THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY
What is Science?
A system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its
phenomena and that involves unbiased observations and systematic
experimentation.
What is Technology?
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in
industry.
What is Contemporary Society?
A contemporary society is defined as a setting characterized by
technological innovation and increasing human interconnection
and globalization. It brings about changes such as increased life
expectancy, literacy and gender equality.
Science and Technology are associated with the three concerns of citizens
and governments in contemporary society; namely military power, economic
strength and medical well-being.
1. Military Power
Is the capacity to use force or the threat of force to influence other states.
2. Economic Strength
is the ability of countries, businesses, or individuals to improve
their standard of living.
It increases their freedom to make decisions that benefit themselves alone
and reduces the ability of any outside force to reduce their freedom.
3. Medical Well-being
is multidimensional and holistic, encompassing lifestyle, mental and
spiritual well-being, and the environment.
Is the state of living a healthy lifestyle
The outcome of World War II depended primarily on the superior scientific and
technological capabilities of the United States of America and its allies. Today
those technical capabilities and resources remain vital to the security of many
nations and governments.
On the national economic strength, the following maybe considered:
1. Since the end of the civil war, when the industrialization of the United
States of America’s economy began, technology has played a role in
increasing the country’s productivity. Productivity here means the amount
of output generated per unit of input.
Output- refers to good and services
Input- refers to labor or labor and capital combined
Productivity is a critical factor to long term economic growth and an
increasing standard of living. Technological change is credited as
responsible for almost half of the increase in productivity achieved in the
United States of America since World War II, a contribution for greater than
those of capital, education, resource allocation, or economics of scale.
2. Of the ten United State of America’s industrial corporations with the
highest sales in 1987, seven were science or technology companies.
3. High technology goods, specifically, commercial aircraft, computer and
office equipment sector were among the few bright spots in the troubled
USA balance-of-trade picture in 1970’s and 1980’s.
These facts underline the central importance of science and technology, an
increasingly important factor in national economic competitiveness for the future.
Vital roles of Science and Technology
Medical Care - professional treatment for illness or injury.
Science and technology have played an important role in increasing the
scope and efficacy of medical care in this century. From advances in
diagnosis and surgery to vaccines, therapeutic drugs, prosthetic devices
and rehabilitative apparatus.
As with the military strength and economic well-being, the considerable
individual and public health benefits afforded by technical advances
achieved in recent years are widely recognized and highly valued in
contemporary industrial societies.
It is not just military, economic and medical importance of science and
technology in contemporary society that warrants study of such
phenomena. The unfolding of such developments has raised a number of
social issues that deserves consideration.
An issue to:
1. What extent has the domination of the nations’ research and development
budgets by military related projects promoted or impeded growth of their
civilian economics?
2. What kinds political-economic incentives should be enacted to promote
sustainable, equitable national and international economic growth?
3. How can societies ensure that cutting-edge advances in medical science
and technology are made available to the needy who are neither covered
by public health insurance nor able to afford the market prices?
These are but three of the many complex policy issues that taken together
strongly suggests that science and technology is a subject of vital practical as
well as academic importance.
Human Success and Failures
The forces of science and technology have been involved in several
episodes in human successes and failures to recent decades.
Examples of these episodes include:
1. The landing of man on the moon
Apollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969. Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin
and Michael Collins were the astronauts on Apollo 11.
2. The polio vaccine
3. Transport aircraft jet
4. Antibiotics
5. Personal Computer
6. Confirmations of the Big Bang Theory of the Origin of the Universe
The failure side includes:
1. Chernobyl and challengers space shuttle disasters
2. The airplane crashes due to defective engineering
3. Environmental degradation
4. Human disease caused in part by irresponsible scientific and technological
practices
Knowing the contributory factors to such successes and failures is a
worthwhile undertaking.
Threats to Human Survival
The social significance of science and technology in the contemporary era
or generation possess a great threat to human survival posed by development
and used of their potent products such as:
1. nuclear weapon
2. products designed for chemical or biological warfare
3. products that threaten sustainability of the ecosystem
The continued creation and improper use of such substances should
be properly regulated and controlled by all concerned.
Ethical Dilemmas
Exploitation of advanced scientific knowledge and technological devices
and systems sometimes given rise to situations in which these advances seem to
have turned upon their beneficiaries creating ethical and legal dilemmas. The
application of these technical capabilities sometimes even had tragic outcomes.
An example is prescription to pregnant woman of supposedly therapeutic drugs
that actually proves to be carcinogenic.
The ethical conflicts posed by science and technology-based dilemmas requires
careful analysis.
Disparities in Human Well-Being
Science and technology have made possible the possession of a
cornucopia of some sophisticated material goods by millions of people of the
industrialized countries. However, millions of people in both less and developed
countries have not partaken of this lavish banquet. There is a big gap on the level
of material affluence between the less developed and developed nations. The
existence of such disparities and the belief that scientific and technological
resources will be required to reduce them provide another reason that these
forces have on growing social importance.
Insight
Science and Technology, are increasingly important factors in national economic
competitiveness for the future. Science and Technology are linked with military
power, economic strength and medical well-being.
Science and technology have played an important role in increasing the scope
and efficacy of medical care in this century. Individual and public health benefits
are afforded by technical advances. The unfolding of such developments has
raised a number of social issues that deserves consideration.
The outcome of World War II depended on the scientific and technological
capabilities of the United States of America and its allies. Those technical
capabilities and resources remain important to the security of many nations and
governments.
When the US economy began, technology has played a role in increasing the
country’s productivity. Productivity is a factor to long term economic growth and
an increasing standard of living. Technology contributed for greater capital,
education, resource allocation and economics of scale of the United States.
The forces of science and technology have been involved in several episodes in
human successes and failures to recent decades. Knowing the contributory
factors to such successes and failures is a worthwhile undertaking.
Science and Technology’s significance in the contemporary era or generation
has a threat to human survival posed by used of their strong products including
nuclear weapon, products designed for chemical or biological warfare and
products that threaten sustainability of the ecosystem.
