Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (STS)

Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (STS)

• STS is the study of how society, politics, and culture influence scientific research and technological innovation, and vice-versa.
• Science explores the natural world to understand facts and relationships, and form theories.
• Technology uses scientific knowledge to create useful applications.
• Medical technology combines medicine, scientific investigations, and laboratory diagnostics to understand and treat human diseases.

Research & Development

• Research and development (R&D) measures the effort made in science and technology.
• R&D encompasses all activities related to creating new scientific knowledge, developing new products, and improving processes.

Origin of STS Studies

• Key figures and events in the history of STS studies demonstrate the discipline's evolution, including Plato, Francis Bacon, Boris Hessen, and the Manhattan Project.
• Significant publications, like John Desmond Bernal's "Science in History," form a part of the origin story of STS.

Comparison between Science-related Discipline and Medical Technology

• Science-related disciplines are general, while medical technology focuses on humans specifically.
• Teaching approaches differ, with science commonly using methods and inquiry, and medical technology using clinical and research settings.
• Impact of the laboratory differs; science focuses on research purposes, while medical tech focuses on diagnoses and disease treatment.
• Study areas vary. Science covers living things, whereas medical tech specializes in human diseases.

Meanings of Technology

• Technology can be thought of as the material products that humans create.
• Technology applies knowledge, methods, and materials for a specific technique.
• Technology is a cultural activity, encompassing various aspects like art, law, and religion.
• Technology is a societal enterprise encompassing techniques, skills, organizations, facilities, and resources.

Meanings of Science

• Science is an organized body of knowledge about natural phenomena studied by thousands of people.
• Science is a field of systematic inquiry in which knowledge about nature is sought.
• Science involves human cultural activities and practices, involving efforts to understand the natural world.
• Science is a total societal enterprise, combining knowledge, skills, organizations, methods etc. to understand nature.

Contemporary Science and Technology: Polymorphism

• Technology and scientific activity in contemporary times come in many forms (flexible).
• Trial-and-error experimentation is a key method for advancements.
• Scientific investigation into materials (natural or synthetic) continues to lead to new applications and technological advancements.
  • Examples include nuclear medicine, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering.

Theories of Scientific and Technological Innovation

• Innovation can be thought of as new ideas, practices, or objects.
• Innovation comes from combining existing inventions, analysis, discoveries, knowledge, data, and ideas.
• Diffusion is the process of bringing innovations from conception to use.

The Creation of Innovation

• Innovation creation often follows a cumulative synthesis process involving problem identification, stage setting, insightful solutions, and successful implementation.
• Social constructionists stress how social factors influence technology, its flexibility within the context of human use, and how it’s used in the society.

Influence of STS on Modern Society

• Social institutions play a profound role in shaping how technology is used, affecting labor, unions, and employment.
• Technological advancements, particularly in microelectronics contribute to both technological employment opportunities and technological unemployment.
• Deskilling or Reskilling is a key factor in assessing how technology can affect human work.

Medical Technology as Application to Science and Technology

• Medical technology is a prime example of applying science and technology.
• This application seeks to improve the societal understanding of health, and diagnostics.
• Key concepts in this application are found in laboratory, genetic engineering, gene therapy, professional practice, and diagnosis as well as scientific research.