STS

• Science


  An empirical field - a body of knowledge built up out of the elements of experience, using the senses and common sense
• Science


  • Systematic - follows specific steps of the scientific method to reach conclusions
  • Covers general truths and facts
  • A total societal enterprise - aims to develop relevant, effective, and accessible solutions according to the needs of the community
• Technology


  An applied science - uses scientific knowledge and methods to develop practical applications and goals
• Technology


  • A body of knowledge and skills by which we control and modify the world
  • A total societal enterprise - should balance financial and social value
• Society


  A group of people with common interests, traditions, purpose, and/or activity
• Science aims to improve society

  Society develops hunger for further improvement and demands more from science
• Society benefits from technology


  Technology makes life easier for society
• New technology is created

  Society enjoys its benefits, but further problems arise that require technology to be improved, which then demands more from science
• Science, Technology and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that studies the conditions under which the production, distribution and utilization of scientific knowledge and technological systems occur; the consequences of these activities upon different groups of people
• STS tracks the history of disciplines, the dynamics of science as a social institution and the philosophical basis for scientific knowledge
• The Stone Age started at the beginning of human existence until about 3,000 BCE, and is marked by the invention and use of stone tools by early human ancestors
• Periods of the Stone Age

  • Paleolithic
  • Mesolithic
  • Neolithic
• Paleolithic Period


  • Humans were food gatherers/hunters, nomads with no permanent shelters
  • Notable inventions: "Venus" carvings, needles, fur clothing, pit houses, personal ornaments, crude hunting tools, pottery and baskets
• Mesolithic Period


  • Used small stone tools (microliths), more polished and sometimes crafted with points and attached to antlers, bone or wood to serve as spears and arrows
  • Introduced agriculture and more permanent settlements in villages
• Neolithic Period


  • Switched from hunter/gatherer mode to agriculture and food production
  • Developed control over fire, polished hand axes for ploughing and tilling, made advancements in farming, home construction, and art including pottery, sewing, weaving
• Bronze Age


  • Advances in metallurgy, discovery of bronze (copper and tin alloy)
  • Invented irrigation, field system, first soap, organized government, law and warfare, beginnings of religion, earliest written accounts
• Iron Age


  • People began making tools and weapons from iron and steel
  • Smelting iron required more intensive process and better equipment
  • Produced better agricultural tools, first coins, more sophisticated agriculture, art, religion, writing systems and documentation
• The Middle Ages lasted for 1,000 years until 1450, starting with the fall of the Roman Empire
• Middle Ages in Europe

  • Very few people could read or write, superstitious beliefs, peasants became serfs bound to lords' lands
  • Despite constant fear of death, there were great leaps forward in science and invention, such as the horse collar
• Very few people could read or write in the Middle Ages. Their lack of knowledge often led to superstitious beliefs
• The people thought that fate ruled their existence; therefore, there was little hope for the improvement of their condition
• During the Roman Empire, the poor people were protected by the emperor's soldiers. When the empire fell, there were no laws to protect them, so they turned to the lords to keep the peace and to act on their behalf
• This willingness to be ruled by the lords led to the beginnings of feudalism
• Some peasants were free, but most became serfs to a lord. This meant they were bound to the lord's land and paid very high rent to the lord
• The peasants work the lands of their lords and are obliged to give their lords homage, labor, and a share of the produce in exchange for military protection
• Despite the constant fear of death, there was enough calm during the Middle Ages for great leaps forward in science and invention
• Notable inventions by Europeans in the Middle Ages

  • Horse collar
  • Watermill
  • Magnetic compass
  • Clock
• The development of the verge escapement lead to the creation of the first mechanical clocks in around 1300 AD and had become the standard timekeeping device in this period
• The first industrialization occurred during the Middle Ages in cloth making
• All cloth was woven by hand on a loom and the most common materials of this time period were wool, cotton, silk, and linen
• The spinning wheel was introduced into Europe in the 13th century
• The "Great or Jersey" wheel, introduced around 1350, was the first improvement made in the process of cotton spinning
• The final Medieval technical improvement to the spinning wheel was the addition of a foot treadle that powered the wheel
• While there was a decline in the economy and overall progress in the European region, different countries in Asia flourished during this era, one of them was China
• Inventions made by medieval Chinese

  • Seismoscope
  • Paper making
  • Magnetic compass
  • Cannon
  • Gunpowder
  • Acupuncture
  • Movable type printing
  • Wheelbarrow
• India also made notable inventions that are still beneficial until this present day, such as dividing a year into 12 months, developing metallurgy, and establishing Ayurvedic medicine
• India also developed the concepts of square root and linear equation
• Christopher Columbus completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that opened the way for European exploration, exploitation, and colonization of the Americas
• Long before Columbus invaded the region, there were already flourishing civilizations in the Americas, such as the Maya, Aztec, and Inca
• Achievements of the Maya

  • Agriculture
  • Pottery
  • Hieroglyph writing
  • Calendar-making
  • Mathematics
  • Architecture
  • Symbolic artwork
  • Use of cocoa beans as monetary units
  • Solar calendar