INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE: THE GENERAL CONCEPTS

(Part 2)

What is Science?

Science is the process of observing and questioning the world around us. Thus, it can be simply defined as “the systematic study
of things around us.” We also sometimes call the things we learn through experimentation science. In fact, the term “science” itself
comes from a Latin word “scientia” that means “knowledge.” And the names of many branches of science end with the suffix “ology”
which means “study of” in Greek. To name a few, we have biology as the study of living things, zoology as the study of animals,
and parasitology as the study of parasites. From these we can further define science as “an organized body of knowledge about
nature.” In a broader definition, science is “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure
and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.”

Scientists aim to gain new knowledge through a discipline set of steps called the scientific method. The scientific method is a set
of procedures that scientists follow in order to gain knowledge about the world. However, the steps involved in the scientific method
vary widely among the different scientific disciplines. Chemists follow the method a bit differently than psychologists. Geologists
and botanists have their own unique methods.

So is there really one scientific method that encompasses all of science?

To find it out, we'll need to learn more about the scientific process. There are six key steps that tend to characterize the scientific
method – the question, hypothesis, experiment, observation, analysis, and conclusion. The first step is the question. This is the
part where scientist proposes the problem that he wants to solve. A well-conceived question usually leads to a hypothesis.
Hypothesis is a potential answer to the question at hand. Sometimes, hypotheses look more like predictions the scientist predicts
what the outcome will be. When he tests his hypothesis, the scientist conducts the so-called experiment. Experiments are ordered
investigations that are intended to prove or disprove the hypothesis. Important data comes from performing an experiment. The
scientist has to make observations of the results that he gets from the experiment. An observation is a statement of knowledge
gained through the senses or through the use of scientific equipment. Observations are crucial for collecting data. Once the results
are in, the scientist must begin his analysis. Data analysis involves comparing the results of the experiment to the prediction posed
by the hypothesis. Based on the observations he made, the scientist has to determine whether his hypothesis was correct. Then
he sums up his findings with a conclusion. The conclusion of a scientific process is a statement of whether the original hypothesis
was supported or refuted by the observations gathered.

The scientific method usually employs all six of the steps mentioned but the steps don't
always occur in the same order. Real scientists may go back and repeat steps many
times before they come to any conclusion. It's actually better to use the word elements
to describe the steps since the first step question does not always come first sometimes.

For example, it's an Likewise, observations

observation that came that are made during an
first and spawned the experiment can inspire
initial question. more questions that
scientists have to
answer. Science never
ends.

It can be concluded that every day scientists make new discoveries and answer new questions. But there are always new mysteries
to uncover and problems to solve.

What is Technology?

Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. It may also be referred to as the making,
modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, and methods of organization in order to solve
a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle and apply input/output relation or perform a specific
function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools including machinery, modifications, arrangements, and procedures.
Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species’ ability to control and adapt to their natural environments.
And the term can either be applied generally or to specific areas. Examples include construction technology, medical technology
and information technology.
The human species’ use of technology began with a conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The pre-historical discovery
of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food. And the invention of the wheel helped humans in traveling and
in controlling their environment.

Recent technological developments including the printing press, the telephone and the internet have lessened physical barriers to
communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful
purposes. The development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history from clubs to
nuclear weapons. Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has
helped develop more advanced economies including today's global economy and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many
technological processes produce unwanted by-products known as pollution and deplete natural resources to the detriment of the
earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society. And new technology often
raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity – a term originally
applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.

Science, Technology and Society (STS) Defined

There are three components that comprise Science, Technology & Society. Science is the intellectual and practical activity
encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and
experiment. Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. And lastly, society – a community of
people with a common goal. So now when you put all of these together, you get Science, Technology and Society (STS).

But what is STS?

STS is the study of how social, political and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation and then how
these in turn affect society, politics and culture. So an easier way of actually stating this is to make a diagram where it just basically
shows the STS cycle.

You have social values. And the social values our society feels they need
subsequently promote what science researches that leads to what science
learns about. And what science learns about, they end up eventually to
engineers who make it into a technology that people can use. And in time,
that changes what society values. In the long run, this will make a never-
ending cycle.

The Role of S&T in the Developing World in the 21st Century

Developments in science and technology are fundamentally altering the way people live, connect, communicate and transact, with
profound effects on economic development. Science and technology are key drivers to development because scientific and
technological revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure. The
technological revolutions of the 21st century are emerging from entirely new sectors based on micro-processors,
telecommunications, bio-technology and nano-technology. Products are transforming business practices across the economy, as
well as the lives of all who have access to their effects. The most remarkable breakthroughs will come from the interaction of
insights and applications arising when these technologies converge.

Through breakthroughs in health services and education, these technologies have the power to improve the lives of poor people
in developing countries. Eradicating malaria and cures for other diseases which are endemic in developing countries are now
possible, allowing people with debilitating conditions to live healthy and productive lives.

The extent to which developing economies emerge as economic powerhouses depends on their ability to grasp and apply insights
from science and technology and use them creatively. Innovation is the primary driver of technological growth and drives higher
living standards. To promote such technological advances, developing countries should invest in quality education for youth,
continuous skills training for workers and managers, and should ensure that knowledge is shared as widely as possible across
society.

The state of science and technology determines the socio-economic progress of the country. It is a well-known fact that national
progress is highly correlated to the capacity of a country to produce local industrial goods for domestic needs and that
industrialization is very much dependent on the application of science and technology.

However, despite the well-documented advantages that frontier technologies offer in solving a vast range of problems, the world,
every now and then, is confronted with new predicaments that only science and technology may resolve. Natural calamities and
pandemic crisis pose monumental challenges just as what coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide. The contribution
of science, technology and innovation at this time of crisis linked to the coronavirus disease is key in facing current health
challenges, but also for supporting production efforts aimed at economic recovery after the pandemic. As Shamika N. Sirimanne,
head of the UN’s Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Secretariat said, “Science, technology and
innovation [has] provide[d] us a shining light to help us navigate and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic” and for other global
crisis that may arise in the future.