HUMAN

FLOURISHING
IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

By: Dr. Eloisa Abquina-Mallo

* PHILOSOPHY
The study of general and
fundamental problems
concerning matters such
as existence, knowledge,
values, reason, mind and
language.
* Three Branches of
PHILOSOPHY
1. Natural philosophy – the
study of the physical world.
It includes astronomy,
physics, chemistry, biology
and cosmology.
*
2. Moral philosophy – the
study of the goodness, right
and wrong, beauty, justice
and virtue. e.g aesthetics,
ethics, political philosophy.
3. Metaphysical philosophy –
the study of existence,
causation, God, logic forms
and other abstract objects.
e.g. formal sciences such as
logic, mathematics,
epistemology, cosmology and
philosophy of science.
Introduction
Technology has always been
defined as a means to an end
and being a human activity.

Everyday routines are marked

with technological advances
that reflect what a society is
good or known for.
*ARISTOTle
was born 304 B.C. an ancient
Greek philosophy scientist and one
of the most significant thinkers and
who contributed so much to science,
technology, political theory, and
aesthetics world; followed that
knowledge of the world begins by
looking and examining that which
exists.
*ARISTOTELIANISM
This views technology as basically a
means to an end.
To Aristotle , technology is the
organizing of techniques in order to meet
the demand that is being posed by humans.
This may seem that technology is
primarily concerned with the product.

*SELECTED VIEWS ON
TECHNOLOGY
*ARISTOTELIANISM
Technology will be judged as
either good or bad based on the
value given to the product based on
its use and effect to the society.

*SELECTED VIEWS ON
TECHNOLOGY
*Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) French philosopher
*Holds that technology is progressive and
beneficial in many ways, it is also doubtful in
many ways.
*Technological optimism believes that
technology is the answer to all man’s
problems.
*According to Ellul’s pessimistic arguments are:
*1. technological progress has a price

*Technological
pessimism
*2. technological progress creates
more problems
*3. technological progress creates
damaging effects
*4. technological progress creates
unpredictable devastating effects
*Martin
Heidegger on
Science and
Technology
*Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
a well known German
Philosopher, examined the two
ususal definitions of technology.
(1.) means to an end and a (2.)
Human activity, because he
believed that this kind of confusing
and there are questions to it that
we easily overlook.
*These two definitions
cannot be separated from
each other. He called it
the instrumental and
anthropological definition
of technology or simply
means by which the
human ends are realized.
 TECHNOLOGY AS A MODE OF
REVEALING
(THE QUESTION OF TECHNOLOGY BY MARTIN HEIDEGGER)
(two definition of it according to Heidegger)

In instrumental definition:
•Technology is a means to an end

In anthropological definition:
•Technology is a Human
Activities
Technology Technology

+
is a means is a human
to an end activity or
or Anthropological
Instrumental

utilize the means is a human

activity
• We don't see
technology as a
instrumentums or
tools. Hence, we
look forward for
Technology's
essence for us.
*Instrumental Definition of
Technology
according to Heidegger, the
instrumental definition of technology
encourages us to view technology
from different periods of time as not
having fundamental differences. But
he claimed that this does not show
the true essence of technology.
*He explained that while
technology is geared
towards meeting a human
need, still there is a
difference between older
handicraft technologies
with modern technology.
*Another problem Heidegger
saw in the instrumental
definition of technology is that
it only invites man to a
continual desire to master it
which unconsciously may be
making technology go out of
hand.
•Heidegger urged
people to envision
Technology as a
Mode of
Revealing.
• Here comes the
Casualties of the
Instrumentum of the
Technology. It's based
on Aristotle's concept
that was explained by
Heidegger. These are;
•Aristotle’s
Four Causes
• Causa materialis - the
material which thing made of.
• Causa formalis - the
shape/form, shape or the
structure of the material.
• Causa finalis - the end, form
and matter. Made for
• Causa efficiens – brings about
the effect that is finished. Who
made the material/object.
Let's take this silver chalice to identify
the causality of instruments

• Causa
materialis

• Causa
formalis

• Causa finalis

• Causa
efficiens
•Here comes Poesis - is
defined as Bringing
Forth, for Aristotole it
means making or
producing something for
a purpose. It is
sometimes used to refer
to poetry and
composition.
• Bringing Forth means
revealing on it's own
term without forcing it
and likely the ideas in
our mind... we create it
in something tangible -
Here comes the term
unconcealment
• Techné (the root word
for technology) means
skills, art or craft. It is
a means of bringing
forth for something.
Thus in Heidegger’s
work. Technology is a
poiesis that discloses
or reveals truth.
• Technology is a way
of bringing forth,
making something. By
considering technology
as a mode of revealing,
then truth is brought
forth.
• Heidegger meant to
appreciate how
technology could
actually be poetry that
brings forth.
• Unconcealment is
equal to Aletheia
(means unhidennes
or disclosure) which
means TRUTH...
• If one composes
Poesis and Techné,
one can reveal to us.

Poesis + Techné =
Revelation
• It's correct but we
cannot apply this
statement to
Modern Technology
• Technology
essence is to
reveal Aletheia
or Truth to us.
* Because of this
continuous revealing,
Heidegger also pointed
out the danger comes
with technology.
TECHNOLOGY
AS POESIS:
Applicable to
Modern
Technology?
Modern Technology
can be a Mode of
Revealing but it goes
further away from
Poesis. Modern
Technology is now
more on Techné than
Poesis.
Modern technology
challenge nature and
demand of it resources
that most of the time,
forcibly extracted for
the sake of human
consumption and
storage.
When we
challenge nature
resources we
always want a
Maximum yield
at the
Minimum Expense.
With Modern
Technology, revealing
never comes in end.
The revealing always
happens on our own
terms as everything is
on demand.
 Heidegger
described
modern
technology as the
Age of Switches
•This observation is
manifest in the
mechanization and
digitation of many aspects
of out life-from agriculture
to communications and
transportation, among
many others.
* Human Person Swallowed
by Technology

if we allow ourselves to
get swallowed by modern
technology, we lose the
essence of who we are
as beings in this world. If
we are constantly
plugged online and no
longer have the capacity
for authentic personal
encounters, then we
truly swallowed by
technology.
*The Essence
of Technology
And here comes

the Enframing
 Enframing:
Way of
Revealing In
Modern
Technology
In English,
Enframing. It means
gathering or collecting
resources so that it
can be understood and
controlled according
to people's desire.
In Enframing we
challenge and see
thing as Standing
Reverse. Means
that how man see
resources is to
fulfill his needs.
In looking at the
world or nature as
resources, Heidegger
distinguished between
calculative thinking
and meditative
thinking.
Calculative Thinking as
mentioned, it means one
orders and puts a system to
nature so it can be
understood better and
controlled.
Meditative Thinking
allowing Nature to reveal
itself without forcing it.
 Enframing is
the essence of
Modern
Technology
Enframing as mode
of revealing where
danger is growing.
The saving powers is
within us. It's
poetically dwelling
within ourselves.
•So if we realized how
our orientation fits with
the world and realize
that we Enframing our
world so much. We can
save ourselves from the
damage that enframing
has been done to us.
*The Danger of
the Nonstop
Revealing
•We won't find
technology essense if
we think conceptually
but methaphysically or
in philosophical sides.
Wherever there is
effect, there is a cause.
Man’s happiness
is dependent on
the continuous
modernization of
technology
* The Society in the
Face of Science
and Technology
Social media affects the life of
many. Face to face social
interactions are being lessened
and people keep working hard to
update their gadgets.
There seems to be no
contentment as every time a new
product is released, man finds
another need that can only be
answered by a new product.
These new products
also tend to replace man
in the society as the
demand for manual labor
is becoming less and less
because of the
availability of
machineries.
When we do this we
achieved a Free relationship
with Technology. And we can
only fully comprehend
Technology if we have free
relationship with it.
We must question technology
without hurting our nature
around us.
Important Terminologies:

Technology
•In instrumental definition -
Technology is a means to an end

•In anthropological definition -

Technology is a Human Activities
• Poesis- defined as Bringing Forth.
Bringing Forth means revealing on it's
own term and we think of an idea and we
create it in something tangible

• Poesis- reflective and sensitive way of

looking at the world.

• Aletheia- Means truth. Unconcealed.

• Techné - Means skills, art or craft. It's

an art of the mind and fine arts.
• Essence of Technology - to
reveal aletheia or truth

• Essence of Modern
Technology - Enframing
• Modern Technology - challenge nature and
demand of it resources that most of the time
forcibly extracted for human consumption and
storage.

• Enframing or Gestel - It means gathering or

collecting resources so that it can be understood
and controlled according to people's desire.

• Calculative Thinking - it means one orders and

puts a system to nature so it can be understood
better and controlled.

• Meditative Thinking - Allowing nature to reveal

itself without forcing it.
Casuality of the Instrumentums of the
Technology

• Causa materialis - the material which

thing made of.

• Causa formalis - the form, shape or the

structure of the materials.

• Causa efficiens - the process

• Causa finalis - the end, final effects and

why it is made
*THE END