ST112: Science, Technology and Society

What is STS? Defining Science and Technology

Science, Technology and Society (STS) The intellectual roots of STS lie in the history, philosophy, and social study of science and technology, an arena where often-controversial issues and choices interface with values and influence public policy. STS prepares students to understand both the technical and social dimensions of science and technology, helps them become more thoughtful and better-informed citizens of our high-tech society, and develops their critical interdisciplinary thinking, research, and communication skills. Students flourish intellectually in an environment where critical questioning is encouraged and opportunities for research are abundant. The STS program maintains a full slate of guest speakers, often co-sponsored by other departments, for the benefit of students and the larger community.

On a personal level, STS is… Interdisciplinary education for life. Relevant to every field of study. A great major or double major or “the minor for all majors”. A way to improve your writing and communications skills, problem-solving abilities, and ability to adapt to changes in science and technology. Attractive to potential employers. Needed at all levels, in education, government, the private sector, and internationally.

STS is… Interdisciplinary study of the interaction of science and technology with society and culture. The realization that discoveries and inventions are shaped by historical forces and in turn influence values, aspirations, events, and institutions, thus shaping the course of history. S and T in social and cultural context. Both academic and activist.

ACADEMIC STS Scholarly Study of Science and Technology. History, Philosophy, Sociology of S & T. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. Perennial and structural problems of history, philosophy, and human nature. Science dynamics Technological dynamics Informs activist STS issues.

ACTIVIST STS Gets involved in current issues. Covers a broad social spectrum (not just academic). Builds coalitions: 1. Awareness of a problem 2. Need to take responsibility 3. Draw on external expertise 4. Make decisions and take actions (demonstrate, litigate, educate, legislate, etc.). Strengths —relevance, empowerment, democratic. Weaknesses — ad hoc, emotional, NIMBY. Examples: nuclear power, toxic wastes, health care, climate change action.

The Two Cultures

What does it mean to be human? Two Possibilities Homo sapiens sapiens Primates who think (a lot) Contemplative Homo farber Primates who make things Manipulative

Science is... Natural knowledge Natural philosophy Natural history Systematic inquiry into nature A human cultural activity A total societal enterprise With vast social consequences Organized, well-founded knowledge of nature and human nature “A sophisticated intellectual version of Esperanto or the universal language that the heroes of the scientific revolution imagined as an instrument of global communication” “The cutting edge of ignorance”

How do we define science? CONTENTBody of organized knowledge about nature From Latin scientia - knowledge METHOD Of obtaining that knowledge, experiment, observation, hypothesis, theory, law ATTITUDEOrganized and systematic skepticism GOALSExplanation, understanding, prediction, control LANGUAGEMathematics and technical vocabulary TOOLSUses Instruments and technologies COMMUNITYDiscipline, education, credentials, careers, patrons, societies, “turf” PROCESSOrganized, but very diverse activity shaped by social forces and historical change

In general: Science is an organized, hierarchical activity that investigates nature and human nature by experiment and observation. Its goals are explanation, understanding, prediction, and control. It tests its theories by logical, mathematical, and technological means. Science is shaped by social forces and historical change. While seeking objectivity, science also shapes culture.

Stereotypes Newton, John Hershel, Darwin

Stereotypes

Technology a. Artifacts or Hardware. Products fabricated by humans to meet specific needs. Tools, machines, implements. b. Knowledge and Methods. A system of tacit and explicit knowledge, techniques, and materials utilized in using, making, or repairing a certain kind of artifact. c. A human cultural activity or profession. e.g. military or civil engineers, crafters, machinists. d. A total societal enterprise. e.g. “American technological know-how.” R&D, invention, patronage, mass production and mass consumption.

What is Technology? A discourse or treatise on an art or arts; The scientific study of the practical or industrial arts. Techne (art, craft, skill), Logos (word). Some other attempts at definitions: A system based on the application of knowledge, manifested in physical objects and organizational forms, for the attainment of specific goals — Volti Cumulative sum of means used to satisfy human needs and desires and to solve specific problems —Markert The sum total of systems of machines and techniques that underlie a civilization —Nye Not merely a system of machines with certain functions, but an expression of a social world —Nye The production of superfluities – today as in the Paleolithic age —Ortega y Gasset “The seeping false-hearted death” —DeLillo

Technologies of the Past TECHNOSPHERES

Assignment Be ready to discuss Technology Matters chapters 1-3. Can we define “Technology?” Does Technology control us? Is Technology predictable? Hand in Think Piece #1