Historical Antecedents in Science and Technology PDF

short line**Science, Technology, and Society** **Prepared by:** **Ms. Juvelyn C. Pacinos\ ** **LEARNING OUTCOMES** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:** | |...

short line**Science, Technology, and Society** **Prepared by:** **Ms. Juvelyn C. Pacinos\ ** **LEARNING OUTCOMES** +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:** | | | | 1. 2. 3. | +=======================================================================+ | **Activities are provided in google classroom** | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Science and technology indeed play major roles in everyday life. They make difficult and complicated tasks easier and allow people to do more with so little effort and time. The developments in this field are not just products of people\'s imagination or a one-time thought process; they are also brought about by gradual improvements to earlier works from different time periods. The driving force behind this continuous progress is the desire to raise the quality of life of the people. This learning material will discuss the significant contributions and influences of the three periods of time; Ancient times, Medieval times, and Modern times, as well as the contributions and inventions of the Modern Filipino scientists. **ANCIENT TIMES** In the ancient times, people were concerned with ***transportation and navigation, communication and record-keeping, mass production, security and protection, as well as health, aesthetics, and architecture.*** - - The increase in size and number of nations connoted increased demand for food and other basic necessities. This condition also implied that people must be able to produce food at a given time and space since resources were getting scarcer as more people struggled to share the basic necessities. The people thus needed a form of technology that would enable them to increase food supplies and other survival needs without them traveling more or working harder. - - Moreover, in order to integrate their needs-for better transportation, establishment of structures for protection from human attacks and natural disasters, and construction of bigger and stronger infrastructures-people ventured into what is now known as the ***field of engineering.*** The development in this field allowed humans to build structures that would address their specific needs and wants. Some of the structures built during the ancient times still exist today and continually awe people. The *development in engineering also ushered in the introduction of **architecture***. Others might see architecture as a mere style, but during the ancient times, *elaborate architectural designs were signs of technological advancemen*t of a particular civilization. In the generations to come, architecture would be considered a status symbol among nations of how advanced their technology is. It may also establish the identity of a nation. - With all these in mind, one can conclude that the developments in science and technology, aside from affecting the lives of the people, were the results of many prior antecedents. Out of necessity, ***people in ancient times were able*** ***to discover and invent things that would impact the lives of the modern people.*** The following discussions will tackle the different major technological advancements during the ancient times, which include some of the achievements of the early civilizations such as the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Egyptians. It will continue to describe the gradual application of knowledge up to the contemporary time. **SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION** Sumer is located on the southernmost tip of ancient Mesopotamia. Sumerians are known for their high degree of cooperation with one another and their desire for great things. They are not content with the basic things that life can offer. This desire pushed them to develop many things connected with science and technology. - - - - - - - - **BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION** Babylonian civilization emerged near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Babylonians were great builders, engineers, and architects. One of their major contributions is the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. - **EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION** Another early civilization famous for its legacy is the Eyptian civilization located in North Africa. Many stories tell about the engineering feats of the Egyptians especially regarding the infrastructures established by the pharaohs. Aside from engineering technology, the Egyptians have contributed other practical things that the world now considers as essential. It is thus safe to say that the pyramids are not the only contribution of the Egyptian civilization to the modern world. - - - - - - **GREEK CIVILIZATION** Greece is an archipelago in the southeastern part of Europe. Known as the birthplace of western philosophy, some of the major achievements of the Greeks include in-depth works on philosophy and mathematics. More than coliseums and the Olympics, the Greek civilization has contributed much to the world especially in the fields of science and technology. - - **ROMAN CIVILIZATION** The Roman Empire was perceived to be the strongest political and social entity in the west. It was considered to be the **cradle of politics and governance** during that period. Because the Roman Empire was so large, other civilizations looked up to it as their model in terms of legislation and codified laws. Aside from their contributions in politics, a lot of discoveries and inventions still relevant today can be attributed to the Roman Empire. - - - - **CHINESE CIVILIZATION** The Chinese civilization is considered to be the oldest civilization in Asia, if not the world. Also known as the middle kingdom, China is located on the far east of Asia. It was famous among other ancient civilizations because of its silk trade. Not a great amount was written about ancient China partly due to its distance from the other civilizations. Despite its less popular status among the early civilizations, one cannot discredit the significant contributions of Chinese civilization to the world. - - - - **MEDIEVAL/MIDDLE AGES** The start of the middle ages was marred by massive invasions and migrations. Wars were prevalent during this time. As such, great technology was needed in the fields of weaponry, navigation, mass food and farm production, and health. The wars have resulted in population decline, but during the latter part of the period, there was a significant rise in population. Trade and commerce among nations increased, which resulted in greater demands for transportation technology. Some of the most innovative minds came from this period. - - - - **MODERN TIMES** The booming world population during the nineteenth century onwards demanded that more goods be produced at a faster rate. People needed efficient means of transportation to trade more goods and cover a larger distance. Machines that required animals to operate must thus be upgraded. Faster and easier means to communicate and compute should be developed to establish connections between and among nations. All these needs resulted in the development of industries. However, due to massive industrialization, the modern times again faced more complicated problems. Food processing and medicine posed some of the bigger challenges since health was of great concern. - - - - **PHILIPPINE INVENTIONS** Despite being considered a developing country, the **Philippines also contributes to the global advancement of science and technology**. It is quite remarkable to note the ingenuity of the Filipinos despite the lack of resources. The Philippines is known to be one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of natural disasters. Many of the discoveries and inventions made by the Filipinos were therefore built from indigenous materials or created to adapt to the harsh tropical environment. - - - - - The items discussed in this chapter are only some of the great inventions and developments during the different time periods. There are still more innovations and discoveries that were made in the course of history that changed the world. **Can you name other great discoveries?** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **I hope you read this learning material thoroughly and understand the significance of Science and Technology in our Society with its inventions and discoveries.** **Keep on reading, keep on learning!** **\--Miss Pacinos\--**