GEC7: Impacts of Science and Technology on the Environment

• Science


  Investigations of the physical world, including us and the stuff we make
• Technology


  Making stuff, including stuff used by society, and in the production and dissemination of science
• Society


  The sum total of our interactions as humans, including the interactions that we engage in to figure things out and to make things. Society is the result of people, and institutions, interacting with one another. Society in turn shapes the people and institutions that form it.
• It should be clear that all of these three (Science, Technology and Society) are deeply interconnected
• Science and technology has also played an important role in improving the quality of life in human settlements
• The role of science and technology in promoting development as well as its limitation in shaping the society
• Difference between science and technology

  The goal of science is the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake while the goal of technology is to create products that solve problems and improve human life
• Science is the theoretical base that enables technology to take flight. Technology becomes the practical applications of science
• Technology


  All tools, machines, utensils, weapons, instruments, housing, clothing, communicating and transporting devices and the skills by which we produce and use them
• Technology is a form of "applied science." It is viewed as "the practical applications of science"
• New products, new industries, and more jobs require continuous additions to knowledge of the laws of nature ... This essential new knowledge can be obtained only through basic scientific research
• Science and technology have had a major impact on society, and their impact is growing. By making life easier, science has given man the chance to pursue societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education, and justice; to create cultures; and to improve human conditions
• How science is used in technology

  Science is the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world through systematic observation and experiments. Through science, we develop new technologies
• How technology is used in science

  Technology is the application of scientifically gained knowledge for practical purpose. Technology can then be used to advance our scientific knowledge as well
• Scientists use technology in all their experiments
• Definitions of science


  • Science as an idea - It includes ideas, theories and all available systematic explanations and observations about the natural and physical world
  • Science as an intellectual activity - It encompasses a systematic and practical study of the natural and physical world. This process of study involves systematic observation and experimentation
  • Science as a body of knowledge - It is a subject or a discipline, a field of study, or a body of knowledge that deals with the process of learning about the natural and physical world. This is what we refer to as school science
  • Science as a personal and social activity - This explains that science is both knowledge and activities done by human beings to develop better understanding of the world around them. It is a means to improve life and to survive in life. It is interwoven with people's lives