Module 6 - The Good Life PDF

MODULE 6 91 The Good Life HOW TO LEARN FROM THIS MODULE Here’s a simple guide for you in going about the module: 1. Read and follow the instructions carefully. 2. Read each lesson and do all the activities...

MODULE 6 91 The Good Life HOW TO LEARN FROM THIS MODULE Here’s a simple guide for you in going about the module: 1. Read and follow the instructions carefully. 2. Read each lesson and do all the activities provided for you. 3. Perform all the activities diligently to help and guide you in understanding the topic. 4. Take the Learning Activities after each lesson to determine how well you understood the topic. 5. Answer the Assessment Task at the end of the module to measure how much you have gained from the lessons. You may answer it via the online link provided or write your answers on a sheet of paper that you can physically submit, or you may take a picture of your answers and send it via messaging platforms with which you agreed with your instructor during the class orientation. INTRODUCTION This module covers the concepts and nature of good life. It presents various learning activities that lead students to a comprehensive understanding about good life. Students’ activities are provided in every topic to enhance student’s knowledge, skills and desirable attitudes. It is the goal of this module to provide students a full grasp of the meaning and conceptions of good life. After completing the module, you should be able to answer the following:  How did Science and Technology affect the path of toward the attainment of what it really means to live a good life?  What were the shared concerns among people in the community in attaining happiness and good life? LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of this module, the learner should be able to: o Examine what is meant by a good life; o Identify how humans attempt to attain what is deemed to be a good life; o Determine possibilities available to human being to attain the good life; and o Examine shared concerns that make up the good life in order to come up with innovative, creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical standards. Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  92 LEARNING CONTENT The definition of the word “good” depends on various factors and how the context of life differs to every individual. In this massive world of numerous inventions as time goes by, science and technology has made life more convenient. Technological advancements have led to more work opportunities, finances, health, social and political issues, education and most importantly on daily living. Moreover, it also opens more legit explanations on society’s’ myths and beliefs making people to increase their understanding to communities salient matters. However, the increasing need of attaining good life and happiness has also pressing issues that may touch our foundations on moral and ethical values. LESSON 1. Concepts of a Good Life In Ancient Greece, long before the word “science” has been coined, the need to understand the world and reality was bound with the need to understand the self and the good life. For, Plato, the task of understanding the things in the world runs parallel with the job of truly getting into what will make the soul flourish. In an attempt to understand reality and the external world, man must seek to understand himself, too. It is Aristotle who gave a definitive distinction between the theoretical and practical sciences. Among the theoretical disciplines, Aristotle included logic, biology, physics, and metaphysics, among others. Among the practical ones, Aristotle counted ethics and politics. Whereas “truth” is the aim of the theoretical sciences, the “good” is the end goal of the practical ones. Every attempt to know is connected in some way to find the “good” or as said “good” is the attainment of human flourishing. Rightly so, one must find the truth about what the good is before one can even try to locate that which is good. In the previous lesson, we have seen how a misplaced or an erroneous idea of human flourishing can turn tables for all of us, make the sciences work against us rather than for us, and draw a chasm between the search for truth and for the good. In this lesson, we endeavour to go back a little and answer these questions: What does it really mean to live a good life? What qualifies as a good existence? Granting this understanding, we are assumed to be in a better position to reconcile our deepest existential needs as human beings and science as tool to maneuver around the world. When we win a competition or we eat our favorite dish in a restaurant. What Aristotle actually means is Human Flourishing, A kind of contentment in knowing that one is getting the best out of life. A kind of feeling that one has maxed out his potentials in the world, that he has attained the crux of his humanity. Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life In the 18th century, John Stuart Mill declared the Greatest Happiness Principle by saying that an action is right as far as it maximizes the attainment of happiness for the greatest number of people. At a time when people were skeptical about claims on metaphysical, people could not make sense of the Human Flourishing that Aristotle talked about in the days of old. Mill said that individual happiness of each individual should be prioritized and collectively dictates that the kind of action that Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  93 should be endorsed. Consider the pronouncements against mining. When action benefits the greatest number of people, said action is deemed ethical. Does mining benefit rather hurt the majority? Does it offer more benefits rather than disadvantages? Does mining result in more people getting happy rather than sad? If the answers to the said questions are in the affirmative, then the said action, mining, is deemed ethical. The ethical is, of course, meant to lead to the Good and Happy Life. Through the ages, man has constantly struggled with the external World in order to reach Human Flourishing. History has give birth to different schools of thought, all of which aim for the Good and Happy Life. Please click/ visit the link below: https://www.brainpickings.org/20 Find time to read the article about Richard Feynman’s, The 12/08/27/richard-feynman-on- Pleasure to Find Things Out. the-role-of-scientific-culture-in- modern-society/ READ LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Good Life Collage (Lesson Check – Up) Good life Collage: Cut out pictures in magazines or newspapers that demonstrate how technology has made the man’s desire for a happy life more realizable. You may also opt to print out pictures from website and other sources. Explain how these technological advancements have made the campaign for the attainment of good life easier or otherwise. Submit your output via Rubric for Good Life Collage Criteria Exemplary (5) Proficient (4) Emerging (3) Developing (2) Variety of Excellent Good variety Adequate Limited variety pictures variety of of pictures variety of of pictures used - used to pictures used to used to pictures used to develop the develop main develop the develop the to develop the main idea idea main idea main idea main idea Many original Several Some original Few original ideas in original ideas ideas in ideas in material material and in material or material or or display are Ideas display are display are display are evident to - originality evident and evident to evident to stimulate - interest stimulate a stimulate stimulated interest great deal of much interest some interest interest Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  94 Material Material Some material Little material Relevance of selected is all selected is selected is selected is material relevant and mostly relevant and relevant and -connected to clearly relevant and somewhat rarely connected main idea connected to connected to connected to to the main idea the main idea the main idea the main idea Visual Impact Overall visual Overall visual Overall visual Overall visual - impact is very impact is impact is impact is limited effectiveness effective effective somewhat of overall effective presentation On a clean sheet of paper, write your reflection on the following questions: 1. What is the highest good according to Aristotle? 2. Can Science & Technology tell us how do you live a good life? LESSON 2. School of Thoughts on Good and Happy Life Materialism The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient Greece. Democritus and Leucippus led a school whose primary belief is that the World is made up of and is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the world called “Atomos” or seeds. For Democritus and his disciples, the world including human beings, is made up of matter. Atomos simply comes together randomly to form the things in the World. In terms of Human Flourishing, matter is what makes us attain happiness. We see this at work with most people who are clinging on to material wealth as the primary source of the meaning of their existence. Hedonism The Hedonists, for their part, see the end goal of life in acquiring pleasure. Pleasure has always been the priority of Hedonists. For them, life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure because life is limited. The mantra of this school of thought is the famous, “Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow We Die.” Led by Epicurus, this school of thought also does not buy any notion of afterlife just like the materialists. Stoicism Another school of thought led by Epicurus, the Stoics espoused the idea that to generate happiness, one must learn to distance oneself and be apathetic. The original term, “apatheia”, precisely means to be indifferent. for the Stoics, happiness Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  95 can only be attained by a careful practice of apathy. We should, in this Worldview, adopt the fact that some things are not within our control. The sooner we realize this, the happier we can become. Theism Most people find the meaning of their lives using God as a fulcrum of their existence. The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic country, is witness to how people base their life goals on beliefs that hinged on some form of supernatural reality called Heaven. The ultimate basis of happiness for this is the Communion with God. The world where we are in is only just temporary reality where we have to manoeuvre around while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God. Humanism Humanism as another school of thought espouses the freedom of man to carve his own destiny and to legislate his own laws, free from the shackles of a God that monitors and controls. For Humanists, man is literally the Captain of his own ship. Inspired by the enlightenment in the 17th century, Humanist see themselves not merely as stewards of the creation but as individuals who are in control of themselves and the world outside them. This is the spirit of most Scientists who thought that the Worlds is a place and space for freely unearthing the world in seeking for ways on how to improve the lives of its inhabitants. As a result of the motivation of the Humanist current, scientists eventually turned to Technology in order to ease the difficulty of life as illustrated in the previous lessons. Scientists of today meanwhile are ready to confront more sophisticated attempts at altering the World for the benefit of humanity. Some people now are willing to tamper with time and space in the name of Technology. Social Media, as example, has been so far a very effective way of employing Technology in purging time and space. Not very long ago, Communication between two people from the continents in the plane will involve months of waiting for mail to arrive. Now, Communication between two people where ever they are, is not just possible but easy. The internet and Smart phones made real time communication possible not just between two people, but even with multiple people simultaneously. Technology allowed us to tinker with our sexuality. Biologically male individuals now undergo medical operation if they so wish for sexual reassignment.Breast implants are now available and can be done with relative convenience if anyone wishes to have one. Hormones may also be injected in order to alter the sexual chemicals in the body. Whether or not we agree with these technological advancements, these are all undertaken in the hopes of attaining the Good Life. The balance, however, between the Good Life, ethics, and Technology has to be attained. Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  96 LEARNING ACTIVITY 2. Let’s Compare and Contrast (Lesson Check – Up) Compare and Contrast: Identify two modes of doing the same thing where one involves a more technologically advanced method. Example would be snail mail vs. e-mail. List down as many examples. Brainstorm with a partner if a less technologically sophisticated mechanism can actually turn out to be better in terms of reaching for the good life. Is the more technologically advanced always better? Submit your output via Rubric for Compare and Contrast Activity Developing Criteria Exemplary (5) Proficient (4) Emerging (3) (2) The paper The paper The paper The paper compares and compares and compares and compares or contrasts items contrasts contrasts items contrasts, but clearly. The items clearly, clearly, but the does not paper points to but the supporting include both. specific supporting information is There is no Purpose & examples to information is incomplete. The supporting Supporting illustrate the general. The paper may information or Details comparison. paper include support is The paper includes only information that incomplete. includes only the is not relevant to the information information the comparison. relevant to the relevant to the comparison. comparison. The paper The paper The paper Many details breaks the breaks the breaks the are not in a information into information information into logical or whole-to- into whole-to- whole-to-whole, expected whole, whole, similarities - to- order. There is similarities - to- similarities - differences, or little sense that differences, or to-differences, point-by-point the writing is point-by-point or point-by- structure, but organized. Organization structure. It point structure some & Structure follows a but does not information is in consistent follow a the wrong order when consistent section. Some discussing the order when details are not in comparison. discussing the a logical or comparison. expected order, and this distracts the reader. Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  97 The paper The paper Some The transitions moves moves from transitions work between ideas smoothly from one idea to well; but are unclear or one idea to the the next, but connections nonexistent. next. The there is little between other paper uses variety. The ideas are fuzzy. comparison paper uses and contrast comparison Transitions transition and contrast words to show transition relationships words to show between ideas. relationships The paper uses between a variety of ideas. sentence structures and transitions. Writer makes Writer makes Writer makes 3- Writer makes no errors in 1-2 errors in 4 errors in more than 4 grammar or grammar or grammar or errors in Grammar & spelling that spelling that spelling that grammar or Spelling distracts the distract the distract the spelling that (Conventions) reader from the reader from reader from the distracts the content. the content. content. reader from the content. On a clean sheet of paper, write your reflection on “What is the relationship between the good life and science?”  ASSESSMENT TASK Does Technology Always Lead Us to the Good Life? Think of a specific product produced and manufactured in the Philippines (i.e. sugar production, tobacco plantation, mining etc). Identify how the production and manufacturing of this product gives beneficial impact to the Philippine community. Cite also its environmental concerns and issues. In your opinion, does production of this product convey to worldwide goal on green economy? Put your output in word or pdf format and be sure to submit it on __________________ at _______________ or email it at _______________________________________________. For more information on green economy, you may visit the link: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/126GER_synthesis_en.pdf Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University  98 Man is constantly in pursuit of the good life. Every person has his perspective when it comes to what comprises the good life. Throughout history, man has worked hard in pointing out what amounts to a good, happy life. Some people like the classical theorists thought that happiness ha to do with the insides of the human persons. The soul, the seat of our humanity, has been the focus of attention of this end goal. The soul has to attain a balance in order to have a good life, a life of flourishing. It was until the 17th century that happiness became centerpiece in the lives of people, have been becoming a full blown ethical foundation in John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism. At present, we see multitudes of schools of thought that all promise their own key to finding happiness. Science and technology has been, for the most part, at the forefront of man’s attempts at finding this happiness. The only question at the end of the day is whether science is taking the right path toward attaining what is really means to live a good life.  REFERENCES:  Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.) John Stuart Mill. Accessed February 3, 2017.http://www.iep.utm.edu/mill-eth  Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Renaissance Humanism. Accessed February 2, 2017.http://www.iep.utm.edu/humanism/.  Macat Thinking News. (2016). Aristotle’s Secret to Happiness: What will make us Happy Now? Accessed February 3, 2017.https//www.macat.com/blog/Aristotle-secret-happiness/.  Psychology Today. (2013) Aristotle on Happiness. Accessed February 3, 2017 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and- seek/201301/Aristotle-happiness.  Serafica, J. P. J., Pawilen, G. T., Caslib, B. N. B., & Alata, E. J. P,. Science, Technology and Society, First Edition 2018, Rex Book Store, Inc. Manila  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2001) Aristotle’s Ethics. Accessed February 3, 2017.https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/Aristotle- ethics.  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2005). Ancient Atomism. Accessed February 3, 2017.https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atomism- ancient.  The Basics of Philosophy. (2008). Theism. Accessed February 3, 2017. https.//www.philosophybasics.com/branch-theism.html. Science,Technology and Society (STS-GEC 6) Isabela State University