Human Flourishing in terms of Science and Technology PDF

Module 2: STS and the Human Condition Lesson 4: Human Flourishing in terms of Science and Technology Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos Flourishing Is a state of being in which people experience pleasant emotions, positi...

Module 2: STS and the Human Condition Lesson 4: Human Flourishing in terms of Science and Technology Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos Flourishing Is a state of being in which people experience pleasant emotions, positive psychological functioning, and positive social functioning, and spend the majority of their time in the range of human functioning that is considered to be optimum. It is comprised of multiple components and concepts, including cultivating strengths, subjective well-being, goodness, growth, and resilience. Measuring Flourishing The scale for assessing flourishing is founded on the concept that flourishing is experienced in six domains:, Happiness and Life Satisfaction How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days? Mental and Physical Health How would you rate your overall physical and mental health? Meaning and Purpose To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile? Character and Virtue I am always able to give up some happiness now for greater happiness later. Close Social Relationships I am content with my friendships and relationships. Financial and Material Stability How often do you worry about safety, food, or housing? Human Flourishing In the framework of a wider community of persons, human flourishing is described as an attempt to attain self-actualization and fulfillment within the setting of each individual's freedom to pursue such efforts on his or her own terms. It includes the individual's dignity, independence, happiness, and overall health within the wider family, community, and population. Finding human flourishing is a life-long existential journey full of aspirations and dreams and disappointments and losses. Eastern vs. Western Conception on Human Flourishing Eastern Conception Western Conception focus is community-centric more focused on the individual focuses on general knowledge focuses at specific knowledge addresses the whole of human only focuses on certain aspects of the existence human condition Chinese Confucian system (deals Aristotelian view (emphasize how one with both the inner and outer life of should conduct one's self to live well a person (holistic)) among others (fragmentary) Eastern vs. Western Conception on Human Flourishing In summary, Eastern and Western thinkers agree that human flourishing are fundamentally the same everywhere, only the specifics and customs vary. There is no 'eastern' or 'western' philosophy in terms of human flourishing; there is only philosophy. Components of Human Flourishing Human flourishing arises as a result of different components such as 1. Phronesis - wisdom relevant to practical action 2. Friendship - the mutual admiration between two human beings 3. Wealth - constitutes the economic dimension 4. Power – cognitive power of judgment Obtaining these will definitely offer the seeker happiness, allowing them to share in the broader idea of what we term the Good. As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed. Changes of Elements that Comprises Human Flourishing Technology found means for people to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more products, and make more money. Today's humans are supposed to be “man of the world". Assumed to be part of a worldwide community of institutions and governments working towards a shared objective. Competition as a means of survival has become obsolete. Coordination is the new trend. Technology Changes Us Technology makes our work easier but can detach us from a meaningful senses of work. What has the potential to heal sickness also has the potential to push us to see the human body as something that can be engineered, changed, and even immortalized. In the same way, while technology allows us to communicate instantly with individuals all over the globe, it also frequently creates a sense of isolation between us and those who are close to us. Science, Technology and Human Flourishing Human person as both the bearer and beneficiary of science and technology. bearer – a person or thing that carries or holds something. beneficiary - a person who derives advantage from something. Human flourishes and finds meaning in the world that he/she builds. Human may unconsciously acquire, consume or destroy what the world has to offer. Science and Technology Must be treated as part of human life that needs reflective and meditative thinking. Reflective thinking – taking consideration of the bigger picture and understanding all of its consequences. Meditative thinking - thinks the truth of being, that belongs to being and listens to it Must be examined for their greater impact on humanity as a whole and will not compromises human flourishing. Scientific Method It provides an objective, standardized approach to conducting experiments and, in doing so, improves their results.. Aims to support or to contradict a theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method Verificationism Also known as “Verification Principle” is the doctrine that proposition is only cognitively meaningful if it can be definitively and conclusively determined to be either true or false. It is often used to rule out meaningless debate such as Religion, Metaphysics, and Ethics, since such debates are made over the truth of unverifiable sentences. Takes into account those results which are measurable and experiments which are repeatable. Problem with Verificationism Some statements are universal where in sense it is claiming about possibly infinite set of objects. Since it would be impossible to verify if the universal statement is true for each of an infinite number of objects. Example: Europeans for thousands of years had observed millions of white swans. Then it is concluded that all swans are white, through verifications. However, exploration of Australia introduced Europeans to black swans. Thus, no matter how many observations are made which confirm a theory there is always the possibility that a future observation could refute it. To counter such, Karl Popper (1902-1994) proposed the concept of Falsificationism. It suggests that for a theory to be considered scientific it must be able to be tested and conceivably proven false. Falsificationism As long as an ideology is not proven to be false and can best explain a phenomenon over alternative theories, we should accept the said ideology. Allowed emergence of theories otherwise rejected by the verification theory. Encourages research in order to determine which among the theories can stand the test of falsification. It is a way of demarcating science from non-science. According to Popper, science should attempt to disprove a theory, rather than attempt to continually support theoretical hypothesis. Verificationism and Falsificationism There is no known rule as to the number of instance that a theory is rejected or falsified in order for it to be set aside. There is no assurance that observable event or “evidences” are indeed manifestations of a certain concept or “theories”. References 1. Fredrickson, B. L.; Losada, M. F. (2005). "Positive affect and complex dynamics of human flourishing". American Psychologist. 60 (7): 678–686. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.60.7.678. PMC 3126111. PMID 16221001. 2. Dunn, D. S.; Dougherty, S. B. (2008). "Flourishing: Mental health as living life well". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 27 (3): 314–316. doi:10.1521/jscp.2008.27.3.314. 3. Yong Huang: A Neo-Confucian Conception of Wisdom: Wang Yangming on the Innate Moral Knowledge 4. Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Studies (pp.99-112) 5. VanderWeele, T. J. (2020). Activities for Flourishing: An Evidence-Based Guide. Journal of Positive School Psychology , 4(1), 79-91. Retrieved from https://www.journalppw.com/index.php/JPPW/article/view/163 6. McLeod, S. A. (2020, May 01). Karl popper - theory of falsification. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Karl-Popper.html Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos