he calls the
will.” He emphasizes the will to being the center of freedom. Augustine, who has a libertarian
view, sees our will as free choice. So for whatever we may choose to do, we become solely
responsible for our actions which are caused by external factors instead of internal ones. 

Technology as a Way of Revealing

Martin Heidegger strongly opposes the view that technology is “a means to an end” or “a
human activity.” These two approaches, which Heidegger calls, respectively, the “instrumental”
and “anthropological” definitions, are indeed “correct”, but do not go deep enough; as he says,
they are not yet “true.” Unquestionably, Heidegger points out, technological objects are means
for ends, and are built and operated by human beings, but the essence of technology is
something else entirely. Just as the essence of a tree is not itself a tree, Heidegger points out,
so the essence of technology is not anything technological.

Technology, according to Heidegger must be understood as “a way of revealing”

(Heidegger 1977, 12). “Revealing” is the translation of the Greek word “alètheuein”, which
means ‘to discover’ – to uncover what was covered over. Related to this verb is the independent
noun “alètheia”, which is usually translated as “truth,” though Heidegger insists that a more
adequate translation would be “un-concealment.”

“Reality” is not something absolute that human beings can ever know once and
for all; it is relative in the most literal sense of the word – it exists only in
relations. Reality ‘in itself’, therefore, is inaccessible for human beings. As soon
as we perceive or try to understand it, it is not ‘in itself’ anymore, but ‘reality for
us.’(Heidegger, 1977,p.13)

This means that everything we perceive or think of or interact with “emerges out of
concealment into un-concealment”. By entering into a particular relation with reality, reality is
‘revealed’ in a specific way. And this is where technology comes in, since technology is the way
of revealing that characterizes our time. Technology embodies a specific way of revealing the
world, a revealing in which humans take power over reality. While the ancient Greeks
experienced the ‘making’ of something as ‘helping something to come into being as Heidegger
explains by analyzing classical texts and words modern technology is rather a ‘forcing into
being’. Technology reveals the world as raw material, available for production and manipulation.

This technological understanding of ‘being’, according to Heidegger, is to be seen as the

ultimate danger. First of all, there is the danger that humans will also interpret themselves as
raw materials. Note that we are already speaking about “human resources”. But most
importantly, the technological will to power leaves no escape. If we want to move towards a new
interpretation of being, this would itself be a technological intervention: we would manipulate our
manipulation, exerting power over our way of exerting power. And this would only reconfirm the
technological interpretation of being. Every attempt to climb out of technology throws us back in.
The only way out for Heidegger is “the will not to will”. We need to open up the possibility of

46
relying on technologies while not becoming enslaved to them and seeing them as
manifestations of an understanding of being.

Human Condition and Technology

From the dawn of history, according to Jared Diamond, a menacing shadow of hatred
has always darkened our human condition. It is normal for tradition-based societies living
outside the controls of state governments to demonize neighboring groups and regularly to
engage in war and murder.

Ethnographical studies have shown that hatred and war are historically “normal”
between tribal societies. In the long view of history, he says, our modern state-governed
societies are the exception because we instead grow up learning a universal code of morality,
promulgated every week in our churches and codified in our laws. Yet today, despite religious
teachings and moral codes, national governments still portray other nations as evil, sometimes
because of past oppression and sometimes because of a perceived threat of attack.

Technology has always played a role in wars by giving the victorious army an
advantage through things like steel armor, gunpowder, the airplane, poisonous gas, spy
equipment, decoding machines, and nuclear weapons. But it is nuclear technology that presents
the human condition with an unprecedented threat, both as a source of energy and as a weapon
of war of poisoning by radioactivity millions of civilians and millions of acres of productive lands.
This is not to say that technology has not benefitted our human condition.

On the contrary, technology is improving life and improving it fast. For example, if you
were alive when my grandmother was born, you’d have no light bulbs, cars, or planes; no
telephones, radios, or recorded music; no steel or plastic or dynamite; no pasteurized milk,
sterilized surgical instruments, psychotherapies, rabies vaccination, or vitamins. At the same
time, while nuclear disasters have so far been localized, technologies have already played a key
role in damaging our human condition all over the globe. We live with polluted air and water.
Suburbs and parking lots are taking over landscapes that provided drainage, shade, and
oxygen-producing plants. Industries rely on standardization and specialization, but this also
standardizes persons, narrows their skills, and raises their economic value far above the values
of their companionship and depth of character.

The Four Revolutionary Developments in the Human Condition

1. Image and Symbols

The pre-historic emergence of language, art, literature, and religion, thinking was mainly
through image and symbols.

In the fog of prehistoric times, the main developments were language, art, literature and
religion. From these developments, the thought processes of our ancestors were mainly a
combination of technique, myth, and magic. Technique includes any practical know-how. Myth
includes narratives about group origins and the cosmos. Magic includes all the practices by
which incantations and rituals were done to produce physical changes.

2. Universal Order and Theory

47
 The emergence of philosophy and monotheistic religions in 800- 200 BC. Thinking now
asks about the order of the entire universe, created and divine, and it develops beliefs and
theories that focus on truth.

The philosopher of history, Karl Jaspers (d. 1969), published a highly influential account
of the origins of how we worship and how we think about the world up to the present time. In his
Origin and Goal of History, he proposed that over what he calls an “axial period” from about 800
to 200 BC, the leading cultures of the world underwent a revolutionary awakening regarding
what may be universal about both the physical world and the individual person. He found that a
number of different cultures, with no evidence of mutual influences, became aware that humans
everywhere have both a deeper inner self and a loftier human destiny than had ever been
imagined. In his words, “The new element of this age is that man everywhere became aware of
being as a whole, of himself and his limits. He experienced the Absolute in the depth of selfhood
and in the clarity of transcendence.” By “transcendence” is meant not some other-worldly
fantasy but rather a very familiar experience: Each person can make the personal discovery of a
persistent desire to transcend his or her self by learning more, doing better, and loving widely.
For evidence, he points to such diverse cultures as Chinese, Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, Hebrew,
and Persian. As it happens, each of these cultures included many small states or groups
regularly engaged in civil and inter-state warfare. The question of how to rise above wars and
vengeance found answers in the idea that the entire world is one place, and every person in it
has a self-transcending core in common with every other. This idea of a single universe and a
single core to each person’s calling was expressed in two quite different forms. The Hebrews
represent a prominent example in religion. Around 1000- 800 BC, they moved from believing
that their god was simply the one who is highest of all the gods (henotheism) to believing that
there really is only one God who created everything and whose will about right and wrong falls
equally on humans everywhere (monotheism). The belief that one God reigns over all creation
implies that there is a universal standard of behaviors to be found in the transcendent wisdom
and will of God.

Socrates (d. 399 BC) represents a prominent example in philosophy. As recorded for us
by Plato (d. 347), Socrates raised the question whether right and wrong depended exclusively
on the customs of local groups or might there be a right and wrong that belong to all humans “by
nature.” To put this another way, is morality a matter of social convention or are there notions of
“right” that are universal. If morality is something universal—something that transcends group
customs—then one culture can and should criticize other cultures where they see behaviors that
violate these “natural rights.”

3. Experiment and Plausibility

The emergence of modern science in the 1600s. Thinking now includes views that focus
on the most plausible explanations of data.

We jump now to the scientific revolution that began in the 1600s. Herbert Butterfield (d.
1979), in his The Origins of Modern Science, asserts that from the perspective of world history,
the scientific revolution, “outshines everything since the rise of Christianity and reduces the
Renaissance and Reformation to the rank of mere episodes, mere internal displacements,
within the system of medieval Christendom.” 13 This revolution was carried out by thinkers who
sought knowledge more in experimentation and in a reaction against an unquestioning
acceptance of authorities like Aristotle and the Church. Francis Bacon (d. 1626) led the charge.
Compare, for example, Aristotle’s “deductive” thinking that we cited above to Bacon’s proposal
about “inductive” thinking: all true and fruitful natural philosophy hath a double scale or ladder,

48
ascendant and descendent; ascending from experiments to the invention of causes, and
descending from causes to the invention of new experiments. Those who have handled
sciences have been either men of experiment or men of dogmas. The men of experiment are
like the ant, they only collect and use. The reasoners resemble spiders, who make cobwebs out
of their own substance. But the bee takes a middle course: it gathers its material from the
flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own. Not
unlike this is the true business of philosophy; for it neither relies solely or chiefly on the powers
of the mind, nor does it take the matter which it gathers from natural history and mechanical
experiments and lay it up in the memory whole, as it finds it, but lays it up in the understanding
altered and digested. Therefore from a closer and purer league between these two faculties, the
experimental and the rational (such as has never yet been made), much may be hoped.

The experimental ideal of thinking was taking over, an ideal that represents what we now
call “modern science.” Where Aristotle’s views aimed at truth and certitude, modern science
aims at the most plausible explanations of experimental data. Currently, for example, we have
theories about gravitation and evolution that are widely accepted, not as “true” but as “best
available explanations” of data. As “best available,” they remain open to more comprehensive
explanations that may arise.
5. Praxis and Human Studies

The emergence in the late 1900s of a “praxis” take a critical standpoint toward any
developments and corresponding changes in human studies. Thinking now includes views that
focus on the best available critiques of error and standards for better living. Today, we can find
all four ways of thinking, although not equally prevalent.

We saw that the emergence of inductive thinking had revolutionary effects on science,
technology, the economy, and politics. We might label these our “social” institutions, because
they gather people into collaborative groups for these ends. What these institutions have in
common is a single goal: To produce goods and services more efficiently and effectively. We
have also observed that these social institutions are worsening the human condition for millions
of people, and left without any regulatory controls will continue to make life worse for most
people across the globe. But we have another set of institutions that are often labeled “cultural.”
Some of the main ones are the arts, a judiciary, religion, and humanities.

These cultural institutions share a single goal of their own: To improve the human
condition. So where science and technology tell us what we can do, and political economies tell
us what we will do, our cultural institutions tell us what we should do. The role of our cultural
institutions regarding technology and its associated social institutions is obvious: Align their
goals toward improving the human condition. What we can do regarding industry, chemistry,
space exploration, medicine, war, and so on, is not always what we ought to do. Besides
producing goods and services efficiently and effectively, we need to produce them ethically. So
we look to our cultural institutions to give guidance to our social institutions.

In the last 50 years, various philosophers looked to what we may call “praxis” as this
new way of thinking. Praxis is a method that attends to what happens in our minds that makes
us seek beauty, creativity, and love, while we often behave in ways that are ugly, stupid, and
hateful. The “method” has three phases: It highlights the fact that human wonder and the search
for meaning, harmony, and companionship is exactly what it means to be transcendent. At the
same time, it expects to find that our wonder is wounded by bias, hatred, and willfulness.
Finally, it proposes ways to heal these wounds and to recover what represents genuine
transcendence.

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Then and Now: How Technology Has Changed Our Lives

We have become a generation almost entirely dependent on technology, and it goes

without saying that things were done very differently decades ago than they are now. But as
much as some people like to say our reliance on technology hinders us, we can’t deny that it’s
made life a lot simpler. Here are a few things technology has made so much easier for us.

THEN NOW
TECHNOLOGY

Communication

Image courtesy of http://wcpo.com

Snail mail

Transportation

Image courtesy of http://oregonlive.com Image courtesy of

http://topspeed.com

car

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Entertainment

Image courtesy of http://luminarium.org Image courtesy of

http://techhive.com
Play
Flat screen TV

Learning Activity 5

Essay:

1. Read the article entitled “Forget developing’ poor countries, it’s time to de-develop’
rich countries by Jason Hickel: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-
professionals-network/2015/sep/23/developing-poor-countries-de-develop-rich-
countries-sdgs

2. Answer the following questions:

1. Why must we change our paradigm of growth and consumption to that of de-
development?
2. Are you in favor with Hickel’s idea? Why or why not? Do you think it’s possible or
attainable?

MODULE 6

THE GOOD LIFE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Define good life and happiness
2. Explain good life according to different philosophers
3. Discuss what constitutes good life and how to attain good life
4. Enumerate some important possibilities to attain good life

What is Happiness?

“Everyone wants happiness. Nobody wants suffering.”

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 In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be
defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. To
behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do something good or
positive. To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones released in the
brain as a reward for behavior that prolongs survival.

The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering; the
presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists believe that
the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery. Eudemonia, a term that
combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit" to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines
happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. Eudaemonists do this by challenging
themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people.

Living the good life is all about the exploration of that which gives you joy and
satisfaction. It's about finding purpose and meaning in your life and drawing happiness from that
which you do. Every human being aspires to live, but we all define the phrase “good life”
differently. Some are looking to live an honest life, full of integrity, joy and happiness. Others
seek wealth, social status and fame, as they hope these aspects will help them to live the good
life. In fact, they directly associate the good life with money and material belongings.

The good life is a term that refers to a state that is primarily characterized by a high
standard of living or the adherence to ethical and moral laws. In its two different expressions,
living the good life can be either expressed through an abundant/luxurious lifestyle full of
material belongings or the attempt to live life in accordance with the ethical, moral, legal and
religious laws of one’s country or culture. As such, the term can both be understood as the
quest for wealth, material possessions or luxuries and the quest to create a worthwhile, honest
and meaningful existence.

When it comes to living the good life, we almost all have a certain idea how such a life
should look like. For some, the good life is all about spending time playing video games or
watching television, while eating and drinking as much as they please. Others associate the
good life with days spent in nature, pondering and philosophizing about life. Some simply want
to spend their time in a worthwhile and productive manner, for example by trying to make this
world a better place.

We then have to ask ourselves the question, if the good life could really be characterized
by a high standard of living alone. If this were the case, living the good life would primarily
consist of the never-ending attempt to fulfil one’s desires and material wishes. As we all know,
human desires can be boundless, while the earth’s resources are quite limited. As such, the
(excessive) good life of one group of people might prevent others from living the “high-standard-
of-living good life.” Or it might hinder future generations from ever living the good life.

THE GOOD LIFE ACCORDING TO PHILOSOPHY

Plato About The Good Life

Plato believed that any object, animal or man has a natural function. Discovering that
function is the first step in living the good life, and it is followed by acting on that function.

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 Since Plato's philosophy of the good life applies to all things, some functions are easier
to discover and act upon than others. For example, a chair has a natural function to be sat
upon. When it comes to mankind however, Plato felt that the natural function was more
complicated, requiring that man live justly and achieve unity and harmony.

Plato felt that the soul of man had three parts, consisting of intellect, spirit and courage,
and physical desires. Each part has its own need. However, to live the good life, the needs of
each of the three parts of the soul must be met without interfering with the needs of the other
two parts. These needs are basic ones. For example, the physical desires of the soul are
fulfilled by good health and survival.

Reaching a level of balance is only the first step in living the good life. Plato felt that
mankind's nature required more than simply existing in balance. Nature requires that an
individual use intellect and reason to search for the truth pursue further knowledge and seek
ultimate reality.

Aristotle About The Good Life

In Aristotle’s best-known work, Nicomachean Ethics, the philosopher adds important

insights about the good life. Aristotle seeks to construct a framework by developing an
understanding about the highest good for human beings. He points out that to most people; the
highest good consists either in the acquisition of wealth, the pursuit of honor or the satisfying of
bodily pleasures. As a result, most people act accordingly. They seek wealth, honor or
satisfaction and thereby hope to ultimately attain happiness. Aristotle, however, points out that
none of these aspects can ever serve as the highest good. Firstly, he argues that wealth is
primarily used to acquire other things. In itself, wealth cannot make happy. Secondly, honor
might not necessarily contribute to a person’s happiness. Instead, honor is primarily sought to
change how people think of us. Thirdly, the desire to fulfill one’s desires is not something limited
to human beings alone. Animals are seeking pleasure, too. Even more so, by orientating one’s
life primarily to the satisfaction of bodily pleasures, a human being behaves no differently than
an animal. According to Aristotle, such a life is neither fit nor meant for human beings.

From this Aristotle concludes that the highest good cannot consist primarily out of these
three aspects. Instead, the highest good should be something that aims to maximize the
inherent faculties of man. It helps human beings to develop that which separates them from
animals. In line with this arguing, the capacity for reason is that which separates man from
cattle.

Based on his reflections, Aristotle highlights the essential qualities of the good life.
These qualities primarily consist of contemplation and learning. It is through the process of
contemplating and learning that intellectual virtues are steadily acquired. These virtues can for
instance stem from the acquisition of knowledge about the fundamental principles of nature.
Furthermore, this knowledge can be expanded by applying the principles of nature.

However, contemplation and acquiring knowledge is not enough to live the good life.
Solely understanding nature’s principles and contemplating on these does not contribute the
highest good. It is only through right action that knowledge can be put to its proper use. Hence,
the development of a strong and virtuous character is necessary to perform right actions.
Aristotle therefore concludes that the highest good consists of the acquisition of both intellectual
and personal virtues. And, by living in accordance to the highest good, happiness can be
attained. Consequently, a person achieves happiness by contemplation, learning and the

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mental strength to perform right actions. Such a person does not only know what is right, but
also acts accordingly and derives happiness, fulfillment and purpose from it.

Socrates About Good Life

According to Socrates the unexamined life is not worth living. Living life without ever
reflecting upon it is not worth living. The person, who unquestioningly and continuously repeats
the cycle of waking up, working and going back to sleep, is not living the good life. Even further,
people that do not reflect on the nature of things are not living a worthwhile life. If a person is not
examining what they value and why, the chances of them being able to live a good life are
reduced.

Examining, reflecting and questioning the nature of things, however, is not enough.
Similarly, it’s not enough to reflect on your personal values. Living the good life requires you to
become a Master of yourself. Socrates compared this process to a charioteer directing two
horses. Socrates argued that each and every one of us is such a charioteer. We all have to
handle two horses. The first horse is stubborn. It is a direct reflection of our animal instincts with
a boundless appetite for lust and pleasure. The first horse goes in whatever direction it pleases,
if not tightly controlled. It is egotistical and does not reflect what it does. It simply does. The
second horse is of a much nobler and more sensible spirit. It resembles reason and man’s
capability to reflect upon that which he does.

The Three Central Aspects of the Good Life

By integrating these fundamental aspects into life, the

good life that creates happiness, fulfillment and gives you
a sense of purpose and meaning in life can be attained.
Therefore, the ideal of the good life does not set you on a
pursuit of wealth, status and pleasure, but creates
happiness, fulfillment and joy through understanding the
world you live in, mastering yourself and helping your
community to thrive.

SEVERAL IDEAS TO LIVE THE GOOD LIFE

1. Examine life, seek knowledge

Examine life, explore its concepts and principles and seek to learn new things each day.
Be open for new ideas and never cease to go through life with open eyes. Aristotle stated for a
good reason that the unexamined life is not worth living. Living without questioning and
reflecting your behavior, beliefs and values, can result in spending your time with activities that
are not worthwhile. Even more so, it might even make it all the more difficult to live the good life.
On the other hand however, by applying reason to the examination of (your own) life, a
continuous stream of knowledge and virtues can be acquired. It is our capacity for reason that
differentiates human beings from (instinct-driven and pleasure-seeking) animals. If we explore
the world and contemplate on our discoveries, new sources of pleasure, happiness and well-
being can be tapped into.

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 2. Slow down and enjoy simplicity
A great number of people assume that the good life can only be attained by adding more
to their life. As a consequence, they seek to add material belongings, wealth, social status, fame
or something entirely different to their lives. This, however, is the wrong approach. You don’t
necessarily have to add something new to your life to enjoy the good life. Quite the contrary is
the case. The good life does not consist of continuously chasing evermore. Instead, simplicity
and the ability to draw happiness from what you already have can be integral aspects of a good
life. This shift in perception can help you to start living the good life in this present moment,
without being dependent upon external influences.

3. Seek to attain self-mastery

Living the good life is all about mastering yourself. But interestingly, most people do not
consider self-mastery when it comes to the pursuit of a good life. Instead of seeking discipline
and mastery over themselves, they prefer to chase wealth, material possessions, status or the
fulfillment of desires. However, without self-discipline one’s actions are primarily centered on the
wish to fulfill desires. As a result, we waste important time and energy on feeding desires that
can never be fully satisfied. Consequently, our actions are egotistical, self-centered and un-
reflected. Instead of living the good life, we succumb to the instinct-driven and unreasoned
qualities we share with animals. It is only through self-mastery that we can replace our
boundless appetite for pleasure with a nobler and more reasonable thinking. Instead of being
instinct-driven, it allows us to reflect and to think about what we do.

4. Drawing joy and happiness from life’s simple pleasures

In their quest to live the good life, the vast majority of people shift their attention from the
present moment to a desirable state in the future. They think that the good life can only be
attained through the acquisition of wealth, status and a variety of other things. Therefore, these
people will never truly be able to live the good life, because there will always be something
missing. They either do not have enough material possessions to satisfy all their desires. Or
they are no longer able to enjoy these possessions after a certain period of time.

For this reason, the ability to draw happiness from life’s simple pleasures is essential. It’s
a person’s ability to take pleasure from even the most simplistic things in life that will help in
understanding how worthwhile this present moment is.

5. Help in making this world a better place

Almost all philosophers that pondered about the good life highlighted the importance of
civic engagement. It is an integral aspect of a good life. Even more so, all the other aspects of
the good life can only be committed in a worthwhile manner by utilizing them for the greater
cause. Therefore, the life that is solely lived for the purpose of fulfilling one’s own desires can
never be fully considered a truly meaningful and worthwhile existence.

6. Be grateful for what you have

Gratitude is an important aspect of the good life. It helps us to overcome the feeling of
not having enough. By being grateful we can also overcome the never-ending pursuit of
boundless desires.

7. Don’t worry about things you can’t control

Life presents us with two different aspects. Firstly, those aspects of our life that can be
influenced or changed. Secondly, there are those aspects or events that are beyond our ability
to influence or alter. We are simply incapable of exerting even the slightest influence over these

55
events. We therefore feel extremely intimidated and helpless. Feelings that even further
contribute to our fear about things we cannot control.

However, the principal key to withstanding life’s hardship, lies in the way we allow these
happenings to influence us. While we’re not able to control a great variety of events in life, we
still have the capacity to control our responses to these events. We therefore have the choice to
allow these happenings to break us and to incite fear within us, or to get back up from the
ground and to recover from it.

8. Value and nurture relationships

Imagine you’re living the good life but no one is around you can share your joy with. The
concept of living the good life includes the relationship dimension as well. Without it, it would not
fully contribute to your happiness and fulfillment. Even more so, relationships are an integral
part of a worthwhile life. Neither wealth nor social status can grant access to true friendship.
Therefore, living the good life also consists of spending a significant amounts of your time with
those that you love and enjoy being around. The good life is all about growing, developing and
becoming stronger together, not alone.

9. Live your passions

Living the good life is all about discovering your true passions and having the courage to
pursue these activities. By doing what you’re passionate about, a sense of fulfillment,
accomplishment and true satisfaction can be added to your life.
10. Live in the moment
While it is certainly true that the good life means a great variety of different things to
different people, we can all agree that being haunted by the past or having fear of the future is
certainly not part of it. Instead of being trapped in the past or fearful about the future, try to enjoy
this present moment. There’s nothing you can do to change what happened. Also, the future
can be greatly impacted in this very moment. Be here right now, this is exactly where you need
to be.

Learning Activity 6

1. View the short documentary film titled “That Sugar Film”.

2. Explain on how production and consumption of sugar affect your journey towards the
good life.
3. Answer the questions on below.

Analysis:

1. How does unreflective consumption of goods – in this case, sugar – affect human life?
2. How is the progress of science and technology a movement towards the good life?

SELF-TEST 6

A. Directions: Write the letter of the best answer on the space provided.
___1. Which of the following words is not a plausible translation of eudaimonia?
A. Happiness
B. Virtue
C. Success

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 D. Fulfillment
___2. Which of the following is always an end in itself?
A. Happiness
B. Virtue
C. Intelligence
D. Honor
___3. Which of the following, according to Aristotle, is the highest pursuit in life?
A. The pursuit of pleasure
B. The pursuit of honors
C. The pursuit of wealth
D. The pursuit of intellectual and personal virtue
___4. According to Socrates, life worth living requires _________?
A. Reflection
B. Mastery of skills
C. Intelligence
D. Wealth
___5. According to Plato, what is the first step of living the good life?
A. Knowing the purpose
B. Acting on the purpose
C. Fulfilling good health
D. Seek ultimate reality

MODULE 7

WHEN HUMANITY AND TECHNOLOGY CROSS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Describe the different technological advancement in Philippine society
2. Discuss the development of science and technology in the Philippines
3. Reflect on how artificial intelligence and robotics influence the ways we live nowadays

INTRODUCTION

Today, technology saturates our lives. Throughout human history, many creative people
have made possible an incredible array of technological advances – from chemicals and
medicines, to machines and tools that make our lives more interesting, convenient, and healthy.
Think of how immensely different our lives are today compared with our earliest ancestors.
Consider their scientific knowledge, medical care, household conveniences, modes of
transportation, sources of energy, forms of entertainment, and methods of growing, harvesting,
storing, processing, and distributing food. Not many of us would want to live the way our
ancestors did 2000, 200, or even 2 years ago. At the same time, our ancestors did not have to
worry about many of the vast problems that concern us today.

57
 Yes, technology has given us the ability to live longer, healthier, easier, and more
enjoyable lives, but it has also created new perils that our ancestors could hardly fathom. For
instance, many thousands of chemicals created by humans are circulating in our world today
that did not exist in ancient times. Today, they are practically inescapable in our air, water, soil,
and bodies. Many of them are known to cause harm to, or even kill, living organisms including
humans. Many others are suspected of insidiously threatening us and the environment over the
long-term, often in ways still largely unknown to scientists and the general public.

Technology has also managed to harness enormous amounts of energy to power our
lifestyles, providing us with transportation, heating, and power. But this energy comes at a great
cost, producing such calamities as: oil spills, landscapes devastated by resource extraction,
foul-smelling smog in our cities, or free-flowing rivers clogged by dams. In learning how to
capture the formidable energy inside the atomic nucleus, we have also created great quantities
of dangerous nuclear waste that we still have no proper form of disposal. This same technology
has the means – for the first time in human history – of destroying our species and the planet
itself. Our ancestors never had to worry about such perils.

Now, it is clear that our thirst for energy is even changing the climate of the planet.
Specifically, the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) is raising the Earth’s global
temperature and creating a host of associated problems, ranging from prolonged droughts in the
Southwestern United States to melting glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic and rising sea levels
worldwide.

In recent years, we have begun to suspect that we are confronting yet another new
technological risk, namely the impact that electronics are having on our lives. Some have
become concerned that the huge amounts of time people (especially children) are spending in
front of computer, television, video, and phone screens are having unintended consequences:
the removal of people from nature and the natural world, the reduction of time youth spend
interacting with each other and engaging in free play, and even the physical alteration of our
brains.8 We are, in effect, carrying out a gigantic, inadvertent experiment on ourselves. It
remains to be seen what the full effect of modern electronics will be on our society,
environment, and physical and mental health.

Technological Advancements in the Philippines

Many Filipino people especially the younger ones know what is the effect of modern
technology. However, not all Filipino people have known about the effect and advantage of
modern technology because most older Filipino especially who live in the province still use the
old technology that they using. They don’t change easily about what are the advanced
technology is in here in the City.

Sometimes technology change people like, appearance, health, work, education, and
especially the attitude of people. Modern technology has a big part of the life of people it helps
to improve the way of living of each and every one of us. It has a big influence on people
because of the advanced technology in it. Modern technology is now one of the most things that
every people want to use or have when it comes to gadgets. People who use modern gadgets
always want the new and advance technology.

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 Before the use of technology is not that much in demand but now most people have
gadgets even the kids one. They now use that technology for their everyday life and the means
of communication.

Modern technology is the best thing that can help people to lessen their time to anything
that they can do. Like example for cooking, before especially in the province they use wood fire
for cooking, only a few Filipino people have a gas stove when cooking. But nowadays almost all
Filipino people use a gas stove and electric stove. Now in this modern days, there are a lot of
cooking appliances. There are oven toaster, microwave oven, heavy-duty electric range, heavy
duty gas range, hot plates, high-speed oven, electric kettle, and much more.

For transportation Filipino people before usually use a tricycle, horse carriages (kalesa),
old bus, and jeepney. But now there are a lots of modern public transportation we can use for us
to be more comfortable when traveling like taxi, LRT train, MRT train, FX, UV Express, Buses
air con and not air con you can choose, and still the jeepney who are the cheapest means of
transportation and one of the most popular public transportation in the Philippines.

However, the newest and most modern means of transportation now in the Philippines is
GRAB and UBER. These two public transportations must require an android cell phone with
internet so that people can be a part of it. This kind of transportation is the advance information
technology that most Filipino people use especially who live in Metro Manila. It is very safe,
comfortable and efficient but a little bit expensive compared to other public transportation.
Because they use car who is a new one and most drivers are the owner of the car.

In this modern day of living in the City, the use of technology is very important and you
can see all people using the advanced technology. Before we only wash clothes through the
hands but now using modern technology like washing machine you can wash clothes even if
you do another thing.

In communication terms, the advanced technology is very in-demand most of it very

useful. We can talk and see our family who leaves in abroad by using video call in every time
we want. It is one of the most useful and most popular kinds of technology that everyone uses.
By the use of this kind of technology our communication become a necessity and become part
of our daily life. We can use mobile phones through texting, call, pictures, and video. It can also
use through emails, faxes, chats and for social media.

Communication through business is also most needed. We can do business through

emails, talking to those supplies or business associate through video call, using a digital
network for the weather updates, and using social media interaction by Facebook, Twitter,
Email, and other Google accounts. You can order so many things using a computer with the
internet of course.

However when it comes to medical technology there also big changes it becomes more
advanced. It becomes more advanced in terms of pharmaceutical and medical field. There’s a
lot of new invention and treatment for the different kinds of disease and cancer types. We all
know that this kind of treatment may help those people who suffer from illness without pain.
Medical technology also helps people appearance, they can change someone to become better
and look better.

Modern technology also best use in education. It is very easy now to study because
everything is in the Library App. In just one click you can choose whatever you want to research

59
about your school assignments. You don’t need to go outside to go to store to buy books for
your research. Technology for today can use in teaching and learning. There are new model or
ways in teaching with the use of modern technology. Some young people that cannot go to
school in a regular basis can enroll in online learning or online program. In this modern days the
technology we use can help us to improve our education more easy and efficient. Even in
correcting grammar or spelling is one click away to know it you don’t need to open a book to
search what you want to its a waste of time. Now it easy, fast, and you can save more time in
learning.

Of Robots and Humans

We live in a time when robots clean our houses, drive our vehicles, disable bombs,
provide prosthetic limbs, support surgical procedures, manufacture products, entertain, teach
and surprise us. Just as smartphones and social media are offering a connectivity beyond
anything we imagined, robots are beginning to offer physical capabilities and artificial
intelligence (AI), cognitive abilities beyond our expectations. Together, these technologies could
be harnessed to help solve important challenges, such as ageing societies, environmental
threats and global conflict.

What will a day in our lives look like, in this not-so-distant future? Science fiction has
explored these possibilities for centuries. Our lives will likely be longer: with synthetic organs to
replace defective parts of our bodies, nano-sized medical interventions allowing the precise
targeting of diseases and genetics, and autonomous vehicle reducing fatalities in traffic. Our
jobs will change dramatically. Certain jobs will not exist anymore and new jobs will emerge – in
the development of robot service apps, for instance, that could run on available robot platforms
in our homes. The way we are educated will also change radically – our senses and brains may
be artificially enhanced, and our ability to reflect on new insights gained from the automated
analysis of vast amounts of data will require a different treatment of information in schools.
But how will we relate to each other in a civilization that includes robots? In what way will we
meet each other, have relationships and raise our children? To what extent will robots and
humans merge?

Many of us wonder whether all will become so intelligent and capable in human
communication that the boundaries between human and artificial beings will blur. If it is possible
to communicate in a natural way and build a meaningful interaction over time with an artificial
agent, will there still be a divide in the relationships we have with people and technology? Also,
once our human bodies and minds are enhanced with AI and robotics, what will it mean to be
“human”?

Smart Tricks

From an engineering perspective, these advanced capabilities are still very far away. A
number of hurdles need to be overcome. For now, robots and computers are completely
dependent on a power source – they require a lot of electricity, and this complicates integrating
robotic elements with human organic tissue. Another hurdle is the intricacy of human
communication. While a one-off natural language conversation in a specific context with a robot
can feel realistic, engaging people verbally and non-verbally over many conversations and
contexts is quite another matter.

For example, when you call an artificial lost-and-found agent at an airport, a satisfying
conversation is possible because there are only a limited number of goals the caller has.

60
However, in creating a more extended relationship, for example, with a robotic pet, a much
more complicated model must be developed. The robot needs to have internal goals, an
extensive memory that relates experiences to various contexts, and it needs to develop these
capabilities over time.

Through smart “tricks”, a robot can seem more intelligent and capable than it is – by
introducing random behaviors which make the robotic pet interesting for longer, for instance.
Humans have the tendency to “make sense” of the robot’s behaviors in a human way (we do
this with animals too). However, in order to sustain a meaningful relationship which deepens
and evolves over time, an extensive artificial inner life will need to be created.

How Machines Learn

A major hurdle in creating this rich artificial inner life is the way machines learn. Machine
learning is example-based. We feed the computer examples of the phenomenon we want it to
understand – for instance, when people feel comfortable. In teaching a machine to recognize
this, data of people being comfortable is provided – this could be in the form of images, videos,
their speech, heartbeat, social media entries, etc. When we feed videos to a computer, these
are labeled with information on whether the people in it are comfortable or not – this may be
done by experts in psychology, or in the local culture.

The computer uses machine learning to “reason” from these labeled videos to identify
important features that correlate with feeling comfortable. This could be the body pose of a
person, the pitch of their voice, etc.

Once the machine has identified the features predicting “comfort”, the resulting algorithm
can be trained and improved, using different sets of videos. Eventually, the algorithm is robust
and a computer with a camera can recognize how people feel with high, if not 100 per cent,
accuracy.

Towards A Complex Synthetic Profile

In order to develop an artificial agent that can have a sustained relationship, over a long
period of time, with a person, we need the agent to have a compelling personality and
behaviors, understand the person, the situation in which they are both in, and the history of their
communication. More importantly, the agent would have to keep the communication going
across a variety of topics and situations. It is possible to make a compelling agent, such as
Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, that you can speak to in natural language and have a
meaningful interaction with, within the specific context of its use – set the alarm clock, make a
note, turn down the heating, etc.

However, beyond that context of use, the communication quickly breaks down. The
agent  will find acceptable responses for a large variety of questions and comments, but will not
be able to sustain an hour-long discussion about a complex issue. For instance, when parents
discuss how to respond to their child not working hard at school, the conversation is very rich –
they bring to it their understanding of the child, and their own personalities, emotions, history,
socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, psychology, genetic make-up, behavioral habits and
understanding of the world.

In order for an artificial agent to take on such a meaningful social role and develop a real
relationship with a person, it would need to have a synthetic psychological, cultural, social and

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emotional profile. Also, the agent would need to learn over time how it “feels” and respond to
situations in relation to this synthetic internal make-up.

This requires a fundamentally different approach to current machine learning. An

artificially intelligent system that develops much like how the human brain develops, and that
can internalize the richness of human experiences, is needed. The intricate ways people
communicate with each other and understand the world is an unimaginably complex process to
synthesize. The envisioned and currently available models of AI are inspired by the human brain
or have elements of how the brain works, but are not yet plausible models of the human brain.

We already see AI achieving amazing feats – like reading the entire internet, winning at
Go, the ancient Chinese board game, or running a fully automated factory. However, just like
the English physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) said he had only scratched the surface of
understanding the universe, we are still merely scratching the surface of understanding human
intelligence.

It Won’t Happen Tomorrow

Robots and artificially intelligent systems will be able to offer us unique abilities to
support and enhance our decision-making, understanding of situations and ways to act. Robots
will be able to contribute to or autonomously carry out labor. Perhaps robotics will be fully
physically integrated in our human bodies once a number of challenges are overcome. Also, we
will relate to artificial agents as we do to humans – by communicating with them in natural
language, observing their behaviors and understanding their intentions. However, in order to
sustain a meaningful relationship with conversations and rituals, which deepen and evolve over
time in the rich context of everyday life, as is the case between people, an extensive artificial
inner life will need to be created. As long as we replicate or surpass certain functions of human
intelligence rather than the holistic whole of human intelligence placed in the rich context of our
everyday lives, it is unlikely that artificial agents and people can be totally integrated.

Robots in Protecting Environment

1. Robots Plant Trees

Climate change startups tend to pick a specific element of environmental harm and solve
a problem for it. For Mark Stewart, CEO of SkyGrow, it’s planting trees. He developed his
company to plant more trees than we are cutting down — and not just in remote forests like the
Amazon. The team at SkyGrow developed the Growbot, an unmanned vehicle that plants trees
10 times faster than a human can, at about half the cost.

Growbot plants established trees instead of seeds, because established trees have a
greater chance of succeeding in their new location. Stewart and his team plan to manufacture
4,500 Growbots, helping forests recover everywhere.

2. Robots Help Farmers Survive Droughts

As our climate continues to change, it affects our food sources. This is particularly true in
poorer countries and rural areas that can’t easily import food from other regions. Using AI
sensors and monitors, robots can track the growth of plants and learn which species
survive  and thrive in harsh conditions. With the help of this data analysis, farmers can choose

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plants that have a greater chance of success, saving their income while they feed the people
around them.

3. Robots Can Grow Like Plants

Researchers at The Plantoid Project are working to recreate the behavior and functions
of plants to study the natural environment. They have realized the best way to study the
environment is to use the same methods plants use to filter air, water, and other chemicals that
they’re exposed to. The robot plant they have developed even has a mini 3D printer that helps
the roots “grow,” allowing researchers to explore the soil that plants are exposed to.

4. Humanoid Robots Dive to the Bottom of the Ocean

The team at Evolving Science recently profiled Ocean One, a humanoid robot developed
by the Stanford Robotics Lab to explore the ocean and collect samples as effectively as a diver.
Ocean One was originally developed to monitor deep coral reefs in the Red Sea. These corals
are essential for a healthy ocean, but live far beyond human range. Researchers needed a
robot that could collect samples without damaging the reef and observe deep-sea specimens in
their natural habitat. Ocean One mimics a human SCUBA diver, complete with arms, depth
perception, and touch feedback, plus it can survive significant depths. Since exploring the Red
Sea, the robot has traveled across the world, helping us learn about the ocean without
disrupting it.

5. Swarm Robots Collect Data

Interestingly, not all underwater robots are humanoid, or even human-sized. Aquabotixis

a technology development company that creates vehicles for underwater inspection. It
specializes in swarm robots, or multiple small robots that can be controlled by one operator. As
a whole, there are multiple benefits to swarm robot submersibles. Swarm robots cover more
territory than one robot can. If there is damage to individual units, the entire research plan isn’t
affected. It’s more affordable to deploy a dozen swarm bots than one main robot platform. In the
field of marine biology, swarm robots can collect more data and more diverse data than a single
robot (or even a varied team of researchers) could. This makes the data more reliable and helps
scientists learn more about the ocean and how to protect it.      

6. Robots Harvest Wave and Solar Energy

If we’re going to fight climate change, then we will need to reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels like oil. Developers are turning to robots to help collect energy sustainably and use it
across industries and environments. A great example is the Wave Glider by Liquid Robotics. It
looks like a surfboard and has built-in solar panels, collecting solar energy as it moves along the
ocean surface. It uses the stored energy for propulsion and to recharge the batteries needed for
its sensors. Wave Glider’s applications include collecting high-resolution carbon dioxide
samples in difficult locations for a complete picture of global climate change.

7. Robots Eat Water Pollution

The Permaculture Research Institute in Australia recently covered the development of a

“Row-bot” developed by the University of Bristol that digests pollution in the water and turns it
into energy. The robot swims around, ingesting microbes which then power the boat’s motor. It’s

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really no different than a whale shark filter feeding krill and using that food energy to travel
around the ocean.

According to Jonathan Rossiter, who hosted a TED talk about these robots, this
technology could help reduce the impact of tankers that flush their oil tanks into the sea and of
chemicals that are washed into rivers and wind up in the oceans. 

8. Robots Kill Invasive Species

Sometimes protecting the environment means hunting invasive species that take over
and harm endangered plants and animals. One example of this is the Crown-of-Thorns starfish
on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. These coral-eating starfish can kill off large swaths of
reef, destroying the homes of thousands of delicate species. Experts say this starfish is a threat
equal to climate change to the reef. The team at BiopixelTV recently shared a solution to these
pests: the RangerBot. This robot finds and kills the starfish with an eco-friendly injection,
preventing the starfish from doing further damage. The results are staggering. Six human divers
could only cover half of the reef in a year, but six RangerBots can cover the reef 14 times over
the same period. RangerBots also cost half the price of a human expedition, operate day and
night, and can collect other measurements like temperature and salinity while they work.

9. Robots Also Pick Up River Trash

Pollution comes in all forms, from oils and other chemicals to plastic bags and straws.
One company, Urban Rivers, developed a trash robot for the Chicago River. It floats along
collecting garbage to keep the waterway clean. The robot came to be after Urban Rivers
installed 1,500 square feet of floating wetland and urban garden. They noticed trash kept getting
caught in the plants and sent someone out each day to pick it up. The team realized the trash
was only going to build, and started developing a robot to help them clean up the waterways.
This robot keeps the plants trash-free and prevents animals from accidentally ingesting the
waste.

10. Robots Make Recycling Easier

As more people recycle, there is added pressure on humans to sort the materials and
determine what can be reused. This is highly manual work, with people hunched over conveyor
belts grabbing items as fast as they can. AMP Robotics hopes to make recycling easier. Its
robots use AI to “see” items on a conveyor belt and record what they are. The robot can then
sort the materials and place them into designated bins. This solution increases efficiency with
higher throughput and better bale quality. It also allows users, whether cities or construction
companies, to budget more accurately with fixed labor rates.

11. Robots Climb Into the Sewers

Our sewer systems have a massive impact on climate change, especially when you
consider what and where we dump our waste. They can also impact public health. Tech
writer Luke Dormehl at Digital Trends showcases Luigi, a sewer robot developed by MIT’s
Underworlds project is operated with an iPhone app, the robot studies bacteria and chemicals in
manholes. It is the first of a team of future sewer samplers that will collect and analyze raw
sewage and send the data back to the lab. The robots, using sampling instruments that upload
data remotely (and with plans for a real-time biochemical detection platform in the works) will be

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able to collect more samples much faster than their human counterparts, who were limited to
manually hauling liters of muck at a time back to the lab.

12. Robots Reduce Carbon Emissions

Senior environment reporter Emily Guerin at KPCC Southern California Public Radio

recently discussed the rise of automated equipment in the Port of Long Beach. While it is
adversely affecting union workers there, the impact on climate change is good. This is because
the new equipment releases no emissions and greatly reduces the pollution-causing tools and
trucks needed to operate the port. Guerin explains that heavy duty diesel trucks are responsible
for 150 tons of smog emissions per day (compared to 80 tons for cars and SUVs). If automation
can reduce this number, the air in Southern California has a chance of clearing up.  

13. Robots Reduce Personal Transportation Emissions

Transportation has a significant impact on climate change and carbon

emissions. Alexandra Gray at World Economic Forum reports that 23 percent of global energy-
related CO2 emissions are caused by transportation. Today’s innovators are not only developing
electric cars, but also better batteries that reduce the environmental impact of all vehicles. In
fact, researchers at the University of Surrey are developing an alternative to traditional battery
power that is 1,000-10,000 times stronger than that used today, allowing electric cars to travel
similar distances to those that use gas and to recharge in the time it takes to fill up the tank.

14. Robots Send Environmental Alerts on Social Media

Robots alone can’t save the planet. These robots need humans who want to protect the
natural environment and the plants and animals that live in it. The developers at Climate
Reality recently wrote a “Rapid Response Team” program which sends messages to their
Facebook fans whenever there is news related to the fight against climate change. Fans can opt
in and then take action based on the message. This might mean calling their local
representatives or donating to a cause to help clean up after a disaster. Thousands of people
can come together with the help of a bot coded on Facebook sending out alerts.

Learning Activity 7

A. Essay

Answer the following questions.

1. Do you believe that children should have completely free access to any TV program or
Web site on the Internet, or do you think that parents, teachers, and/or librarians should
be permitted to prevent children from accessing programs and sites adults think are
inappropriate or harmful? Give reasons for your opinions.
2. In general, would you say that modern technology developed over the past fifty years
has made the world a better or worse place in which to live? Are people’s lives happier
now as a result of modern technology?

B. Read and make reflection paper about the article “This Is What The Future of Robots
Might Do To Humanity.”

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 https://www.forbes.com/sites/lelalondon/2018/11/28/this-is-what-the-future-of-robots-
might-do-to-humanity/#c98910f72aea

MODULE 8

THE INFORMATION AGE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Trace the development of the information age from the pre-mechanical age up to the
evolution of social media
2. Describe the main generations of digital computing from use of vacuum tubes up to
artificial intelligence
3. Determine the impacts of the information age to society
4. Analyze the ways in which the people can develop and sustain a civilized online
environment or personal relationship.

INTRODUCTION

People are now living in a society where the internet, computers and smartphones have
become essential parts of their everyday lives for immediate accessing and sharing of
information. People are now in the Information Age, also known as Computer Age, Digital Age,
or New Media Age. According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Information Age is the
modern age regarded as a time in which information has become a commodity that is quickly
and widely disseminated and easily available especially through the use of computer
technology.

Information Age is the period where people can best be characterized as highly
technologically advanced, and internet and data communication minded. The people’s way of
living changed greatly from Renaissance period when they began to write realistic books and
not just religious stories to Industrial Revolution period, when major changes happened in
agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology. This is the period when

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digital technologies have changed every aspect of people’s lives; from the way they work and
learn to the way they play and socialize. People now can access information with the touch of a
button. They can do almost everything online; communicating, shopping, paying, working,
educating or learning, watching entertainment, booking, or even ordering food. These
technological advancements have profoundly impacted the society and its environment; the
social, economic, and cultural conditions, science, research, and industries including but not
limited to healthcare, education, finance, entertainment, transportation, and media and
communications.

History

Information Age is tightly attached to the advent of personal computers but many
computer historians tracked its beginnings to the research, A Mathematical Theory of
Communication conducted by Claude E. Shannon, a researcher and mathematician, and also
known as the "Father of Information Theory." This study proposed that information can be
digitized or quantitatively encoded as a series of ones and zeroes. It showed how all information
media, from telephone signals to radio waves to television, could be transmitted without error
using this single framework.

The digitization of information gave way for rapid development of modernized

equipment, fiber optic cables and faster microprocessors, accelerated communication and
information processing, World Wide Web, email and mobile technology. As information is
increasingly described in digital form, businesses across many industries have sharpened their
focus on how to capitalize on the Information Age.

Information Technology

Information technology (IT) has always been around from the beginning of time.
People needed to communicate and socialize with each other to grow. The system of
information - the storing, retrieving, manipulating, and communicating information has been in
place since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in 3000 BC. Information
technology, in the modern sense is defined as the use of any computers, storage, networking
and other physical devices, infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure and
exchange all forms of electronic data. Typically, IT is used in the context of enterprise
operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies.

The term information technology was coined by the Harvard Business Review in order to
make a distinction between purpose-built machines designed to perform a limited scope of
functions and general-purpose computing machines that could be programmed for various
tasks. As the IT industry evolved from the mid-20 thcentury, computing capability advanced while
device cost and energy consumption fell lower, a cycle that continues today when new
technologies emerge.

Evolution of Information Technology:

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 1) Age Pre-mechanical (between 3000BC and 1450AD)
The pre-mechanical age is the earliest age characterized by using of language
or simple picture drawings known as petroglyphs usually carved in rock. Early alphabets
were developed such as the Phoenician alphabet.

Courtesy of https://www.williamhortonphotography.com

Petroglyph

The popularity of alphabets led the way for development of pens and paper. It
started off as just marks in wet clay, but later paper was created out of papyrus plant. As
information grew, people realized the importance of organizing and storing them in
permanent storage. First books were written and kept in libraries. Egyptian scrolls and
book-like binding of paper were popular ways of writing down information to save.This
period was also marked by the development of the first numbering systems. The first 1 –
9 system was created in 100AD; and the number 0 was invented and added in 875AD.
This was followed by the invention of calculator, then known as abacus. This was the
very first sign of information processor.
.
2) Mechanical (between 1450 and 1840)

Development of new technologies emerged and invented like the slide rule, an
analog computer used for multiplying and dividing. Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline,
a very popular mechanical computer. Charles Babbage developed the difference engine
which tabulated polynomial equations
using the method of finite differences.

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 Courtesy of https://www.britannica.com

Difference Engine

3) Electromechanical (1840 -1940)

The period marked the beginning of telecommunication. Inventions and

innovations continued. The telegraph was created in the early 1800s. Morse code was
created by Samuel Morse in 1835. The telephone was created by Alexander Graham
Bell in 1876. The first radio was developed by Guglielmo Marconi in 1894. These
emerging technologies led to bigger advances in the information technology field.

Courtesy of sites.harvard.edu

Harvard Mark 1

The first large-scale automatic digital computer in the United States was the Mark
1 created by Harvard University around 1940. This computer was 8ft high, 50ft long, 2ft
wide, and weighed 5 tons. It was programmed using punch cards.

4) Electronic (1940 – present)

The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first high-
speed, digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing
problems. This computer was designed to be used by the U.S. Army for artillery firing
tables. This machine was even bigger than the Mark 1 taking up 680 square feet and
weighing 30 tons. It mainly used vacuum tubes to do its calculations.

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 Courtesy of pinterest.com

ENIAC

There are five main generations of digital computing.

1. The first generation (1942 -1955)used vacuum tubes. This period marked the beginning of
commercial computer age via UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), the first
commercially available computer. It was developed by two
scientists Mauchly and Echert at the Census Department of United States in 1947. 
Examples of first generation computers are ENIVAC and UNIVAC-1.

2. The second generation (1955 -1964) used transistors. The scientists at Bell laboratories
developed transistor in 1947. These scientists include John Barden, William Brattain and
William Shockley. The size of the computers was decreased by replacing vacuum tubes
with transistors. The examples of second generation computers are IBM 7094 series, IBM
1400 series and CDC 164 etc.

3. The third generation (1964 – 1975) used the integrated circuits (IC). Jack Kilby developed
the concept of integrated circuit in 1958. It was an important invention in the computer
field. The first IC was invented and used in 1961. The size of an IC is about ¼ square inch.
A single IC chip may contain thousands of transistors. The computer became smaller in
size, faster, more reliable and less expensive. The examples of third generation computers
are IBM 370, IBM System/360, UNIVAC 1108 and UNIVAC AC 9000.

4. The fourth generation (1975 – present) computers started with the invention of
Microprocessor. The Microprocessor contains thousands of ICs. Ted Hoff produced the
first microprocessor in 1971 for Intel. It was known as Intel 4004. The technology of
integrated circuits improved rapidly. The LSI (Large Scale Integration) circuit and VLSI
(Very Large Scale Integration) circuit was designed. It greatly reduced the size of
computer. The size of modern Microprocessors is usually one square inch. It can contain

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 millions of electronic circuits. The examples of fourth generation computers are Apple
Macintosh &IBM PC.

Courtesy of oldcomputers.net

Apple 2

5. The fifth generation (Present and beyond) computers are based on the technique
of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They can understand spoken words and imitate human
reasoning. They can respond to its surroundings using different types of sensors.
Scientists are constantly working to increase the processing power of computers. They
are trying to create a computer with real IQ with the help of advanced programming and
technologies. IBM Watson supercomputer is an example of fifth generation
computer. It combines artificial intelligence (AI) and sophisticated analytical software for
optimal performance as a "question answering" machine. The supercomputer is named
after IBM's founder, Thomas J. Watson. The Watson supercomputer processes at a rate
of 80 teraflops (trillion floating point operations per second). To replicate (or surpass) a
high-functioning human's ability to answer questions, Watson accesses 90 servers with
a combined data store of over 200 million pages of information, which it processes
against six million logic rules. The system and its data are self-contained in a space that
could accommodate 10 refrigerators.

Courtesy of Hexus.net Courtesy of livemint.com

Today’s PC IBM Watson

Inventions do not generally happen by accident or in a random order. Chris Woodford, a

British Science writer and consultant explained that science and technology progress in a very
logical way, with each new discovery leading on from the last.

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Computer

If there is one important development in the Information Age, it is the invention of

computer. A computer is a machine or device that performs processes, calculations and
operations based on instructions provided by a software or hardware program. It is designed to
execute applications and provides a variety of solutions by combining integrated hardware and
software components.

Types of Computer

Since the advent of the first computer different types and sizes of computers are offering
different services. Computers can be as big as occupying a large building and as small as a
laptop or a microcontroller in mobile and embedded systems. The byte-notes.com enumerates
the four basic types of computers:

1) Supercomputer

The most powerful computers in terms of performance and data processing are the
Supercomputers. These are specialized and task specific computers used by large
organizations. These computers are used for research and exploration purposes, like NASA
uses supercomputers for launching space shuttles, controlling them and for space
exploration purpose. The supercomputers are very expensive and very large in size. It can
be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms; some super computers can span an
entire building.

Uses of Supercomputers:

 Space Exploration
o Supercomputers are used to study the origin of the universe, the dark-
matters. For these studies scientist use IBM’s powerful supercomputer
“Roadrunner” at National Laboratory Los Alamos.
 Earthquake Studies
o Supercomputers are used to study the Earthquakes phenomenon. Besides
that supercomputers are used for natural resources exploration, like natural
gas, petroleum, coal, etc.
 Weather Forecasting
o Supercomputers are used for weather forecasting, and to study the nature
and extent of Hurricanes, Rainfalls, windstorms, etc.
 Nuclear Weapons Testing
o Supercomputers are used to run weapon simulation that can test the Range,
accuracy & impact of Nuclear weapons.   

2) Mainframe Computer

Mainframes are not as powerful as supercomputers, but many large firms & government
organizations use this type of computer to run their business operations. Because of size,
the mainframe computers can be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms. They can
process and store large amount of data. Banks, big educational institutions and insurance

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 companies use mainframe computers to store data about their customers, students &
insurance policy holders.

3) Minicomputer

Minicomputers are used by small businesses & firms. They are also called “Midrange
Computers”. These are small machines and can be accommodated on a disk with not as
processing and data storage capabilities as super-computers & Mainframes. These
computers are not designed for a single user. Individual departments of a large company or
organizations use Mini-computers for specific purposes. For example, a production
department can use Mini-computers for monitoring certain production process.

4) Microcomputer

Desktop computers, personal computers (PCs), laptops, personal digital assistant

(PDA), tablets, and smartphones are all types of microcomputers. They are widely used and
the fastest growing computers. These computers are the cheapest among the other three
types of computers. They are specially designed for general usage like entertainment,
education and work purposes. Well known manufacturers of Micro-computer are Dell, Apple,
Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba.

Influences of the Past on Information Age

The past has greatly influenced the Information Age. The Renaissance Age created the
idea inventions, while too advanced for the time; the basic idea was used to develop modern
inventions. The Renaissance also changed literature. At first, only books that told stories of
religion and religious heroes were written. During the Renaissance, people began to write
realistic books and not just religious stories. People’s mindset about themselves changed. It
was no longer about what humans could do for God, but what humans could do for themselves.
This way of thinking is called humanism.

The Scientific Revolution changed the modern era by introducing important scientists
such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Sir Isaac Newton. Their discoveries paved the way for modern
tools, inventions, and innovations.

The Industrial Revolution brought about major changes in agriculture, manufacturing,

mining, transportation, and technology. This era has profound effect on the social, economic,
and cultural conditions of the world.

Information Age Timeline

The following is a part of Woodford table of chronology of inventions, advancements, and

innovations from 1970s, which most computer historians claimed Information Age began:

Date Invention or discovery

1971 Electronic ink is pioneered by Nick Sheridon at Xerox PARC.
1971 Ted Hoff builds the first single-chip computer or microprocessor.

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1973 Martin Cooper develops the first handheld cellphone (mobile phone).
1973 Robert Metcalfe figures out a simple way of linking computers together that he
names Ethernet. Most computers hooked up to the Internet now use it.
1974 First grocery-store purchase of an item coded with a barcode.
1975 Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman invent public-key cryptography.
1975 Pico Electronics develops X-10 home automation system.
1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs launch the Apple I: one of the world's first personal
home computers
1970s– James Dyson invents the bagless, cyclonic vacuum cleaner.
1980s
1970s– Scientists including Charles Bennett, Paul Benioff, Richard Feynman, and David
1980s Deutsch sketch out how quantum computers might work.
1980s Japanese electrical pioneer Akio Morita develops the Sony Walkman, the first truly
portable player for recorded music.
1981 Stung by Apple's success, IBM releases its own affordable personal computer
(PC).
1981 The Space Shuttle makes its maiden voyage.
1981 Patricia Bath develops laser eye surgery for removing cataracts.
1981 Fujio Masuoka files a patent for flash memory—a type of reusable computer
memory that can store information even when the power is off.
1981– Alexei Ekimov and Louis E. Brus (independently) discover quantum dots.
1982
1983 Compact discs (CDs) are launched as a new way to store music by the Sony and
Philips corporations.
1987 Larry Hornbeck, working at Texas Instruments, develops DLP® projection—now
used in many projection TV systems.
1989 Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.
1990 German watchmaking company Junghans introduces the MEGA 1, believed to be
the world's first radio-controlled wristwatch.
1991 Linus Torvalds creates the first version of Linux, a collaboratively written computer
operating system.
1994 American-born mathematician John Daugman perfects the mathematics that make
iris scanning systems possible.
1994 Israeli computer scientists Alon Cohen and LiorHaramaty invent VoIP for sending
telephone calls over the Internet.
1995 Broadcast.com becomes one of the world's first online radio stations.
1995 Pierre Omidyar launches the eBay auction website.
1996 WRAL-HD broadcasts the first high-definition television (HDTV) signal in the
United States.
1997 Electronics companies agree to make Wi-Fi a worldwide standard for wireless
Internet.
21st
century
2001 Apple revolutionizes music listening by unveiling its iPod MP3 music player.
2001 Richard Palmer develops energy-absorbing D3O plastic.
2001 The Wikipedia online encyclopedia is founded by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales.

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2001 Bram Cohen develops BitTorrent file-sharing.
2001 Scott White, Nancy Sottos, and colleagues develop self-healing materials.
2002 iRobot Corporation releases the first version of its Roomba® vacuum cleaning
robot.
2004 Electronic voting plays a major part in a controversial US Presidential Election.
2004 Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov discover graphene.
2005 A pioneering low-cost laptop for developing countries called OLPC is announced
by MIT computing pioneer Nicholas Negroponte.
2007 Amazon.com launches its Kindle electronic book (e-book) reader.
2007 Apple introduces a touchscreen cellphone called the iPhone.
2010 Apple releases its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad.
2010 3D TV starts to become more widely available.
2013 Elon Musk announces "hyperloop"—a giant, pneumatic tube transport system.
2015 Supercomputers (the world's fastest computers) are now a mere 30 times less
powerful than human brains.
2016 Three nanotechnologists win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for building miniature
machines out of molecules.
2017 Quantum computing shows signs of becoming a practical technology.

Internet Technology

In 1960, the first practical prototype of the Internet came about through the creation of
ARPANET, or the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. Originally funded by the U.S.
Department of Defense, ARPANET used packet switching to allow multiple computers to
communicate on a single network. The technology continued to grow in the 1970s after
scientists Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf developed Transmission Control Protocol and Internet
Protocol, or TCP/IP, a communications model that set standards for how data could be
transmitted between multiple networks. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson invented and developed what is
called electronic mail or email today, by creating ARPANET’s networked email system. The
concept of nearly instantaneous communication between machines within an organization
proved to be so beneficial and practical that the concept soon began to spread. In 1983,
ARPANET adopted TCP/IP, through which researchers assembled the “network of networks”
that became the modern Internet. Over the next few years, America Online (AOL), Echomail,
Hotmail and Yahoo shaped the Internet and email landscape. The online world then took on a
more recognizable form in 1990, when computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World
Wide Web. While it’s often confused with the Internet itself, the web is actually just the most
common means of accessing data online in the form of websites and hyperlinks. The web
helped popularize the Internet among the public, and served as a crucial step in developing the
vast trove of information that most of us now access on a daily basis.

Social Media

Since the birth of Internet and WWW, social media platforms continuously evolve (i.e.,
AOL, Yahoo messenger, bulletin board forum systems, game-based social networking sites,
FaceBook, Myspace, Viber, Skype, etc.), communities Social media is understood as the
different forms of online communication used by people to create networks, and collectives to
share information, ideas, messages, and other content, such as videos. It has become an

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integral part of people’s lives. They use it to connect with friends and family, to catch up on
current events, and, perhaps most importantly, to entertain themselves.

Email, Social Media, and Texting Guidelines

To develop and maintain a conducive online experience, Internet etiquette, also known as
Netiquette, must be observed. Thesupruce.com enumerates the following Netiquettes:

1. Be nice.
The first rule of internet etiquette is to be kind and courteous. Remember that
whatever you send from your keyboard or your phone is still an extension of you, even
though you're not with others in person. Never flame or rant in public forum. Avoid
gossiping and cyber bullying.

2. Learn Internet acronyms.

As communication on the Internet explodes, so does the use of acronyms (i.e.
BTW, TTYL, LOL, ROTFL, POV, B4N, etc.) Learn what they mean so you won’t
misunderstand messages and comments.

3. Keep messages and posts brief.

Most people use the Internet to save time, so honor that and keep all messages as
brief as possible

4. Don’t shout.
Avoid using all caps in any email or post. It comes across as shouting, which is
rude.

5. Use discretion.
Whether you are sending email, instant messaging, commenting on Facebook,
adding images to Snapchat, or posting a message to your blog, you need to remember
that anything you put on the Internet can be there forever. Even if you remove the
material, someone may have made a screen shot, copied, or saved it. One rule of thumb
many people use is to never post anything you wouldn’t want your parents or boss to see.

6. Protect personal information.

Since anything you post on the Internet is out there for all to see, avoid adding
anything personal. This includes your address, phone number, social security number,
and driver’s license information. You don’t want to make things easy for identity thieves,
burglars, and predators.

7. Obey copyright laws.

Never copy someone else’s work and post it as your own. It is against copyright
law because it is considered stealing. It is always a good idea to ask permission before
quoting anyone, but that isn’t always possible. To quote someone, keep the quote short,
cite the source, and put a link to the complete written work.

8. Protect children.

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 If you allow children to access the Internet, make sure you know what sites they
visit and who their “friends” are.

9. Before you click “Send”.

It is always a good idea to reread anything you type before clicking the “send”
button. If you have time, step away for a few minutes and come back to it with fresh eyes.
For those times when you need to post quickly, at least check your spelling, grammar, and
tone of the message. If it is late at night, and you are extremely tired, it’s probably best to
wait until the next morning. You can save most messages and posts in draft mode.

10. Help others.

If someone appears to be new to the internet, offer your assistance. Share
information on proper etiquette, send them a link to a list of the most common acronyms
and emoticons, and offer to answer any questions until they get the hang of it. After you
see that someone has posted something inappropriate, let him or her know privately.
Never do anything to publicly embarrass anyone you know online.
11. Internet trolls.
Keep in mind that there are internet trolls out there, looking for their next victim. If
you become the subject of their bad behaviour, don't respond. Most of the time, these
people like to stir things up while hiding behind their keyboards. When they don't get a
reaction, they move on to someone else.

However, if it continues and you feel as though you are being threatened, contact
the authorities. You need to make sure you protect yourself and your family.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Reflection:

1. Which developments in the information age brought significant changes in the way you
live your life today?
2. Social media also poses certain risks especially in the dissemination of false or fake
information. As a student, how will you use social media to ensure that you do not
propagate inaccurate and unreliable information.

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78
 MODULE 9

NANOTECHNOLOGY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Define nanotechnology
2. Explain the significance of nanotechnology.
3. Identify the types of nanomaterials
4. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology
5. List down some applications of nanotechnology

Why Nano?

Nanotechnology is the study of extremely small structures, having size of 0.1 to 100
nm. Classification of nano materials based on their dimensions is given. Applications of
nanotechnology are found in various fields such as health and medicine, electronics, energy
and environment.

Nanotechnology is defined as the study and use of structures between 1 nanometer and
100 nanometers in size. To give you an idea of how small that is, it would take eight hundred
100 nanometer particles side by side to match the width of a human hair.

A nanodevice, or nanomachine, is defined as a nanoscale automation, or at least one

containing nanosized components. Direct nanotechnology refers to nanosized objects used
directly in an application-a responsive nanoparticle used to deliver drugs to an internal target in
the human body. Indirect nanotechnology refers to a device that contains a nanodevice,
possibly along with other micro or macro components and systems. The definition of
nanotechnology is “the design, characterization, production, and application of materials,
devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale.”The term “nanoscience”
appears to be superfluous if it is used in the sense of “the science underlying nanotechnology
Nanotechnology has three aspects: (1) a universal fabrication procedure; (2) a particular way of
conceiving, designing, and modeling materials, devices, and systems, including their fabrication;
(3) the creation of novelty.

Scientists have been studying and working with nanoparticles for centuries, but the
effectiveness of their work has been hampered by their inability to see the structure of
nanoparticles. In recent decades the developments of microscopes capable of displaying
particles as small as atoms have allowed scientists to see what they are working with.

The following illustration titled “The Scale of Things”, created by the U. S. Department of
Energy, provides a comparison of various objects to help you begin to envision exactly how
small a nanometer is. The chart starts with objects that can be seen by the unaided eye, such
as an ant, at the top of the chart, and progresses to objects about a nanometer or less in size,
such as the ATP molecule used in humans to store energy from food.

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Significance of Nanotechnology

These unusual physical and chemical characteristics come about because there is an
increase in surface area compared to volume as particles get smaller and also because they are
subject to quantum effects. This means they can behave in different ways and do not follow the
same laws of physics that larger objects do.

Nanotechnology is designed to provide a novel and improved approach to cancer

diagnosis and treatment. Nanoscale devices can interact with large biological molecules on both
the surface and inside cells involved in cancer.

Nanotechnology can improve the performance of catalysts used to transform vapors

escaping from cars or industrial plants into harmless gasses. That's because catalysts made
from nanoparticles have a greater surface area to interact with the reacting chemicals than
catalysts made from larger particle.

Nanotechnology offers the potential for new and faster kinds of computers, more efficient
power sources and life-saving medical treatments. Potential disadvantages include economic
disruption and possible threats to security, privacy, health and the environment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Nanomaterials. These objects combine the

advantages of nanomaterials such as an extremely large surface area, improved reactivity or

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high porosity with good mechanical properties, which allow their further processing and
utilization in various fields e.g. vascular tissue engineering, wound healing.

Understanding, shaping and combining matter at the atomic and molecular scale is
called nanotechnology. Nanotechnology encompasses science, medicine, engineering,
computing and robotics at this scale, called the nanoscale. Nanotechnology offers the potential
for new and faster kinds of computers, more efficient power sources and life-saving medical
treatments. Potential disadvantages include economic disruption and possible threats to
security, privacy, health and the environment.

Manufacturing Advantages

Nanotechnology is already making new materials available that could revolutionize many
areas of manufacturing. For example, nanotubes and nano particles, which are tubes and
particles only a few atoms across, and aerogels, materials composed of very light and strong
materials with remarkable insulating properties, could pave the way for new techniques and
superior products. In addition, robots that are only a few nanometers in length, called nanobots,
and nanofactories could help construct novel materials and objects.

Energy Advantages

Nanotechnology may transform the ways in which we obtain and use energy. In
particular, it's likely that nanotechnology will make solar power more economical by reducing the
cost of constructing solar panels and related equipment. Energy storage devices will become
more efficient as a result. Nanotechnology will also open up new methods of generating and
storing energy.

Advantages in Electronics and Computing

The field of electronics is set to be revolutionized by nanotechnology. Quantum dots, for

example, are tiny light-producing cells that could be used for illumination or for purposes such
as display screens. Silicon chips can already contain millions of components, but the technology
is reaching its limit; at a certain point, circuits become so small that if a molecule is out of place
the circuit won't work properly. Nanotechnology will allow circuits to be constructed very
accurately on an atomic level.

Medical Advantages

Nanotechnology has the potential to bring major advances in medicine. Nanobots could
be sent into a patient's arteries to clear away blockages. Surgeries could become much faster
and more accurate. Injuries could be repaired cell-by-cell. It may even become possible to heal
genetic conditions by fixing the damaged genes. Nanotechnology could also be used to refine
drug production, tailoring drugs at a molecular level to make them more effective and reduce
side effects.

Environmental Effects

Some of the more extravagant negative future scenarios have been debunked by
experts in nanotechnology. For example: the so-called "gray goo" scenario, where self-
replicating nanobots consume everything around them to make copies of themselves, was once
widely discussed but is no longer considered to be a credible threat. It is possible, however, that

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there will be some negative effects on the environment as potential new toxins and pollutants
may be created by nanotechnology.

Economic Upheaval

It is likely that nanotechnology, like other technologies before it, will cause major
changes in many economic areas. Although products made possible by nanotechnology will
initially be expensive luxury or specialist items, once availability increases, more and more
markets will feel the impact. Some technologies and materials may become obsolete, leading to
companies specializing in those areas going out of business. Changes in manufacturing
processes brought about by nanotechnology may result in job losses.

Privacy and Security

Nanotechnology raises the possibility of microscopic recording devices, which would be

virtually undetectable. More seriously, it is possible that nanotechnology could be weaponized.
Atomic weapons would be easier to create and novel weapons might also be developed. One
possibility is the so-called "smart bullet," a computerized bullet that could be controlled and
aimed very accurately. These developments may prove a boon for the military; but if they fell
into the wrong hands.

Different Types of Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles can be classified into different types according to the size, morphology,
physical and chemical properties. Some of them are carbon-based nanoparticles, ceramic
nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, semiconductor nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles and
lipid-based nanoparticles.

Carbon-Based Nanoparticles

Carbon-based nanoparticles include two main materials: carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and
fullerenes. CNTs are nothing but graphene sheets rolled into a tube. These materials are mainly
used for the structural reinforcement as they are 100 times stronger than steel.

CNTs can be classified into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled
carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). CNTs are unique in a way as they are thermally conductive
along the length and non-conductive across the tube.

Fullerenes are the allotropes of carbon having a structure of hollow cage of sixty or more
carbon atoms. The structure of C-60 is called Buckminsterfullerene, and looks like a hollow
football. The carbon units in these structures have a pentagonal and hexagonal arrangement.
These have commercial applications due to their electrical conductivity, structure, high strength,
and electron affinity.

Ceramic Nanoparticles

Ceramic nanoparticles are inorganic solids made up of oxides, carbides, carbonates and
phosphates. These nanoparticles have high heat resistance and chemical inertness. They have
applications in photocatalysis, photodegradation of dyes, drug delivery, and imaging.

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 By controlling some of the characteristics of ceramic nanoparticles like size, surface
area, porosity, surface to volume ratio, etc, they perform as a good drug delivery agent. These
nanoparticles have been used effectively as a drug delivery system for a number of diseases
like bacterial infections, glaucoma, cancer, etc.

Metal Nanoparticles

Metal nanoparticles are prepared from metal precursors. These nanoparticles can be
synthesized by chemical, electrochemical, or photochemical methods. In chemical methods, the
metal nanoparticles are obtained by reducing the metal-ion precursors in solution by chemical
reducing agents. These have the ability to adsorb small molecules and have high surface
energy.
These nanoparticles have applications in research areas, detection and imaging of
biomolecules and in environmental and bioanalytical applications. For example gold
nanoparticles are used to coat the sample before analyzing in SEM. This is usually done to
enhance the electronic stream, which helps us to get high quality SEM images.

Semiconductor Nanoparticles

Semiconductor nanoparticles have properties like those of metals and non-metals. They
are found in the periodic table in groups II-VI, III-V or IV-VI. These particles have wide
bandgaps, which on tuning show different properties. They are used in photocatalysis,
electronics devices, photo-optics and water splitting applications.

Some examples of semiconductor nanoparticles are GaN, GaP, InP, InAs from group
III-V, ZnO, ZnS, CdS, CdSe, CdTe are II-VI semiconductors and silicon and germanium are
from group IV.

Polymeric Nanoparticles

Polymeric nanoparticles are organic based nanoparticles. Depending upon the method
of preparation, these have structures shaped like nanocapsular or nanospheres. A nanosphere
particle has a matrix-like structure whereas the nanocapsular particle has core-shell
morphology. In the former, the active compounds and the polymer are uniformly dispersed
whereas in the latter the active compounds are confined and surrounded by a polymer shell.

Some of the merits of polymeric nanoparticles are controlled release, protection of drug
molecules, ability to combine therapy and imaging, specific targeting and many more. They
have applications in drug delivery and diagnostics. The drug deliveries with polymeric
nanoparticles are highly biodegradable and biocompatible.

Lipid-Based Nanoparticles

Lipid nanoparticles are generally spherical in shape with a diameter ranging from 10 to
100nm. It consists of a solid core made of lipid and a matrix containing soluble lipophilic
molecules. The external core of these nanoparticles is stabilized by surfactants and emulsifiers.
These nanoparticles have application in the biomedical field as a drug carrier and delivery and
RNA release in cancer therapy.

Thus, the field of nanotechnology is far from being saturated and it is, as the statistic
says, sitting on the staircase of an exponential growth pattern. It is basically at the same stage

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as the information technology was in the 1960s and biotechnology in the year of 1980s. Thus it
can easily be predicted that this field would witness a same exponential growth as the other two
technological field witnessed earlier.

Tools

Nanotechnology tools and instruments are the hardware, software and suppliesused to
measure and manipulate structures on the nanoscale. They include microscopes, probes,
lithography systems, manipulation and fabrication systems, software and other accessories.
Rarely are these instruments unique tonanotechnologies

Chemical Sensors

Nanotechnology can enable sensors to detect very small amounts of chemical vapors.
Various types of detecting elements, such as carbon nanotubes, zinc oxide nanowires or
palladium nanoparticles can be used in nanotechnology-based sensors.

Nanotechnology Applications

Medicine

Researchers are developing customized nanoparticles the size of molecules that can
deliver drugs directly to diseased cells in your body. When it's perfected, this method should
greatly reduce the damage treatment such as chemotherapy does to a patient's healthy cells.

Electronics

Nanotechnology holds some answers for how we might increase the capabilities of
electronics devices while we reduce their weight and power consumption.

Food

Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects of food science, from how food
is grown to how it is packaged. Companies are developing nanomaterials that will make a
difference not only in the taste of food, but also in food safety, and the health benefits that food
delivers.

Fuel Cells

Nanotechnology is being used to reduce the cost of catalysts used in fuel cells to
produce hydrogen ions from fuel such as methanol and to improve the efficiency of membranes
used in fuel cells to separate hydrogen ions from other gases such as oxygen.

Solar Cells

Companies have developed nanotech solar cells that can be manufactured at

significantly lower cost than conventional solar cells.

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Batteries

Companies are currently developing batteries using nanomaterials. One such battery will
be a good as new after sitting on the shelf for decades. Another battery can be recharged
significantly faster than conventional batteries.

Space

Nanotechnology may hold the key to making space-flight more practical. Advancements
in nanomaterials make lightweight spacecraft and a cable for the space elevator possible. By
significantly reducing the amount of rocket fuel required, these advances could lower the cost of
reaching orbit and traveling in space.

Fuels
It can address the shortage of fossil fuels such as diesel and gasoline by making the
production of fuels from low grade raw materials economical, increasing the mileage of engines,
and making the production of fuels from normal raw materials more efficient.

Better Air Quality

It can improve the performance of catalysts used to transform vapors escaping from cars
or industrial plants into harmless gasses. That's because catalysts made from nanoparticles
have a greater surface area to interact with the reacting chemicals than catalysts made from
larger particles. The larger surface area allows more chemicals to interact with the catalyst
simultaneously, which makes the catalyst more effective.

Better Water Quality

Nanotechnology is being used to develop solutions to three very different problems in

water quality. One challenge is the removal of industrial wastes, such as a cleaning solvent
called TCE, from groundwater. Nanoparticles can be used to convert the contaminating
chemical through a chemical reaction to make it harmless. Studies have shown that this method
can be used successfully to reach contaminates dispersed in underground ponds and at much
lower cost than methods which require pumping the water out of the ground for treatment.

Chemical Sensors

Nanotechnology can enable sensors to detect very small amounts of chemical vapors.
Various types of detecting elements, such as carbon nanotubes, zinc oxide nanowires or
palladium nanoparticles can be used in nanotechnology-based sensors. Because of the small
size of nanotubes, nanowires, or nanoparticles, a few gas molecules are sufficient to change the
electrical properties of the sensing elements. This allows the detection of a very low
concentration of chemical vapors.

Sporting Goods

If you're a tennis or golf fan, you'll be glad to hear that even sporting goods has
wandered into the nano realm. Current nanotechnology applications in the sports arena include
increasing the strength of tennis racquets, filling any imperfections in club shaft materials and
reducing the rate at which air leaks from tennis balls.

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Fabric

Making composite fabric with nano-sized particles or fibers allows improvement of fabric
properties without a significant increase in weight, thickness, or stiffness as might have been the
case with previously-used techniques.

Other Application of Nanotechnology

An application of Nanotechnology in various fields such as health and medicine,

electronics, energy and environment, is discussed in detail. Applications of nano particles in
drug delivery, protein and peptide delivery, cancer are explained. Applications of various nano
systems in cancer therapy such as carbon nano tube, dendrimers, nano crystal, nano wire,
nano shells etc. are given. The advancement in nano technology helps in the treatment of neuro
degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Applications of
nano technology in tuberculosis treatment, the clinical application of nanotechnology in
operative dentistry, in ophthalmology, in surgery, visualization, tissue engineering, antibiotic
resistance, immune response

ACTIVITY 9

Answer the following questions briefly:

1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of nanomaterials.

2. What are the likely impacts of nanotechnology?
3. How can nanotechnology address the problems in the environment?

MODULE 10

BIODIVERSITY AND THE HEALTHY SOCIETY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Define biodiversity and its importance
2. Explain the major threats to biodiversity.
3. Determine the interrelatedness of society, environment and health

The Philippine Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants,
animals, micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. It refers to

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genetic variation, ecosystem variation, species variation (number of species) within an area,
biome or planet. Relative to the range of habitats, biotic communities and ecological processes
in the biosphere, biodiversity is vital in a number of ways including promoting the aesthetic value
of the natural environment, contribution to our material well-being through utilitarian values by
providing food, fodder, fuel, timber and medicine. 
The Philippines ranks fifth in the number of plant species and maintains 5% of the
world’s flora. Species endemism is very high, covering at least 25 genera of plants and 49% of
terrestrial wildlife, while the country ranks fourth in bird endemism. The Philippines is also one of
the world’s biodiversity hotspots with at least 700 threatened species, thus making it one of the
top global conservation areas. The national list of threatened faunal species was established in
2004 and includes 42 species of land mammals, 127 species of birds, 24 species of reptiles and
14 species of amphibians. In terms of fishes, the Philippines counts at least 3,214 species, of
which about 121 are endemic and 76 threatened. In 2007, an administrative order issued by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources established a national list of threatened
plant species, indicating that 99 species were critically endangered, 187 were endangered, 176
vulnerable as well as 64 other threatened species. This is also because the Philippines
continues to experience an alarming rate of destruction of these important resources brought
about by overexploitation, deforestation, land degradation, climate change, and pollution
(including biological pollution), among others.

Major Threats to Biodiversity

1. Climate change

Changes in climate throughout our planet's history have, of course, altered life on Earth
in the long run — ecosystems have come and gone and species routinely go extinct.

But rapid, manmade climate change speeds up the process, without affording
ecosystems and species the time to adapt. For example, rising ocean temperatures and
diminishing Arctic sea ice affects marine biodiversity and can shift vegetation zones, having
global implications. Overall, climate is a major factor in the distribution of species across the
globe; climate change forces them to adjust. But many are not able to cope, causing them to die
out.

2. Deforestation and habitat loss

Deforestation is a direct cause of extinction and loss of biodiversity. An estimated 18

million acres of forest are lost each year, due in part to logging and other human practices,
destroying the ecosystems on which many species depend.
Tropical rainforests in particular, such as the Amazon, hold a high percentage of the world's
known species, yet the regions themselves are in decline due to humans.

3. Overexploitation

Overhunting, overfishing and over-harvesting contribute greatly to the loss of

biodiversity, killing off numerous species over the past several hundred years. Poaching and
other forms of hunting for profit increase the risk of extinction; the extinction of an apex predator
— or, a predator at the top of a food chain — can result in catastrophic consequences for
ecosystems.

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4. Invasive species

The introduction of non-native species into an ecosystem can threaten endemic wildlife
(either as predators or competing for resources), affect human health and upset economies.

5. Pollution

From the burning of fossil fuels (releasing dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere
and, in some cases, depleting ozone levels) to dumping 19 billion pounds of plastic into the
ocean every year, pollution completely disrupts the Earth's ecosystems. While it may not
necessarily cause extinction, pollutants do have the potential to influents species' habits.

For example, acid rain, which is typically caused by the burning of fossil fuels, can
acidify smaller bodies of water and soil, negatively affecting the species that live there
by changing breeding and feeding habits.

Human Health, Environment and Society

The impact of environmental risk factors on health are extremely varied and complex in
both severity and clinical significance. For example, the effects of environmental degradation on
human health can range from death caused by cancer due to air pollution to psychological
problems resulting from noise. This chapter attempts to describe the major impacts on human
health of environmental degradation and to estimate the associated amount of health loss. A
better understanding of the economic costs of environment-related health loss can help to
inform environmental policy design.

All organisms depend on their environments for energy and materials needed to sustain
life: clean air, potable water, nutritious food, and safe places to live. For most of human history,
increases in longevity were due to improved access to these necessities.  Advances in
agriculture, sanitation, water treatment, and hygiene have had a far greater impact on human
health than medical technology.

Although the environment sustains human life, it can also cause diseases. Lack of basic
necessities is a significant cause of human mortality.  Environmental hazards increase the risk
of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and many other illnesses. These hazards can be physical,
such as pollution, toxic chemicals, and food contaminants, or they can be social, such as
dangerous work, poor housing conditions, urban sprawl, and poverty.

Most environmental health problems are linked to poverty. They typically include those
environmental hazards posed by biological agents, exacerbated by poor sanitation, lack of safe
water, smoky kitchens, and crowded dwellings in garbage-strewn neighborhoods. With
increased economic development, many of these problems are resolved, by way of higher
quality housing and societal services to households.

On the other hand, other environmental hazards are associated with economic
development in itself, rather than the lack of it. These include many chemical pollutants that are
hazardous to both human and ecosystem health.

These seemingly contradictory health outcomes of economic development follow a logic

of environmental displacement. While wealthy societies consume more resources and produce

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more waste, they also use their wealth to protect themselves from personal exposure to harmful
or unpleasant pollutants. Thus, by pushing environmental problems away from the living
environment, health gains can be achieved, although often at the expense of environmental
insults at a distance.

By contrast, activities that promote health and extend human life can have adverse
environmental effects. For example, food production causes environmental damage from
pesticides and fertilizers, soil salinization, waste produced by livestock, carbon emissions from
food manufacturing and transportation, deforestation, and over-fishing. Health care facilities also
have adverse environmental impacts. Hospitals use large quantities of electricity and fossil fuels
and produce medical wastes. To prevent some diseases, it may be necessary to damage the
environment. For example, malaria was eradicated in the United States and other developed
nations in the 1940s and 50s as a result of draining wetlands and spraying DDT to kill
mosquitoes. A reduction in mortality from starvation or disease can lead to overpopulation,
which stresses the environment in many different ways–increasing use of fossil fuels, clearing of
land, generating pollution and waste, and so on.

Managing benefits and risks

Many of the issues at the intersection of health and the environment have to do with
managing benefits and risks. For example, pesticides play an important role in increasing crop
yields, but they can also pose hazards to human health and the environment. Alternatives to
pesticide use create trade-offs in health. The extreme action of stopping all pesticide uses could
significantly reduce agricultural productivity, leading to food shortages and increased food
prices, which would, in turn, increase starvation in some parts of the world. Public health
authorities have opted to regulate the use of pesticides to enhance food production while
minimizing damage to the environment and human health. Energy production and use helps
sustain human life, but it can also pose hazards to human health and the environment, such as
air and water pollution, oil spills, and destruction of habitats.

No issue demands greater care in balancing benefits and risks than global warming. A
significant percentage of global climate change is due to the human production of greenhouse
gases. Climate change is likely to cause tremendous harm to the environment and human
health, but taking steps to drastically reduce greenhouse gases could have adverse
consequences for global, national, and local economies, which would result in a general decline
in human health and health care. For example, greatly increasing taxes on fossil fuels would
encourage greater fuel efficiency and lower carbon dioxide emissions, but it would also increase
the price of transportation, which would lead to widespread inflation and reduced consumer
spending power.

Social Justice

Managing benefits and risks raises social justice concerns. In general, people with lower
socioeconomic status have greater exposure to certain detrimental environmental conditions in
their homes or at work, such as lead, mercury, pesticides, toxic chemicals, or air and water
pollution. Communities and nations should minimize such injustices when making decisions
such as choosing a site for a factory, a power plant, or waste dump, or regulating safety in the
workplace. The decision-making process should be fair, open, and democratic, so that people
who will be affected by environmental risks have a voice in these deliberations and can make
their concerns known.

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 When drafting and implementing environmental health regulations, it is important to
consider vulnerable subpopulations. A vulnerable subpopulation is a group with an increased
susceptibility to the adverse effects of an environmental risk factor, due to their age, genetics,
health status, or some other condition. For example, children are more susceptible to the effects
of lead, mercury, and some pesticides than adults. Some people have a genetic mutation that
increases their susceptibility to cancer caused by passive smoking.

If an environmental regulation is designed to protect average members of the population

it may fail to adequately protect vulnerable subpopulations. Justice demands that we take care
of people who are vulnerable. Social justice must be a factor in allocating resources for health
care. Governments spend billions of dollars trying to improve the health of citizens and prevent
diseases. These funds go to biomedical research, overseeing the safety of foods and drugs,
enforcing environmental or occupational health regulations, and running programs for disaster
preparedness, public health, health education, sanitation, water treatment, and so on.

Human Rights

Various public health strategies pit the rights of individuals against the good of society,
such as mandatory treatment, vaccination, or diagnostic testing; isolation and quarantine; and
disease surveillance. The main argument for these public health strategies is that individual
human rights may have to be limited to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases, such as
tuberculosis, SARS, HIV/AIDS, and pneumonia. But restrictions on rights should be well
considered and safeguards should be put in place to prevent public health authorities from
overstepping their bounds. Protecting the public’s health should not come at the expense of
human rights.

Learning Activity

Short Story Writing

A. Write a creative short story about any of the following topics:
1. Growing problem on plastics.
2. Impact of industrial revolution to biodiversity.

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 MODULE 11

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss the nature of biotechnology

2. Explain the meaning of genetically modified organism (GMOs) and its application.
3. Identify the issues of genetically modified organisms
4. Discuss different ethics, implications and potential impact of GMOs

INTRODUCTION

Growth in human population and increasing urbanization increase the demand for food.
Agriculture and aquaculture constitutes a significant sector of the world economy, and its ability
to respond to increasing demand for animal and plant products can be aided by biotechnology.

According to European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB), biotechnology is the

integration of natural Sciences and organism, cells, parts, thereof, and molecular analogues for
products and services. This definition is applicable to both traditional and new biotechnology.
Traditional biotechnology refers to conventional techniques that have been used to produce
beer, wine, cheese and many other foods. New biotechnology embraces all methods of genetic
modification by recombinant deoxynucleic acid (DNA) and cell fusion techniques together with
the modern development of traditional ‘biotechnological processes.

Biotechnology has revolutionized the way agriculture approaches improvement of

valuable traits, through selective breeding or through the production of genetically modified
organism. The application of this genetic modification is to speed up genetic gain, such as
precise methods in stocking genes and shortening the process in developing desirable
products.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are organisms that have had their characteristics
changed through the modification of their DNA. By changing an organism’s genome-the genetic
endowment of an organism which resides with the nucleic acids of the chromosomes, we can
change its characteristics. Genome editing is a way of making specific changes to the DNA of a
cell or organism. An enzyme cuts the DNA at a specific sequence, and when this is repaired by
the cell a change or ‘edit’ is made to the sequence. The process of creating GMOs is called
genetic engineering or genetic modification. Because this process involves the transfer of
genes, GMOs are also known as transgenic organisms.

There are several techniques that can be used to modify a genome:

1. Agrobacterium-mediated' genetic modification is a technique used to introduce new DNA

into a plant genome using a modified microbe?
2. Gene targeting' is a technique used to introduce new DNA into selected regions of a
genome through a process called homologous recombination?

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3. Genome editing' is a technique used to change selected regions of a genome
using enzymes designed to cut specific DNA sequences?

Timeline of selected traits modified by genome editing in plants, animals and for
medical applications

Crispr-Cas 9

Crispr-Cas 9 is the acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic Repeats
(CRSPR) ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 9. As a gene editing technology, it gives scientist the ability
to change an organisms DNA. It can be used to add, remove or alter genetic material at specific
locations in the genome. This innovative technology is based on a naturally occurring adaptive
immune system that provides acquired immunity against foreign viruses and plasmids in
bacteria and archaea. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has three important components namely,
Cas9 endonuclease, single guide RNA and protospacer adjacent motif. It takes advantage of
the ability of the cell to repair double strand breaks either through non-homologous directed
repair pathway.

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 Guide RNA binds to target sequence

Cas9 enzymes binds to guide RNA Cas9 enzymes cuts both strands of DNA The
cut is repaired introducing mutation

Diagram showing how the CRISPR-Cas9 editing tool works.

Image credit: Genome Research Limited.

The genome found in every cell of our body contains over 20 thousand genes and over 3
billion letters of DNA that sustains life, shapes who we are and determines our risks of having a
disease. CRISPR-Cas9 system has wide applications in plant and animal breeding as well as in
drug development and human gene therapy. It is a natural immune defense system found in
lower forms of organisms like bacteria and has been tweaked to work in higher plants and
animals, relatively quick and affordable method of genome editing. It also allow introduction of
precise, predictable modifications in an elite genetic background, avoiding the mess and cost
associated with sorting tens and thousands of genes mixed up in conventional plant breeding.

Benefits of GMOs

Agricultural plants are one of the most frequently cited examples GMOs. Some benefits
of genetic engineering in agriculture are increased crop yields, reduced costs for food
or drug production, reduced the need for pesticides, enhanced nutrient composition and food
quality, resistance to pests and disease, greater food security, and medical benefits to the
world's growing population.

List of Currently Use Genetically Modified Organisms

1. Herbicide tolerance
An example is soybean. Glyphosate herbicide (Roundup)
tolerance conferred by expression of a glyphosate-tolerant
form of the plant enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate
synthase (EPSPS) isolated from the soil
bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens

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2. Insect resistance

An exampleis Bt corn. Resistance to insect pests, specifically

the European corn borer, through expression of the
insecticidal protein Cry1Ab from Bacillus thuringiensis

3. Altered fatty acid composition

High laurate levels achieved by inserting the gene for ACP

thioesterase from the California bay tree Umbellularia
californica

4. Virus resistance

Resistance to plum pox virus conferred by insertion of a coat

protein (CP) gene from the virus

5. Fortification

Beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, is introduced through

biosynthesis in the endosperm of the golden rice. This is a
practical way to provide poor farmers subsistence crop
capable of adding much needed Vitamin A to avoid high risk of
infection, diseases and blindness.

6. Vaccines

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) produced in

transgenic tobacco induces immune response when injected
into mice
7. Faster maturation
A type 1 growth hormone gene injected into fertilized fish eggs
results in 6.2% retention of the vector at one year of age, as
well as significantly increased growth rates

8. Flower production
Several traits of ornamental plants have already been modified
including flower color, fragrance, flower shape, plant
architecture, flowering time, postharvest life and resistance for
both biotic and abiotic stresses. Transgenic ornamentals the
most common techniques being Agrobacterium-mediated
transformation and particle bombardment.

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 9. Paper production
10.
Scientists identified an enzyme in other plants that contain
more digestible lignin monomers. The resulting trees showed
no difference in growth and strength, but their lignin showed
improved digestibility.

11. Bioremediation
Biomolecular engineering approaches develops GMOs for
the degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like
polyaromatic hydrocarbons PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls
PCBs, and pesticides. Recently, several developments in the
field of recombinant DNA technologies have been carried out
to achieve safe and efficient bioremediation of contaminated
sites. 

Risks and Controversies Surrounding the Use of GMOs

1. Unintended Impacts on Other Species

One example of public debate over the use of a genetically modified plant involves the
case of Bt corn. Bt corn expresses a protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Prior
to construction of the recombinant corn, the protein had long been known to be toxic to a
number of pestiferous insects, including the monarch caterpillar, and it had been
successfully used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for several years. The benefit of
the expression of this protein by corn plants is a reduction in the amount of insecticide that
farmers must apply to their crops. Unfortunately, seeds containing genes for recombinant
proteins can cause unintentional spread of recombinant genes or exposure of non-target
organisms to new toxic compounds in the environment.

2. Unintended Economic Consequences

Biotech companies seek for protection for their products and technologies by acquiring
patent for inventions, plant breeder’s right and trade secret. GMO seeds may be expensive,
reflecting the high cost of developing and testing plants. The farmers who stand to gain the
most from transgenic plants are often unable to afford them.

3. Ecological imbalance

Introduction of the GMOs in the natural environment may cause disruption of the natural
communities through competition or interference.

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4. Mutation in organism

Genetic modification promotes mutation in organism which the long term effect is still
unknown. It may mutate to become more resistant or virulent that may cause more dreadful
diseases for human beings.

5. Produce new pathogen

The possibility of GMO to become pest and post threat if it escapes in the environment.

6. Potential human risk

Others worry that unfamiliar protein combinations in transgenic crops could trigger food
allergies since it is not naturally occurring or organically produced. Production of toxins and
allergens may have adverse effects on human body. It may also alter the balance of existing
microorganism in the human digestive system.

7. Bioterrorism

Many countries and regions have establishes high tech facilities for vaccine or single-cell
protein production that could be hub for the reproduction of biological weapons One
example is the USSR's 'invisible anthrax', resulting from the introduction of an alien gene
into Bacillus anthracis that altered its immunological properties.

Biosafety on GMOs

On September 11, 2003, “the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)” has been adopted
by 167 parties to recognize the need of biosafety in GE research and development activities.
The Protocol entered into force, and its main objectives are:

a) to set up the procedures for safe trans-boundary movement of living modified organisms,
b) harmonize principles and methodology for risk assessment and establish a mechanism
for information sharing through the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH).

Research work in the area of GE and GMOs requires prior approval from the appropriate
regulatory authorities of the country. Following guidelines provided for minimizing biosafety
issues is mandatory. The primary regulatory body at research institute level is the Institutional
Biosafety Committee (IBSC) or its equivalent body consisting of experts from different relevant
disciplines. The IBSC ensures existence of the basic biosafety equipment required as per the
safety level of the experiments to be conducted. While dealing with GM animals it also
becomes mandatory to get prior approval of the local Animal Ethics Committee or Animal
Welfare Committee for conducting GE experiments on the animal species and the attempted
trait modification. What so ever importance of the research work may be, ethical considerations
and animal welfare cannot overlooked.

GMOS in Aquaculture

Green revolution was one of the great technological success of the 20 th century,
because of scientifically breed and high yielding varieties of crops kept pace with population
growth. Yet today, millions of Filipinos are still poor and undernourished so there is a need for
another revolution, but this time in another front- a “ blue revolution”. Philippines is surrounded

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by water, so there is a need to develop blue economy. Blue economy is the sustainable use
of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the
health of ocean ecosystem (World Bank)." 

The success of aquaculture lies on the complete control; of reproduction and life cycle,
the genetic background of the parent fish stocks, efficient detection and effective prevention of
diseases, a thorough understanding of the optimal physiological, environmental and nutritional
conditions for growth and development, sufficient supply of good quality water and innovative
management techniques.

The first recorded instances of production of transgenic in aquatic species are those of
Maclean and Talwar (1984) in rainbow trout and Zhu et al. (1985) in goldfish. The most popular
gene in aquatic species is growth hormone (GH) to boost the production of food. Genetic
manipulation also addresses other non-growth characteristics that are considered desirable.
Traits include disease resistance, sterilization for biological containment, nutritional
improvement and cold or freeze tolerance. This is currently being addressed by the use of DNA
vaccines (encoding part of the pathogen genome) and antimicrobial agents such as lysozyme
(Demers and Bayne 1997).

Transgenic fish lines geared for aquaculture production

SPECIES MODIFICATION BENEFIT REFERENCE

GENETIC
Atlantic Growth To enhance growth and Melamed et al.,2002
salmon hormones increase cold tolerance Hew & Fletcher,2001
Anti-Freeze
Protein
Mud loach Triploidy Accelerated growth, gigantism and Nam, Cho & Cho,2001
likely sterility
Carp Growth Higher growth rates than the Hinits and Moav,1999
hormones non-transgenic controls

Tilapia Growth Stable germ line transmission Martinez et al., 1999

hormones in a fast growing transgenic Rahman et al., 1998
fertility reduced
Seabass DNA Vaccine To manage viral diseases Sulaiman, 1998
in farmed fish
Foreign gene transferred by
injection into the muscles
Zebrafish Triploidy To induce sterility Marichamy, 1997
induction
Rainbow Growth To enhance growth Chen et al., 1996
trout hormones

Catfish Growth Rate of cointegration higher Erdelyi et al., 1994

hormones than expected for
independent events
Goldfish Neomycin To assess use of gene as a Yoon et al., 1990
marker for expression Successful in
one fish

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Learning Activity

Forum on GM foods . The class will be divided into 6 groups, with each group performing
one of the following roles: (a) consumers; (b) GM foods manufacturers; (c) environmentalists;
(d) farmers; (e) scientists; (f) religious leaders. Students may research in the internet about their
role in the progress of GMO.

Guide question:

1. In which of the following aspects do you think it is worthwhile to develop genetic

engineering?
2. What is your stand about the issue that GMO is just harming little farmers because they
cannot produce their own seeds?
3. Do you agree to label GMO foods?
4. Is the safety of GM foods assessed differently from conventional foods?
5. What are the issues of concern for the environment?

MODULE 12

THE ASPECT OF GENE THERAPY

Lesson objective:

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Describe gene therapy and its various forms
2. Explore the opportunities that may be opened by gene therapy in the future.
3. Examine a bioethical issue from the viewpoint of various stakeholders.
4. Learn about the risks and potential outcomes involved in actual gene therapy trials.

Gene therapy has been existence for almost half of century and is already the standard
care in certain procedures such as bone marrow transplants. The past decade has seen this
new and innovative science reach heights and has been proven to be effective in treating
diseases such as stroke, autism, Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injury and host of other
ailments, both common and rare.

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 In 2013, La Union Rep. Eufranio Eriguel has introduced House Bill No. 212, which would
put up a “bioethics advisory board” that would establish “ethical standards” governing the
practice of stem cell therapy. Its purpose is to make the country a haven for open technological
innovation for stem cell, and will promote investment and generate jobs. Further on, the
Philippines may become known as hub for medical tourism, with the surging increase of
foreigners to come in for stem cell therapy that some hospital in the country may offer at a much
cheaper cost but with highest quality.

The Basic Process

Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. This
technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead
of using drugs or surgery. Researchers are testing several approaches to gene therapy,
including:
 Replacing a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene.
 Inactivating, or “knocking out,” a mutated gene that is functioning improperly.
 Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight a disease.

Source: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/procedures

A gene that is inserted directly into a cell usually does not function. Instead, a carrier called
a vector is genetically engineered to deliver the gene. Certain viruses are often used as vectors
because they can deliver the new gene by infecting the cell. The viruses are modified so they
can't cause disease when used in people. Some types of virus, such as retroviruses, integrate
their genetic material (including the new gene) into a chromosome in the human cell. Other
viruses, such as adenoviruses, introduce their DNA into the nucleus of the cell, but the DNA is
not integrated into a chromosome.
Although gene therapy is a promising treatment option for a number of diseases, the
technique remains risky and is still under study to make sure that it will be safe and effective.
Gene therapy is currently being tested only for diseases that have no other cures.

Types Of Gene Therapy

There are two different types of gene therapy depending on which types of cells are treated:

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 Source:
https://socratic.org/questions/meiosis-
occurs-in-reproductive-cells-while-mitosis-
occurs-in-somatic

A. Somatic gene therapy: transfer of a section of DNA to any cell of the body that
doesn’t produce sperm or eggs. Effects of gene therapy will not be passed onto the
patient’s children.

B. Germline gene therapy: transfer of a section of DNA to cells that produce eggs or
sperm. Effects of gene therapy will be passed onto the patient’s children and
subsequent generations.
STEM CELL
Stem cells are special type of cells in the body that have the ability to differentiate into
other cell types. This ability allows them to replace cells that have died. Because of this ability,
they have been tapped to replace or control defective cells in patients who have certain
diseases or defects. There are three sources of autologous adult stem cells:
1. Bone marrow, harvested by aspiration, is used to treat patient undergoing chemotherapy.
2. Blood, collected through leukapheresis - a process where blood is drawn from the patient,
passed through a machine that selects only the stem cells and   returns all other
components of the blood back to the patient. Bone marrow transplant and blood stem
transplantation is used to treat leukemia and lymphoma
3. Adipose tissue, have a capacity of self-renewal is harvested by liposuction. It is used for
clinical trials for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, liver disease, corneal lesions, articular
and cutaneous lesions, among others

Source: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/procedures

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 a. Bone marrow stem cell b. blood stem cell

c. adipose stem cell

Source: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/procedures
According to doctor-lawyer Samuel Bernal, an expert in the fields of regenerative
medicine and regulatory law, stem cell therapy is not a cure all medical procedure. Its goal is not
longevity-anti-aging program. Stem cell therapy is trying to allow the body to heal itself. The
process needs an army of basic scientists in molecular biology, biochemistry and biochemical
engineering because every patient is unique. Model in clinical trials in drugs doesn't apply to
stem cell therapy. Gathering information from other people may give you the clue but it doesn't
give you the full information for each patient.

The Bioethics of Gene Therapy

The ethical questions surrounding gene therapy includes (Genetics Home reference 2017):
 How can “good” and “bad” uses of gene therapy be distinguished?
 Who decides which traits are normal and which constitute a disability or disorder?
 Will the high costs of gene therapy make it available only to the wealthy?
 Could the widespread use of gene therapy make society less accepting of people who
are different?
 Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to enhance hereditary traits such as
height, intelligence, or athletic ability?
 Should people allowed to alter DNA of unborn babies
 Whose authority or power to decide which human traits should be altered on the next
generation
It is vital to understand the principles of bioethics and ethical science aligned with their
socio-ecological responsibility, so as to prioritize the health and welfare of man, in order to
properly utilize the natural resources and technology. Among the fundamental principles of
bioethics are respect for life in all its forms, and to ensure the maintenance of life.
The law relating to the use of gene therapy is rarely debated in scientific circles, because of
great resistance on the use of these clinical trials, despite numerous successes of stem cell.
However, such perspectives are submerged in dubious methods, and the effects of the projects
now under study are not predictable. As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
everyone has the right to life, but there is the question of to what extent we can risk this right on
behalf of still unfinished scientific research.

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 As in other areas of research, validation of new therapeutic methods is closely related to the
development of clinical trials, and prior approval by local, national and international ethics
committees is, therefore, required. Some types of vectors, notably adenoviral and retroviral
vectors, have produced serious and even fatal side effects and, therefore, security seems to be
the main obstacle for the application of this type of clinical intervention in hospitals and other
public health care.
Not so far from the new technological possibilities applied to modern medicine, many
matters involving moral and ethics were raised with heated debate, especially on the behavior of
the professionals involved - including doctors, researchers, patients and other people involved
with the problems of medicine and public health.

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Learning Activity 12

I. CASE STUDY. Divide the class into four and assigned a case study to work with. Let the
students study assigned case using guide questions. Each group should prepare a brief
summary of their discussion to share with the rest of the class.

Group 1: https://geneninfo.weebly.com/ashanti-desilva.html
Group2: https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/gosh-s-groundbreaking-gene-therapy- research-
feature-royal-institution-christmas-lectures
Group 3: https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-death-of-jesse-gelsinger-20-years-
later
Group 4:https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/first-patient-to-get-stem-cell-therapy-is-
identified/2011/04/02/AF5o5fqC_story.html?noredirect=on

Guide questions:
___1. What are the relevant facts of this case?
___2. What are some ethical questions raised by this situation?
___3. Who are the stakeholders in this situation? Who will be affected by decisions that
are made?
___4. What are the values that play a role in the decision (for each stakeholder group)?
___5. What are some possible actions and their consequences?
___6. What do you consider to be the best action and why?

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 MODULE 13

CLIMATE CHANGE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Explain the concept of climate change
2. Identify the cause and effect of climate change
3. Suggest some ways to lower their impact on the environment

INTRODUCTION

This section reviews key concepts on climate change and its various impacts on society,
and weighs in on the local, regional and global efforts to address it. It primarily aims to inculcate
environmental awareness among students.

Instruction: Examine the picture below. It was taken during the aftermath of Taal Volcano
eruption on January 12, 2020. Form groups with four members each. Discuss among
yourselves how climate change is connected to environmental destruction. You may share with
your group mates your memories of volcanic eruption in order to enrich your discussion.
Alternatively, you may share your own experience about the impacts of climate change on the
environment. Write notes on the space provided below and be ready to share the highlights of
your discussion in class.

Source: https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/volcano-aftermath-
01132020131619.html

In studying climate change, equations of physics play a fundamental role. But the issue
has been transcended the boundaries of science and involves perspectives that derive from the
fields of economics, politics, cultural and religious beliefs. Issues regarding climate are the
subject of debate and disagreement of different leaders worldwide.

According to President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines are least responsible for climate
change but always carry the heaviest burden. In the recent Global Peace Index 2019 report,

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Philippines was listed as the most vulnerable to climate risks in terms of its overall natural
hazard score, followed by Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.

But first what is climate change? Climate refers to a long term weather patterns
prevailing over a given area of the planet. The term comes from a Greek word klinein meaning
to slope. It evolved into klima, implying a region of the earth as characterized by its atmospheric
conditions. Climate change is the range of global phenomena caused by burning fossil fuels that
add heat-trapping gases to the Earth’s atmosphere.

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Factors that contribute to climate change can be natural internal process, external forces
and persistent changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in the land use. It can also be
due to natural occurrences or contributes by acts of human being.

Natural causes

1. Volcanic eruptions, one of natural cause, it emits different natural aerosols like carbon
dioxide, sulphur dioxide, salt crystals volcanic ashes or dust and even microorganism or
viruses. It can cause cooling effect on the lithosphere because of the aerosol that block a
certain percentage of solar radiation. The release of sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere
cause acid rain when combine with the water vapour. The most tragic eruption of Mount
Tambora (Indonesia) caused snowfall in the North-eastern United State and Canada. The
eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) and Mount Krakatau (Indonesia) decreases the
temperature of the planet earth.

2. Orbital Changes. Earth’s movement in the space cause also climate change. As the earth’s
travel around the sun, cyclical variations produce different amount of energy that reaches
the earth. Eccentricity is the shape of the earth orbit that influences seasonal differences:
spring, summer, autumn and winter. Obliquity is the variation of the tilt of Earth’s axis away
from the orbital plane. The more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters: less tilt
means cooler summer and milder winters. Precession is the change in orientation of earth’s
rotational axis. It is cause by two factors: a wobble of Earth’s axis and a turning around of
the elliptical orbit of earth itself.

Human Activities

The attributed acts of human being resulted to the rise of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Scientist turned history and technology to substantiate that there is a causal
relationship between high CO2 and high temperature levels. Changing the atmospheric
abundance of properties of these gases can lead to a global warming climate. It direct affects
the basic elements of people’s lives like water, food, health, use of land and the environment.

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 1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels, solid waste,
trees and other biological materials, and manufacture of cement. Deforestation is also
pointed as the culprit on the rise of amount of carbon dioxide because it reduces the
absorption of these gases from the atmosphere.

2. Methane (CH4) is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and
oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by
the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.

3. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, combustion of
fossil fuels and solid waste, as well as during treatment of wastewater.

4. Halocarbons such as hydrofluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride, and

nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a
variety of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for
stratospheric ozone-depleting substances . These gases are typically emitted in smaller
quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred
to as High Global Warming Potential gases

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

1. Water Resources

Flood magnitude and frequency are likely to increase in most regions as a consequence of
increase in the frequency of heavy precept events. Climate change challenges existing water
resources management by adding uncertainty. One-third of the world's population presently
lives in countries that are water-stressed. This number is projected to increase to about 5 billion
by 2025.

2. Agriculture and Food Security

The response of crop yields to climate change varies widely, depending on the species,
cultivar and soil conditions. Degradation of soil and water resources is a major future challenges
for global agriculture. Most studies indicate that mean annual temperature increases of more
than 2.5 °C would prompt food prices to increase as a result of slowing in the expansion of
global food capacity relative to demand. The impacts of climate change on agriculture are

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estimated to result in small percentage changes in global income, with positive changes in more
developed regions and smaller or negative changes in developing regions.

3. Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems

Increasing carbon dioxide concentration would increase net primary productivity whereas
increasing temperatures may have positive or negative effects. If the moisture in the
rangelands, woodlands and dry forests region will decrease, productivity is expected to
decrease. Climate change will lead to pole ward movement of the southern and northern
boundaries of fish distributions, loss of habitat for cold and cool water fish and gain in habitat for
warm water fish.

4. Coastal Zones and Marine Ecosystems

Climate change will result in increased sea surface temperature and sea level; decreases in
sea-ice cover and changes in salinity and ocean circulation. El Niño’s increase in frequency,
plankton biomass and fish larvae abundance would decline and adversely impact fish, marine
mammals, seabirds, etc. Low-latitude tropical and subtropical coastlines, where there is
pressure from human population, are particularly susceptible to climate change impacts.
Coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs, salt marshes, mangrove forests, etc. will be impacted
by sea-level rise, and may cause changes in storm frequency and intensity.

5. Human Settlements, Energy and Industry

Economic sectors that support the settlement are affected because of changes in productive
capacity or changes in market demand for goods and services produced there. Some aspects of
physical infrastructure including energy transmission, buildings, transportation and specific
industries (tourism, construction, etc.) may be affected. Population may be affected through
extreme weather, changes in health status, or migration. The most widespread serious potential
impacts are flooding, landslides, mudslides and avalanches, driven by projected increases in
rainfall intensity and sea level rise.

6. Insurance and Financial Services

The costs of extreme weather events have exhibited a rapid upward trend in recent
decades. Part of the observed upward trend in disaster losses is linked to socio-economic
factors - population growth, increased wealth, urbanization in vulnerable areas - and part is
linked to climatic factors such as changes in precept, flooding and drought events. Weather and
climate related losses can stress insurance companies to the point of impaired profitability,
consumer price increases, withdrawal of coverage and many more.

7. Human Health

There is evidence of human health sensitivity to climate, particularly for mosquito-borne

diseases. If heat waves increase in frequency and intensity, the risk of death and serious illness
would increase, principally in older age groups and the urban poor. Climate change will
decrease air quality in urban areas with air pollution problems. Changes in food supply resulting
from climate change could affect the nutrition and health of the poor in some regions of the
world.

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8. Sea Level Rise

The rate of global average sea level rise during the 20th century is in the range 1.0 to 2.0
mm/yr. The average rate of sea level rise has been larger during the 20th century than the 19th
century· No significant acceleration in the rate of sea level rise during the 20th century has been
detected. Ocean thermal expansion leads to an increase in ocean volume at constant mass.
The mass of the ocean, and thus sea level, changes as water is exchanged with glaciers and
ice caps. Observational and modeling studies of glaciers and ice caps indicate a contribution to
sea level rise of 0.2 to 0.4 mm/yr. averaged over the 20th century.

MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE

Large reductions are possible in some cases. Measures include modifying production
processes, eliminating solvents, replacing feed stocks, materials substitution, increased
recycling, and reduced consumption of greenhouse gas-intensive materials. Energy Supply:
This assessment focuses on new technologies for capital investment and not on potential
retrofitting of existing capital stock to use less carbon-intensive forms of primary energy.

A worldwide effort, the Kyoto Protocol, is taking steps to limit the amount of greenhouses
gases being released into the atmosphere by allotting a certain amount of allowed pollution (or
"pollution credits") to every industrialized country. Companies that have cut back on the amount
of greenhouse gases they are releasing may sell their "pollution credits" to other companies
who are over their allowed amount. For example, if one company is given 10 credits, and they
only release 8 credits worth of greenhouses gases into the air, they can sell the other 2 credits
to another company who is polluting over their limit.

There are many ways to minimize the effect of climate change. Collective individual and
groups environmental efforts should be practiced to mitigate climate change.

1. Greenhouse gas reductions in the use of fossil fuels

More Efficient Conversion of Fossil Fuels: The efficiency of power production can be
increased from the present world average of about 30% to more than 60% in the longer term.
Switching to Low-Carbon Fossil Fuels and suppressing Emissions can reduce emissions. The
lower carbon-containing fuels can, in general, be converted with higher efficiency than coal.
Large resources of natural gas exist in many areas.

Decarbonization of Flue Gases and Fuels, and CO2 Storage: The removal and storage of
CO2 from fossil fuel power-station stack gases is feasible, but reduces the conversion efficiency
and significantly increases the production cost of electricity. For some longer term CO 2 storage
options, the costs, environmental effects, and efficacy of such options remain largely unknown.

2. Switching to non-fossil fuel sources of energy

Switching to Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy could replace base load fuel electricity
generation in many parts of the world if generally acceptable responses can be found to
concerns such as reactor safety, radioactive-waste transport and disposal, and nuclear
proliferation.

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 Switching to Renewable Sources of Energy.: Solar, biomass, wind, hydro, and geothermal
technologies already are widely used. In 1990, renewable sources of energy contributed about
20% of the world's primary energy consumption, most of it fuel wood and hydropower.

3. Sustainable Land Management

The productivity and sustainability of a land-use system is determined by the interaction

between land resources, climate and human activities. Especially in the face of climate change
and variability, selecting the right land uses for given biophysical and socio-economic
conditions, and implementing SLM, are essential for minimizing land degradation, rehabilitating
degraded land, ensuring the sustainable use of land resources (i.e. soils, water and biodiversity)
and maximizing resilience.

Sustainable land use and management decide the sustainability/resilience or

degradation/vulnerability of land resources. Land use and management measures include:

 Sustaining existing forest cover

 Slowing deforestation
 Regenerating natural forests
 Establishing tree populations
 Promoting agroforestry
 Altering management of agricultural soils and rangelands
 Improving efficiency of fertilizer use
 Restoring degraded agricultural lands and rangelands
 Recovering CH4 from stored manure
 Improving the diet quality of ruminants

4. Geoengineering

Geoengineering is the intentional manipulation of our environment at the global scale. It

involves engaging in planetary-scale manipulation of the Earth in such a way as to offset the
warming impacts of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.

A variety of geoengineering schemes have been proposed. Some involve relatively minimal
manipulation with the environment. For example, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
involves capturing CO2 from emissions before they enter the atmosphere. Some captured
carbon is buried underground or in the deep ocean. Reforestation or building the equivalent of
artificial trees is used to suck capture carbon dioxide. Other ideas involve fertilizing the ocean by
adding iron, which is a limiting nutrient for marine phytoplankton. In principle, this would
enhance biological productivity and, therefore, lead to increased uptake of atmospheric CO2 by
the upper ocean.

Other schemes attempt to offset the surface warming influence of greenhouse gas
increases by reducing the amount of solar radiation impinging on the Earth's surface— so-
called solar radiation management. One such scheme involves mimicking the cooling effect of
volcanic eruptions by shooting sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere. Another scheme
involves placing large numbers of reflecting mirrors in space at a stable position in the Earth's
orbit. Related schemes involve increasing the Earth's surface albedo by various means.

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Source: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/meteo469/node/179

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