The document outlines the historical evolution of science and technology from ancient civilizations to modern times, defining key terms and exploring their societal impacts. It highlights significant contributions from various cultures, such as the Sumerians' invention of writing, the Egyptians' development of papyrus, and the Chinese's innovation of gunpowder and the Great Wall. The document also discusses major developments during the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution, and contemporary technological advancements, including Philippine inventions that address local challenges.

1. Unit I: General Concept and Historical Accounts in Science,
Technology, and Society
Chapter 1: Historical Background of Science & Technology
 Science is defined as the systematic body of knowledge, an
idea, an intellectual activity, and as personal and social activity.
 It was originally called the “philosophy of the natural world” as
introduced by the ancient Greek philosophers with the ultimate
desire to know about nature. They sought to discover the truth
behind material natural things which led them to observe the
world and beyond.
 It is believed that science is as old as the world itself. There is no
study that exactly identify when and where science began
however, biblical scholars accepted the notion that it started at
the beginning of the creation of the world. (Genesis 1: 1)
 The term technology comes from the Greek word “tekhne”
meaning the “art or craft” and “logia”, meaning a “subject or
interest”.
 Pursuit of life (giving meaning to life)
 The term “technology” became popular in the 20th century
during the 2nd Industrial Revolution.
 Thorstein Veblen a German social scientist changed the concept
of “technic” to “technology”
 Read Bain an American sociologist expounded the meaning of
technology which includes all tools, machines, utensils,
weapons, instruments, communication and transportation
devices including the skills produce, and the use of by these art
or craft.
 The Webster Dictionary defines technology as the use of science
in industry, engineering, machines, piece of equipment,
methods, etc., to invent useful things to solve problems.
 Ursula Franklin also defines the concept as a practice the way
things are done.
 Bernard Stiegler defines technology as a pursuit of life or the
means other than life, and an organized tools from inorganic
matter.
 A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social
interaction, or a large social group sharing the same
geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same
political authority and having the same dominant cultural
expectations.
 It is characterized by patterns of relationship between
individuals who share a distinctive culture and institution. It may
also be described as the sum total of such relationships among
its constituents of members.
 In the social sciences, it is a larger society that often exhibits
stratification or dominant patterns in the subgroups.
Science and technology play a crucial role in everyday life
and transform the society of what it has become now.
 They make difficult tasks easier and allow people to do
more with little effort and time.
 They are the driving forces behind globalization, and
technological progress and advancement to improve the
quality of life among the people.
 Human beings embarked in scientific endeavours and
researches to know and understand everything around
them. They persistently observed and studied the natural
and physical world to find meanings and answers to many
questions. They developed philosophy and religion to
provide possible explanations to the realities of life back to
antiquity.
A. Ancient Times
The ancient civilization started from the hunting and
gathering societies that relied primarily or exclusively on hunting
wild animals, fishing, and gathering wild fruits, berries, nuts, and
vegetables to support human life. Presumably, it was the
subsistence strategy employed by human societies beginning
sometime 1.8 million years ago by “homo-sapiens” from its
appearance sometime 0.2 million years ago. Sometime later more
than ten thousand years ago, they began to domesticate plants and
animals adopted indigenous tools and became agricultural societies
following the invention of agriculture, pastoralism, or horticulture.
Domestication led to specialization of work that involves the
creation of specialized tools such as fishing nets, hooks, sharp or
pointed stones, and animal bones. As the number and size of
agricultural societies increased, they expanded, and they became
mobile leading to the development of the communal-tribal
communities.
1. Sumerian Civilization
 One of these communities is the Sumerian(ancient
Mesopotamia) who developed the first writing system
known as “cuneiform”, a system that utilizes word pictures
and triangular symbols which are carved on clay using
wedge instruments and left to dry. Cuneiform allowed the

2. Sumerians to keep records of the things with great
historical value.
 The Sumerians were also able to build the “The Great
Ziggurat of Ur” called the mountain of God and the City of
Uruk using only mud or clay mixed with reeds, producing
sun-baked bricks. They also made houses out of bricks to
protect them from harsh weather conditions and built a
wall around the city to prevent wild animals and traders
from entering.
 The Sumerians also created dikes and irrigation canals to
bring water to farmlands and at the same time control the
flooding of the rivers.
 They also invented the boats to carry large quantities of
products transported to the nearest places and sometime
later invented sailboats as a means of transportation and
trading to foster culture, information, and technology. In
the latter part of their history, they invented the wheel,
plow, and roads.
2. Egyptian Civilization
 Egyptian Civilization is famous for its legacy especially in
infrastructures and engineering technology. The Egyptians
contributed scientific-technological monumental artifacts
that became essential to this contemporary world.
 One of these is the pyramids which werebuilt by pharaohs
of the ancient times. Although, Egypt was not the first to
introduce a system of writing, it was the one who first
invented the paper or “papyrus” and the ink.
 Papyrus is a plant abundantly available along the Nile River
in Egypt. The Egyptians processed it long time ago to
produce thin sheets to write down letters, thus
introducing correspondence all over the world.
 The ink was invented by combining soot with chemicals.
Eventually different colors of inks were produced.
 The Egyptians also developed a system of writing using
symbols known as “hieroglyphics”. They believed that this
writing system was provided to them by the gods. This
writing is seen today, remains famous, and is found in the
pyramids. Hieroglyphics is the language that tells the
present world of the history and culture of the ancient
Egyptian civilization. The records of the past are preserved
because they are carved at the walls of the pyramids and
at all significant structures in Egypt.
 The Egyptians also invented the use of cosmetics for both
health and aesthetics reasons, and wigs for health and
wellness.
 Another invention is the water clock, a device that utilizes
gravity from one jar to another jar, and was used as
timekeeping device during the ancient times.
3. Greek Civilization
 Greece is known as the birthplace of western philosophy
and mathematics. The Greek civilization contributed much
to the present world especially in the fields of science and
technology.
 Greece is famous for its coliseums and the Olympics. The
Greeks invented the alarm clock to tell the person when to
start and when to stop with a whistling noise. They also
invented the water mill which is commonly used till this
time in agricultural process like milling, and is considered
better than mills powered by farm animals.
4. Roman Civilization
 The Roman Empire is so huge and other civilizations
looked to them as a model in terms of legislations and
codified laws. In fact, it is considered the cradle of politics
and governanceat that time. There are numerous
contributions and significant inventions of the Roman
Empire that are still relevant today such as; newspapers,
bound books, codes, Roman architecture, and Roman
numerals.
 When paper was invented, it became easier for the
Romans to write, publish, and record information needed
by the citizens. Record keeping became easier for them.
Documents on historical events, politics, and literature
were bound to become books and codes.
 Roman architecture is one of the most visual contributions
of the Roman Empire to the world today. It includes
cathedral and basilica churches, aqueducts,
amphitheatres, and Roman residential buildings. Today,
these structures are evidences of ancient Roman science
and technology.
 Although, the Roman numeral system is no longer widely
used, it is still popular among Hindu-Arabic system due to
its aesthetic and historical value.
5. Chinese Civilization
 The Chinese civilization is considered universally as the
oldest living civilization of the World.
 It was famous because of its silk trade, tea production,
Great Wall of China, and gunpowder.
 Silk is one of the things that connected China to the rest of
the World. Silk is naturally produced by silk worms. The
Chinese were the first who developed the technology to
harvest the silk and process it to produce paper and
clothing. The silk trade opened China to the rest of the
world, making a way for cultural, economic, and
philosophical exchanges. It bridged the gap between the
western world and China- the middle kingdom. Aside from
silk the Chinese are producers and exporters of tea.
 The tea production was believed discovered and
developed by an unknown Chinese inventor who created a

3. machine that was able to shred tea leaves into strips.
Today, tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world.
 The Great Wall of China is the only man made structure
that can be seen from the outer space. It is believed the
greatest and the most extensive infrastructure built in
China to keep invaders and protect the borders of China. It
displayed the extent of the Chinese engineering
technology at that time. The structure is so huge and
resilient that it separated China from the rest of the world.
 The Great Wall is the crowning glory of Chinese civilization.
 Today, it is one of the wonders of the world and remains
the most visited tourist destination and attraction due to
its historical significance and architectural splendour.
 The gunpowder is one of the deadliest and fascinating
inventions in China. It is widely used to propel bullets from
guns and cannons which caused countless deaths. Today,
It is widely use in fireworks especially during significant
occasions, and celebrations.
B. Middle Ages/Medieval Period
 In the history of Europe, the middle or medieval period
(5th-15th Century) which is between the fall of Roman
Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance is sometimes
referred to as the Dark Ages.
 During the High Middle Ages, the population of Europe
increased greatly as technological and agricultural
innovation allowed trade to flourish, and the climate
change allowed crop yields to increase.
 The Late Middle Ages was marked by difficulties,
calamities, famine, and the plague. War significantly
diminished the population of Europe as one third of
Europeans were killed. But sometime later, there was a
significant rise in population which led to the increase in
trade and commerce resulting to greater demands of
transportation technology.
 During this period there were innovations introduced
which led to the invention of the printing press,
microscope, telescope, and war weapons.
 Out of the woodblock printing developed by Chinese,
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press which
evolved and became the mechanical printing press.
 Zacharias Janssen was guided by the principles used for
the invention of eyeglasses developed the first compound
microscope to observe organisms that were normally
unseen by the naked eye.
 The Late Middle Ages was also known as the Age of
Exploration, the invention of the telescope an optical
instrument along with the invention of compass, oars, and
rudders became useful tools for navigation. During the
wartime, all kinds of weapons were invented purposely for
defence and offensive encounters. Among others invented
were the crow bows and long bows, iron body armors,
and chainmail.
C. Modern Times
 According to Chris Howell, modern times began from the
Industrial Revolution in 1900’s and continuous to the
contemporary period. All forms of warfare during this time
are based on technological advances.
 Western civilization global expansion and integration of
regions positively advanced through sea, air, and land
technologies invented during the period. The rapid rate of
change led to unprecedented access to high technology
weapons such as; biological weapons, rocketry, travel jets,
nuclear weapons-weapons of mass destruction, jet
bombers, computers, radar, sonar, machine guns, and
Global Positioning System (GPS).
 The population boom in the 19th Century demanded
more consumption goods to produce at a faster rate.
People needed efficient means of transportation to trade
more goods locally and globally. Machines in production
had to be upgraded to increase production output. Faster
and direct access to information, technology, and
communication were developed to establish
interconnectedness among nations of the world. Food
processing, food security, health, and medical
advancement faced a complicated challenge of the
modern times. The massive industrialization of the period
addressed the multi-faceted challenges through the
inventions of pasteurization, petroleum refinery,
telephone, and calculator among many others.
(Macalester College, 2010).
 Louise Pasteur, a French biologist, microbiologist, and a
chemist invented pasteurization, the process of preserving
dairy products by heating the products to kill the harmful
bacteria for milk and other dairy products to be stored
much longer and consumed later without being spoilt.
 Alongside with the invention of pasteurization, he also
invented molecular asymmetry, fermentation, and
vaccination.
 Samuel M. Kier invented kerosene referred to
“illuminating oil” to refine petroleum to provide lighting
to homes, and later used for heating purposes. Currently,
it is widely used in powering automobiles, factories,
manufacturing, and power plants among others. (Skrabec,
2010)
 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, one of
the exceptional developments of the modern times. The
interconnectedness needed for trading, exploration, and
communication became possible, fast, and easy due to the
invention of the telephone.

4.  The calculator was invented to compute more complicated
equations. It is a computing devise that is easy to carry
which led to the development of computer.
D. Philippine Inventions
 The Philippines is a developing country, but has a
remarkable contribution to the global advancement of
science and technology.
 Despite the lack of resources, the Philippines is known for
the discoveries and inventions of Filipinos produced from
indigenous materials such as: the salamander amphibious
tricycle, salt lamp, medical incubator, mosquito
ovicidal/larvicidal trap system, and jeepney.
 Victor Llave and his team at H2O Technologies invented
the “salamander”, an amphibious tricyles that can cross
not only flooded streets but also rivers and lakes suitable
for the Philippine setting as an archipelago.
 AisaMijeno invented the Sustainable Alternative Lighting
(SALt) lamp, a lighting system that utilizes material
abundant in the Philippines- the salt water. The salt lamp
is safe to use, no risk of fire, non-toxic, and environmental
friendly.
 Dr. Fe del Mundo, a Filipino pediatrician devised a medical
incubator made from indigenous materials to maintain
conditions suitable for new born babies usually premature
one.
 Added to that, she also developed immunization
treatment for jaundice and the “brat diet” for curing
diarrhea.
 The Department of Science and Technology-Industrial
Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) invented a
mosquito trap system known as Mosquito
Ovicidal/Larvicidal Trap Sysytem or OL Trap for humans to
be safe from mosquito-borne viral illness which is endemic
in tropical and subtropical climate like the Philippines. The
innovative skills and abilities of Filipinos converted the
American military jeeps used in WW II into something
useful to accommodate more passengers into jeepneys.
 The Filipino jeepney is the major means of public
transportation in the Philippines, a diesel powered jeepney
that produces a large amount of carbon dioxide from
transportation emissions harmful for human health,
contributory to noise pollution, and global warming.
 The EJeepney was developed to address the pressing
global environmental problem. This new innovation is a
modern type of transportation that utilizes electricity is
environmentally friendly, and does not discharge smoke
and cause noise.