Report

Lesson 2: Technology As A Way of Revealing
The Human Condition

Before Common Era
Course Facilitator
NSCI 110: Science, Technology and Society
Eljan L. Castor, BSCRIM 1-Alpha

Discussant
Thoughts to ponder:
We are now dependent on the comforts of what technology

has brought to us. This
time try to imagine our world without technology? How do
you think our daily routine would
be like?
The Human Condition Before Common Era
 Our early ancestor’s primal need to survive paved way for

the invention of several developments.
 humans are able to utilize abundant materials for their own

ease and comfort.
 motivation to make things easier has been around since

human era.
 Homo erectus have been using fire to cook realizing the laws of
friction and heat.
 They uses tools made from stones and marked as era of Stone
Age
 Started to sharpen stones and uses like knife and became a
simple machine called wedge.
 Stone Age period found to be difficult

but in remarkably distinct way.
 No written accounts can be found

except for cave drawings and unearthed
artifacts.
Figure 6.1. Before Common Era

 Soon enough they discovered minerals and began forging

metalwork.
 These substance are more durable, malleable, and have more

luster than the previous material.
 On the other hand, there are some indicators that humans in the
past share the same concerns and interests, suggesting that these
inclinations persist through multitudes of generation over several
millennia.
 Fur clothing and animal skin are primarily used for comfort against
harsh winds.
 able to draw the connection between their being naked and

vulnerable.
 begin to cover themselves up out of necessity, and

gradually, added several more to their garments.
 our ancestors have been deeply engaged in the concept of beauty.

 What does this tell of them and their philosophies?
 Were they perhaps proud to show off their hunt and how good of a
hunter they were?
 Were they concerned with social standing and stratification?
 How about the meaning of life?
 Were they also curious on finding explanations to certain

phenomena?
 They have found their answer in the person of religion.
 There are some figures escavated on the latter half of the Stone
Age showing that our ancestors honor some deity.
 Initial roster of primitive gods includes objects they encounter

through their day-to-day lives, so it is not surprising that
different tribes may have different gods.
The Human Condition In the Common Era
 For a long time, humans were

content with their relationship with
nature.
 humans were quick to find ways to

driveoff other mega faunas
threatening a prospective hunting
spot and eventually settling grounds.
Formation of communities caused humans to expand more in

territory and more people to feed; large, separate communities
hailing from the same ancestors and residing in the same large
community paved way for civilizations.
 start waging wars with other tribes;

 discovered that engaging in a peaceful, negotiation was also a possible and less
bloody method.
 gather as much products as possible.
 they began to hunt, farm, and produce things with prospect of profit.
 Technology has been instrumental in all of these because in searching

for the good life, people were able to come up with creations that would
make life easier, morecomfortable and more enriching.
Here are some of the notable comparisons, then and now:
1. Mortality Rate. Due to technology, lesser women and children die

during birth, assuring robust population and strong workforce. Medical care
for premature infants allows them to survive and develop normally, while
proper maternal care ensures that mothers can fully recover and remain
empowered.
2. Average Lifespan. Aside from the reason that people engage less in
combat and are less likely to die in treatable diseases now as opposed to
then, science is able toprolong lives by enhancing living status and
discovering different remedies to most diseases. Distribution of medicines
is also made easier and faster.
3. Literacy Rate. Access to education provided to more individuals

generally creates a more informed public that could determine a more just
society.
4. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although not an indicator of

an average person’s lifestyle in a certain country, it is often used to
determine the value of the country’s goods and services produced
within the territory given a certain time period. Higher country
income is brought upon by high productivity, often an indicator of
presence of technology.
The Essence Of Technology
 Modern humans are reliant on technology in their search for the good
life.
 According to Martin Heidegger argued that essence, or purpose, and

being of technology is different from each other.
-a means to achieve man’s end;
-that which constitutes human activity.
 Technology allows humans to confront the unknown and see

how they would react.
 Technological revelation is but one of

the many ways to perceive the world.
 We view the world as a field

of resources, vent on attributing monetary value
on seemingly priceless entities.
Humans are reduced into the amount of

productivity they are able to render during their
lifetime, and our current mindset is geared Figure 3. Personal Computer, Laptop, & Tablet
toward which would utilize our own skills.

 Humans lose track of things that matter, reducing their surroundings

to their economic value. After all it was science and technology that
gave us explanations, which worked for us and benefited us.
Rejecting a working, tried-and-tested process seems foolish. More so
knowing that there are no options of equal value. It will be absorb for
us to retrace our steps to be able to achieve.
Backtracking the Human Condition
 Technology’s initial promises proved to

be true, regardless of its ramifications.
All in all the human condition improved,
only if by improving, we measure the
level of comfort, various scientific
breakthroughs, and improved lifestyles
of those who had luxury to afford to do
so.
Figure 4. Two Different Human Conditions
 Different machineries aid in prolonging lives – assisting those with

disabilities, honing efficiency in industrial workplaces, and even
exploring the universe for places we can thrive once all the Earth’s
resources are depleted.
 Some places in the world are still battling for their daily survival –
diseases, tribe wars, lack of habitable territories, and competitions on
resources are several factors contributing to such.
 A lot of people still subscribe to religion in explaining things that they do

not know.
 For those who have ceased to do so, they have turned their
worships to reverence of science. They are still trying to discover
and rediscover things that would give meaning to their lives –
whether it be honor, strength, merit. People are still trying to
make sense of their existence in the world, and technology does
little to aid them in their pursuit of life’s meaning.
 Nothing much has changed since then, and it appears that

nothing will change in the times to come if we fail to shift our
view elsewhere. While it is true that technology offered us one
compelling notion of the truth and the good, we should be
staunch in our resolve if we want to know the real one.
Technological advancements are seemingly occurring in a rapid
pace that our morality cannot quite keep up; no such
consideration was given in this approach in achieving the good
life.
Summary
 Science and technology has been part of human activity since the beginning of
our species. It has aided us in survival and helped us outsmart our adversaries,
provided us comfortable living, allowed us to explore the world, and assisted us
in discovering more about ourselves and the truth. However, it also leads us to a
paradox in which we are only able to see the world in the lenses of
technological innovations. In our pursuit of growth, we had conveniently
forgotten that technology only presents one approach in viewing the world.
Summary
 The forgetfulness leads us to evaluate objects as consumable or not –
transcend in to other human beings, determining their capacity to be
productive. Our valuation of things became one-dimensional, geared
toward production of goods for more consumptions, whichwe believe
would lead us to good life. This is only one conception of technology, as
Heidegger also proposed that technology is what humans do.
Advancements in the field expose us to previously unknown
predicaments, effectively helping us to reveal our own natures and
enforcing one perspective in finding truth. Now that it is acknowledge,
we can try and divert our search to other approaches.
“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science
and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything
about science and technology.’’
-Carl Sagan
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING!
GOD BLESS US ALL! 

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Lesson 2: Technology As A Way of Revealing

The Human Condition

Eljan L. Castor, BSCRIM 1-Alpha

We are now dependent on the comforts of what technology

 Our early ancestor’s primal need to survive paved way for

 humans are able to utilize abundant materials for their own

 motivation to make things easier has been around since

 Stone Age period found to be difficult

 No written accounts can be found

Figure 6.1. Before Common Era

 Soon enough they discovered minerals and began forging

 These substance are more durable, malleable, and have more

 able to draw the connection between their being naked and

 begin to cover themselves up out of necessity, and

 our ancestors have been deeply engaged in the concept of beauty.

 What does this tell of them and their philosophies?

 Were they concerned with social standing and stratification?

 How about the meaning of life?

 Were they also curious on finding explanations to certain

 They have found their answer in the person of religion.

 Initial roster of primitive gods includes objects they encounter

 For a long time, humans were

 humans were quick to find ways to

Formation of communities caused humans to expand more in

 start waging wars with other tribes;

 Technology has been instrumental in all of these because in searching

Here are some of the notable comparisons, then and now:

1. Mortality Rate. Due to technology, lesser women and children die

3. Literacy Rate. Access to education provided to more individuals

4. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although not an indicator of

 According to Martin Heidegger argued that essence, or purpose, and

 Technology allows humans to confront the unknown and see

 Technological revelation is but one of

 We view the world as a field

Humans are reduced into the amount of

toward which would utilize our own skills.

 Humans lose track of things that matter, reducing their surroundings

 Technology’s initial promises proved to

 Different machineries aid in prolonging lives – assisting those with

 A lot of people still subscribe to religion in explaining things that they do

 Nothing much has changed since then, and it appears that

GOD BLESS US ALL! 

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