2. TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
• Science and Technology have
used each other as steppingstones
throughout recorded history with
science sometimes in the lead. At
other times, technology appeared
to be simply so far ahead as to
give the impression that it is what
brings about science.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
• Developments in science
and technology have
become so intertwined
that improvement in one
necessarily implies
improvement in the other.
3. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
A.GEOGRAPHY
The finding of, more or less, stable, favorable geographical
situations, however, enabled the people to live in settlements
and encouraged village life.
1. Bodies of Water
The rise of civilizations near these bodies of water can be attributed to
a. Water being a basic human need and a good source of food;
b. Water being needed for agriculture, food processing , and daily human
activities;
c. Water being the avenue for various means of livelihood such as farming,
fishing, trade, etc.
4. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
2. Plains
Advances in science and technology in these places
centered on the development of agricultural tools in the fertile
plains.
3. Topography
A. Land
Diversity in topography brought
about differences in the pattern
of scientific and technological
developments.
B. Natural Barriers
Natural barriers have been both a
deterrent and a stimulus for the
development of science and technology.
These barriers also determined, to some
extent the susceptibility of settlements to
invasions, as well as the direction in which
science and technology developed.
5. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
C. Climate
1. Moderate climates- mostly tropical to temperate climates-proved
conducive to farming.
2. Climatic extremes also explain the diversity in scientific and
technological growths:
a. Long dry spells led to the construction of artificial irrigation systems to
water the crops being grown.
b. Overflowing rivers, which caused floods that damaged crops.
3. Effects of Different Climatic Conditions
a. Tracking of Seasons and Crop Rotation
-the changing seasons also made it imperative to track the weather, and so, a
calendar came into existence.
6. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
b. Different flora and fauna thrive in different climates. Thus, different raw
materials were available for construction, clothing, etc. Mesopotamia’s hot
climate, for example, was very good for baking bricks.
c. Climate not only determined what raw materials could be grown in the
different areas, but also what techniques could be used to process the
available resources. The black soil of India, perfect for growing cotton,
made it possible for the cotton textile industry to thrive.
d. Different climatic conditions dictated what kind of activities could be
done.
7. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
D. Natural Resources
1. Reactions to the Abundance and Scarcity of Resources
The abundance, as well as the scarcity of natural resources, only
challenged man’s creativity in his struggle to survive. Various uses were
found for the available resources.
2. The following were heavily dependent on natural resources:
a. Food, clothing, household, and other items used in daily living
b. Tools and implements, techniques, and skills
3. Houses, buildings, other structures, and construction materials
a. Rome
b. Roman
c. Greece
8. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
B. Trade
Trade may well be considered a factor variably
conditioned by the diverse geographical factors.
1. Trade and commerce flourished because of the following;
a. Scarcity and excesses in supply from available natural resources
and/or production
b. Increasing Populations
c. The emergence of urban societies and manufacturing industries
increased the demand for already existing goods and created new
needs.
9. I. EXTERNAL FACTORS
2. The Effects of Trade
a. Trade brought about greater interaction and communication
among peoples and societies
b. Trade brought about advances in the monetary system: starting
from simple barter of goods, the measure of exchange graduated
to shells and other items and then, to coins and bills.
c. Increase in wealth enabled savings and investment in scientific
and technological research and development, among other things
d. The spread of scientific knowledge and technological products
across the ancient world through traders who went out in search
of tin and other commodities.
10. II. INTERNAL FACTORS
A. Mode of Living
• Started out as agricultural
communities
• Scientific and technological
developments were directed
toward improving agriculture.
• Animals were domesticated to
assist in food production and to
provide transportation.
As productivity in food
production gained from plow
agriculture eventually stabilized,
less people were needed to
produce enough food and more
could turn to other tasks and
activities less essential to
survival.
Population also increased with the increase and
stabilization of food supply with the consequent
increase in the number of communities and
settlements farther away from bodies of water and
other sources of food.
11. II. INTERNAL FACTORS
B. Belief Systems
1. Belief Systems and Man
Belief systems which considered the law
of nature as ordering the universe and
knowable by man, enabled the
development of science and technology.
• The Mesopotamians, like the Greeks,
believed in the order in nature.
• Prevalent among the Greeks and
Romans at that times was the
humanist outlook which regarded man
and reason as supreme.
Belief Systems play a major
role in the advancement of
science and technology as
these may hinder or promote
science and technology and
affect the acceptance of
scientific discoveries and the
use of the different
technologies.
12. II. INTERNAL FACTORS
Some religious provided venues for the pursuit of
art, literature, etc. with their attendant requirements
that spurred scientific and technological
developments.
• The Periclean-belief that the causes of things
may be found in nature led Hippocrates to search
for the natural causes of illness.
• Limiting experimentation and thus, slowing
down scientific and technological developments
was the Taoist philosophy of non-intervention
with nature, which is considered sacred.
• The Christian outlook on nature and the
universe-being the creation of a God who is
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Knowledge Himself.
Francis Bacon- discovered
inducive reasoning
Nicolas Copernicus-
heliocentric universe
Johannes Kepler- Laws of
Planetary Motion
Isaac Newton- Law of
Universal Gravitation
13. II. INTERNAL FACTORS
C. Law and Government
Based on belief system, law and government influence the
direction of development that science and technology take.
• In Mesopotamia, life was shaped by adaptation to the ebbing
and flowing of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These rivers
wrought destruction in terrible floods that inundated whole
towns.
• The politically stable British government managed to bring
about conditions that allowed the Industrial Revolution to take
place.
• France, on the other hand, did not enjoy the same conditions.
14. SYNTHESIS
The emergence and growth of science and
technology in various societies can be viewed from the
perspective of human nature working within the
variables of time and space.
Factors:
1.Environmental factors that presented the greatest
influence and/or threats.
2.Trade
3.Mode of Living
4.Beliefs
15. Due to universality of human nature, remarkable similarities in
the way science and technology developed in different places, times
and among different peoples may be observed:
1. Science and technology were brought about by efforts to fulfill human
needs and wants.
It will be interesting to go through the different needs of man and how he copes with
these:
a. Physical/Bodily needs –food, clothing and shelter.
b. Spiritual Needs
b.1 . Intellectual Needs
The intellect, belonging to the spiritual, has as its primary need to attain the
truth of things since truth, not error, is what is properly called knowledge.
16. b.2 Social Needs
Man, being social by nature or having a social aspect or dimension,
needs not only to be with people, but also to communicate with them. Thus,
developments in transportation enabled people, among other things, to get
together more easily and more frequently. Improvements in communications
also filled the need of man to stay connected with his fellow men.
2. Science and technology involved adapting to the environment.
All civilizations have had work with nature and the environment.
3. Science and technology brought with it social change.
Changes in man’s knowledge of nature and the universe brought
about the changes in the way he acted and reacted.
