Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-GE STS-1ST SEM-2021-2022

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Bayombong Campus

DEGREE PROGRAM BSAB 2 COURSE NO. GE STS

SPECIALIZATION COURSE TITLE SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
YEAR LEVEL 1&2 TIME FRAME 6 HOURS WK NO. 3-4 IM NO. 2

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE: Chapter I – GENERAL CONCEPTS & STS HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENTS

II. LESSON TITLE: Lesson 2- Historical Developments of STS

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

This lesson will give light to the development of science and scientific ideas in the heart of the
society. It is the goal of this lesson to articulate ways by which society is transformed by science
and technology.

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Analyze how scientific revolution is done in various parts of the world

2. Identify the paradigm shifts in history
3. Discuss how the ideas postulated by Copernicus, Darwin and Freud contributed to the spark of
scientific revolution
4. Investigate how the interactions between technology and science can be explored in an authentic
societal and cultural context across a historical time span

V. LESSON CONTENT : Lesson 2

2.1. Cradles of Early Science
2.2. Scientific Revolution – Intellectual Revolutions that Defined Society

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

2.1. Cradles of Early Science

Development of Science in Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica includes the entire area of Central America from Southern Mexico up to the boarder of
South America

.
a. The Maya Civilization is one of the famous civilizations that lasted for approximately 2,000
years. These people are known for their works on:
Known for their works in astronomy

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-GE STS-1ST SEM-2021-2022

- They incorporated their advanced

understanding of astronomy into their
temples and other religious structures.
This allows them to use their temples for
astronomical observation.

Mayan knowledge and understanding on

celestial bodies were advanced for their times
- predicting eclipse
- using of astrological cycles in planting and
harvesting
Mayan is known for measuring time using two complicated calendar systems (one for
religious ceremonies and one for agriculture.
The tzolk’in calendar combines twenty-day names with the thirteen-day numbers to
produce 260 unique days. It is used to determine the time of religious and
ceremonial events and for divination.
The Haab’ was made up of 13 months of 21
days each plus a period of 5 days at the end of
the year known as Wayeb.
See video in the link: https://www.youtube.com?watch?v=qhWltvjk9Yg

Architecture – they did not use metal tools.

Did not have wheeled vehicles. They cut stone
with obsidian and rolled it on logs and lifted it with ropes
Mathematics - develop the concept of zero and positional
value before Roman did and created the number system based
on numeral 20
They developed a writing system called Mayan heiroglyphics
Mayans also developed technology for growing crops
Mayan built looms for weaving cloth
They are believed to be one of the first people to produce rubber products 3,000
years before Goldyear received its patent in 1844.
Devised rainbow of glittery paints made from mineral called MICA.
b. The Inca Civilization is also famous in Mesoamerica. The following were the scientific ideas
and tools that they developed to help them in everyday life:
• roads paved with stones;
• stone buildings that surmounted earthquakes and other
disasters;
• irrigation system and technique for storing water for their
crops to grow in all types of land;
• calendar with 12 months to mark their religious
festivals and prepare them for planting season;
• the first suspension bridge;
• quipu – a system of knotted ropes to keep
records that only experts can interpret; and
• Inca textiles since cloth was one of the specially prized artistic achievements
c. The Aztec civilization has also made substantial contributions to science and technology and
to the society as a whole. Some of their contributions are the following:
o Mandatory education
o chocolates - Aztec valued the cacao beans highly and made it as
part of their tribute to their gods
o Antispasmodic medication – this is used to prevent muscle spasms
and relax muscles which could help during surgery
o Chinampa – an Aztec technology for agricultural farming in which the land is divided into
rectangular areas and surrounded by canals
o Aztec calendar – used to plan for their activities, rituals and planting season
o Invention of the canoe – a light narrow boat used for travelling in water systems.
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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-GE STS-1ST SEM-2021-2022

Development of Science in Asia

Asia is the biggest continent in the world and the home of many ancient civilization. It is a host to
many cultural, economic, scientific, and political activities of all ages.
India
A huge peninsula surrounded by vast bodies of water and fortified by huge mountains in its
northern boarders.
▪ Known for manufacturing of iron and in metallurgical works
▪ Famous in medicine e.g. AYURVEDA
AYURVEDA – a system of traditional medicine that originated in ancient India
before 2500 BC
▪ Susruta Samhita – an ancient text that describes different surgical and other
famous medical procedures
▪ Astronomy – developed the spherical self-supporting earth, and the year of 360
days with 12 equal parts of 30 days each
Siddhanta Shiromani – the interest in astronomy was evident in this book
▪ Mathematics - tried to standardize measurement of length to a high degree of
accuracy and a designed ruler
( Mohenjodaro Ruler)
▪ Aryabhatiya (Aryabhata) – introduced a number of trigonometric functions, tables and techniques
as well as algoriths of algebra
▪ Brahmagupta – an Indian who suggested that gravity was a force of
attraction and explained the use of zero as placeholdewr and a
decimal digit
▪ Madhava of Sangamagrama – founder of mathematical analysis
China
China is one of the ancient civilization with substancial contributions
in many areas of life.
❖ Acupuncture – traditional medicine
❖ Compass,
papermaking, gunpowder, printing tools, iron
plough, wheelbarrow and propeller
❖ Astronomy – heavenly bodies, lunar
calendars
❖ Design different models of bridges
❖ 1st seismological detector
❖ Developed a dry dock facility
Middle East Countries
The Middle East countries are dominantly
occupied by Muslims. With the spread of Islam in
the 7th and 8th Centuries, a period of Muslim
worship, or what is called the Golden Age of Islam
lasted until the 13th century. Muslim scientists
placed greater value on science experiments
rather than plain-thought experiments.
✓ Hasan Ibn al-Haytham – an Arab Mathematician, astronomer,
and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age
- Father of Optics – provided empirical proof of the
intromission theory of light
✓ Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi- concept of algorithm in
mathematics
- the term algebra from al-jabr, the beginning of the title of
one of his publications
✓ refined the number system by the introduction of decimal point
notation
✓ Jabir ibn Hayyan – father of Chemistry
✓ Ibn Sina – pioneered in the science of experimental medicine
- First to conduct clinical trials
- His books The Book of Healing and the Canon of Medicine were used as standard
medicinal texts

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-GE STS-1ST SEM-2021-2022

- Discovered the contagious nature of infectious diseases and the introduction of

clinical pharmacology
Development of Science in Africa
Africa is blessed with natural and mineral resources. Science also emerged in this part of the planet long
before the Europeans colonized it.
The ancient Egyptian civilization has contributed the following:
➢ Development of geometry – rules of geometry were developed to build rectilinear structures
(pyramids, early dams in the Nile river etc.)
➢ Center of alchemy
Alchemy – is known as the medieval forerunner of
chemistry
➢ Studied human anatomy and pharmacology –
applied examination, diagnosis, treatment and
prognosis for the treatment of diseases
➢ Astronomy – they used 3 kinds of calendars: lunar,
solar, stellar or a combination of the three
➢ Mathematics – The Lebombo Bone known to be the
oldest mathematical artifact and is believed to be
used by Ancient Egyptians in mathematical
calculations
➢ Metallurgy – invented metal tools used in their homes, in agriculture and in building their
magnificent architectures
2.2. Scientific Revolution
The idea of scientific revolution is claimed to have started in the early 16 th century up to the 18th
century in Europe. Why in Europe? The probable answer is the invention of the printing machine and
the blooming intellectual activities done in various places of learning and the growing number of scholars
in various fields of human interest.
Scientific revolution was the period of enlightenment when the developments in the fields of
mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.
It is also described as a new way of thinking about the natural world and society that challenged traditional
views and instead relied upon experimentation and new science.

Before Scientific Revolution:

-Science was called “natural philosophy”
-Science mixed with moral philosophy, theology, numerology, alchemy & magic
-Ancient Greek sources highly trusted
-Few experiments were performed

Scientific revolution was the golden age for people committed to scholarly life in science but it
was also a deeply trying moment to some scientific individuals that led to their painful death or
condemnation from the religious institutions who tried to preserve their faith, religion, and theological
views. Some rulers and religious leaders did not accept many of the early works of scientists. But these
did not stop people especially scientists to satisfy their curiosity of the natural and physical world.
SCIENCE
IDEAS

SCIENTIFIC
REVOLUTION

HUMANS SOCIETY
Figure 1 . Influences to Scientific Revolution

Scientific revolution is very significant in the development of human beings, transformation of the
society, and in the formation of scientific ideas. It significantly improved the conduct of scientific
investigations, experiments, and observations. The scientific revolution also led to the creation of
new research fields in science and prompted the establishment of a strong foundation for modern
science. In many ways, scientific revolution transformed the natural world and the world of ideas.
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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-GE STS-1ST SEM-2021-2022

Causes of the Scientific Revolution

♦ Printing press spread new ideas
♦ Age of Exploration fueled a great deal of scientific research because of technology needed for
navigation
♦ Translation of the works of Muslim scholars opened the minds of European thinkers to new scientific
knowledge

Some Intellectuals and their Revolutionary Ideas

The next figure shows the variables that influence the development of science Ideas, Science
Discoveries and Technology:

Creativity
SCIENTISTS SCIENCE
IDEAS
Passion to
know SCIENCE
Curiosity
DISCOVERIES
Passion to
discover TECHNOLOGY
Critical Thinking

Scientists are not driven by clamor for honor and publicity. They are ordinary people doing
extraordinary things. Some scientists were never appreciated during their times, some were
sentenced to death, while others were condemned by the Church during their time.

Nicolaus Copernicus
Up to the time of Copernicus, people thought that there was a sort
of crystal sphere the kept the planets, moon, and stars in orbit
around the Earth. It was Copernicus that proposed the idea that
the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa… The sun
was the center of the Universe, not the Earth. Most scholars
rejected Copernicus’s theory. Copernicus ideas were an example
of what is present6ly called as a thought experiment.
The publication of his book De revolutionibus orbium coclestium
(On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543 is often cited
as the start of the scientific
revolution.In his model, he outlined
two kinds of planetary motion:
(1) The orbits of Venus and
Mercury lay inside theo orbit of the
Earth, thus, closer to the sun
(2) The orbits of Mars, Saturn, and
Jupiter lay outside the Earth’s orbit, thus, Farther from the Sun.
In his model the problem was on the positioning of the stars. The
stars cannot be placed in a fixed position like crystals in a distance
sphere.
The church banned the Copernican model and was ignored by
Rome for the rest of the 16th century.

Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin is famous for his theory of evolution. He changed our concept of the world’s
creation and its evolution. Darwin went to the best schools but was observed to be a mediocre
student.
Darwin published his book The Origin of Species in 1589. This book is considered collected many
significant materials in order to present his theory with overwhelming evidence. His book
presented evidence on how species evolved over time and presented traits and adaptation that
differentiated species.
His book The Descent of Man was so impressive yet very controversial. He introduced the idea
of all organic life, including human beings, under the realm of evolutionary thinking.
Darwin’s accomplishments were so diverse that it is useful to distinguish two fields to which he
made major contributions: evolutionary biology and philosophy of science. More than these works,
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NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
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what made Darwin truly remarkable was his courage to challenge religious and unscientific ideas
that are deemed prominent during those days. His unorthodox way of pursuing science gave more
value to evidence-based science. Darwin provided a different framework for doing scientific
activities. It is science marked by observation and experiment.
Sigmund Freud
Freud is a famous figure in the field of psychology. He was described as a towering literary figure
and a very talented communicator who did his share to raise the consciousness of the civilized
world in psychological matters.
However apart from these, Freud also made a significant contribution in the scientific world in
1896, Freud coined the term psychoanalysis. This is the treatment of mental disorders,
emphasizing on the unconscious mental processes. It is also called "depth psychology." This is
regarded as an observational method to gather reliable data to study human’s inner life. It is a
scientific way to study human mind and neurotic illness.
Whether he is more of a psychologist or a scientist is for people to decide. The fact remains that
Freudian ideas and theories are still considered nowadays as a great inspiration to examine
human mind and behavior in a more scientifically accepted way.

Lesson Summary
• Science developed in different parts of the world: in Asia, Europe, Mesoamerica and
Africa.
• People in these continents invented tools to help them in everyday life, discovered
medicines to cure diseases, observed heavenly bodies, built structures, discovered many
things, and invented mathematics as a tool and as a discipline.

• Scientific revolution is a golden age in the history of science. It marked the birth of science
as a discipline and as a field of inquiry and gave birth to the development of the scientific
method.
• The scientific revolution significantly changed
how people study science and do scientific
activities.
• There were many intellectuals who made
essential contributions in science during the
period of scientific revolution like Nicolaus
Copernicus, Charles Darwin and Sigmund
Freud.

REFERENCES

Serafica, Janice Patria et.al. (2017) Science, Technology and Society. Rex Printing Company Inc.
Quezon City
https://www.slideshare.net/donnaruthtalo/lesson-2-intellectual-revolutions-that-defined-society
https://www.livescience.com/54723-sigmund-freud-biography.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biography.com%2Fscientist%2Fn
icolaus-copernicus

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