Chapter Outline

Science and Technology

Science and technology are like two sides of the same coin:

• Science is the search for scientific knowledge about our natural world.
• Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to produce consumer products.
• Science leads to advances in technology.
• Advances in technology lead to advances in science.

Distinguishing Between Science and Technology

The nature of science:

• The goal of science is the understanding of the natural world.
• Science often challenges personal beliefs.
• Scientific findings often seem to have no practical applications.
• Scientific findings are freely available for public use.

The nature of technology:

• The goal of technology is to build practical devices that improve human life.
• Technology changes the way people live.
• The products of technology are everywhere, from health care to entertainment.
• Advances in technology are often protected by patents that limit public use.

Milestones in Technology

A milestone is a turning point—a discovery or invention that changes the way people live from that point on. The following are among the important milestones in technology:

• fire
• the wheel
• the city
• the clock
• the cotton gin
• the steam engine
• the internal combustion engine
• electricity

How Technology Influences Science

Technology leads to better scientific instruments. These new instruments enable scientists to perform more advanced scientific research. A few examples are listed below:

• the electron microscope
• the Hubble Space Telescope
• the computer
• orbiting satellites (weather, geological survey, and communications)
• the space shuttle
• the International Space Station
• medical instruments

Technology and Values

The following products of technology often conflict with certain personal values:

• genetically altering food
• surrogate parenting
• choosing the sex of a child
• cloning animals and possibly humans
• harvesting organs
• genetically testing a human fetus
• developing nuclear weapons

Concerns and Limits of Technology

New technologies often endanger life:

• Pesticides threaten drinking water.
• Industrial chemicals create land, air, and water pollution.
• Waste products from nuclear power plants must be stored for thousands of years to prevent exposure to radiation.
• A person’s lack of privacy is threatened by the computer age.

Neither science nor technology can address many human concerns:

• Why are we here?
• What is the best way to live?
• What existed before the universe?
• What exists besides the universe?