Chapter 1 - Social Dimension of S&T

Study about the universe; Refers to the body of knowledge utilized to understand the world.

A product of science; The process of harnessing resources to respond to society’s needs.

Refers to an autonomous group of people; Interacting with others (distinct geographic territory); Sharing a common culture.

The way of thinking and material objects form the people’s way of life.

How people manage to utilize their resources; To meet people’s needs; Physical Environment.

Aspects of Culture: (2)

Concrete and tangible things that people create and attach meaning; Houses, Transportation, Goods, etc.

Abstract and intangible objects; Habit, Traditions, Customs, Beliefs, etc.

Technology is — —– to modern technology.

Interdisciplinary field that studies the conditions under which the production, distribution, and utilization of scientific knowledge and technological systems occur; The consequences of these activities upon different groups of people.

Perspectives in the Analysis of Society and Culture (Sociology): (3)

Society - Made up of individuals who interact with each other using symbols with corresponding meanings. Social Problems - Caused by different symbols and their meanings. Ex: - Symbols have meanings for people in society based on their respective cultures. (E.g., Wood turns into a cross, making it sacred.) - Own perspective of reality; Own way of understanding or perceiving things.

Society - Made up of interrelated systems/institutions with corresponding functions. Social Problems - Caused by a dysfunction in one of the systems which affect all other systems. Structure -> Order -> Stability

Society - Made up of conflicting groups with unequal levels of power, wealth, and prestige. Social Problems - Caused by the exploitation of the inferior group by the dominant group. Ex. - Views property as a result of exploitation of the lower class (workers) by the powerful class (capitalists). Power -> Abuse -> Controlling Order

Specific Views on the Relationship Between S&T and Society: (3)

Denies the various ways by which technology provides structure and meaning for human life; Explored by Langdon Winner, a political scientist. Humans -making/using-> Technology Note: Man is a passive user of technology.

Viewed as the main determinist of a society’s history and the driving force of its culture; Coined by Thorstein Veblen, an American Sociologist and Economist. Technology -> Culture/History Note: Technology determines the kind of society. Ex. - Agricultural tools has seen the gradual loss of knowledge of traditional means of farming. - Guns changed how disputes were sorted out and changed the face of combat. - Mobile phones changed the way people communicate. - Discovery of nuclear energy: Future wars will be fought with nuclear arsenal.

Emphasizes the importance of social context in the development of new technologies viewed as a product of social processes involving several social groups; Arose as a contrasting view to technological determinism introduced by Wiebe Bijker and Trevor Pinch in 1984. Note: Society will dictate what technology will be developed. Ex. - Computerization of election was a political demand by the society. - Development of more alternative sources of energy was a result of society’s social value. - LRTs and MRTs and other mass problems.

Complex process wherein both technology and society negotiate the meaning of new technologies; then make changes to technology through resistance; and lastly construct social and technological frameworks, actions, and practices.