Science and Society: New Perspectives and Possibilities

by Arianne Gervacio and Julienne Lim

The Science and Society (Sci10) course has given us a variety of informative discussions of our current surrounding and the conditions in which we live in. A deeper understanding of our society was taught in order to raise awareness amongst its listeners in hopes for a realization that will catalyze change not only within ourselves but also the community. Being a management major, knowing about the current situation of the world made me realize how much the business world is closely related to society. The actions of one corporation can have far-reaching effects. And Sci10 made me realize that as an Atenean and a future businessman, I have a responsibility to keep society stable and sustainable through considering different factors while running the business. It made me realize that running a business isn’t just about one entity alone, there are multiple organizations and groups that are affected by the operations and goods offered by a business. And that we should be aware of this and be able to widen our perspective in order to run a successful business that brings benefits to society.

I’ve never considered myself to be a scientist. I’m a management of applied chemistry major, but it’s still considered a management major with a chemical background. I’m not one of those hardcore BS Chemistry majors. Technically, I’m not a scientist. However, going through this course (Sci10), made me realize that everyone can be a scientist. Being a scientist doesn’t necessarily mean being in the laboratory the whole day and mixing chemicals. Being a scientist is more than that. Anyone can be a scientist, even without studying a science course. Being a scientist just means that one is able to use observation and critical thinking to examine the world around him and to try to address these problems. There is still so much to gain, learn and discover. Our world is an endless sea of knowledge, full of possibilities and opportunities for scientists like us to know more about. Sci10 has taught us to keep our curiosity aflame because that will be our drive to explore the world we live in. SCI 10 has given us an insight and touched the surface of what our world has to offer.

During the semester, SCI 10 always provided new information, new perspectives on how we look at our surroundings, society and the world. What stuck to me most was not how we look at our small-scale surroundings, but the bigger picture- the universe, how everything came to be. I have always been enamored by the massiveness of which our world in located in. I realized that if in our small world contains endless possibilities what more the opportunities that the universe presents! I have learned to approach the mystery of the unknown with a curious and unbiased mind. SCI 10 has taught me that things may not always be what they seem, that there may be something else that lies underneath it all. This is how I look at the universe. From where we stand, we only think of the universe as a massive ocean of stars and other planets but what sparks my curiosity is how it all began. How our planet came to be. We see our world as an entity that is always present in our surroundings but in the scale of the universe it is just a small speck in comparison to the surroundings of our world. I have always believed that there is a large possibility that we are not alone, that there are other living organisms present in our solar system or a different one. The greatest part is that one day we may find the answer to that or one day we may not. It’s the trait of knowledge of the possibilities of the unknown that I have come to learn in SCI 10.

Explaining the existence of our Universe

by Jemima Tan

One question that has always been asked by mankind since antiquity is: “How did this universe come about?” Indeed, explaining away our very existence seems to have been an obsession of humans in general. Of course, as their technology and knowledge were still very limited during their era, our early ancestors attributed their existence to divine beings, and further elaborated on the story of creation by passing down myths and legends of these extraordinary deities and stories.

Ever since ancient times, man has also been fascinated by the sky, the sun, the moon, and what lies beneath the cosmos. In ancient times, they attached supernatural meanings to the sun, the moon, and the stars. As civilization developed, there was an increasing interest in astronomy. Early astronomers managed to discover and name many stars that were visible to the human eye, as well as primitive telescopes. As more and more heavenly bodies were discovered, the more astounded mankind became of the universe’s vastness, and of the fact that many more unknown planets and stars must lie out there beyond their knowledge and comprehension.

Fortunately, as decades, centuries, and millennia passed, civilization reached even greater heights and more and more advanced technologies were being developed. Astronomers of the Middle Ages had by then developed some knowledge of the solar system, but of course their knowledge was still insufficient. They even were convinced that all of the planets, including the Sun, revolved around the Earth. Through further research, the geocentric model was rendered obsolete by the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus. This model encountered a lot of opposition, especially by the Church, when Copernicus first proposed it.

Around a thousand years ago, people believed that the Earth was flat and that the Sun revolved around it. Of course, we now know better. But during those early times, those facts were considered the ABSOLUTE TRUTH. In Stephen Hawking’s The Universe, we learn the challenges faced by the proponents of the Big Bang theory. Einstein, the most famous scientist and genius in the world, rejected the Big Bang theory and the idea that the universe was constantly expanding at first. Hubble eventually made the Big Bang theory the accepted universe creation theory through his telescopes. But just how long will this theory constitute as the dominant paradigm? This just goes to show that the theories and the things that we consider true change with the times. Who knows, in a hundred years we may have a completely different theory of the creation of the universe, a theory completely different from the Big Bang!

Stars, Stardust, & The Vast Universe

1. It all began with a big bang.

One of the greatest challenges of man is to find out how the universe actually came into being. More often than not, this is the area in which religion & science seem to collide. Theologians would suggest that God is the source of everything. They believe that the universe, along with everything that exists within it, was created in seven days through the divine power of the almighty. However, this theory leaves a great question unanswered: If God created the universe, then who created the so-called God?  

Science, on the other hand, presents theories backed up by years and years of experimentation and research. In his discussion, Fr. Ben Nebres talked about the theory that is considered to be the most sound and logical explanation of the origin of the universe, which is the big bang theory. The reasons why it's widely accepted? It's probably because this theory presents the most logical sequence of events that could have led the the birth of our known universe. Also, it could be for the reason that it's the theory that we humans could actually grasp and comprehend. 

Like most theories, the big bang theory remains to be what it is: a theory. Nonetheless, man's unwavering curiosity will continue to fuel the steadfast search for the origin of the universe. 

2. We are made up of the same particles that once created the universe. 

Let's take time out to pause and marvel at the fact that we human beings down here on Earth have particles of the vast universe pieced within each of us. Imagine the stars up above --whatever stardust they are made up of has contributed to creating what we are today. Small as we are, as compared to the heavenly bodies up in space, the reality remains: we are intertwined with the universe. The difference, however, is that the future of the universe of uncertain, while ours [unfortunately] is not. The universe may either further expand, or collapse on itself, or create another cycle through the "big bounce". The point of certainty is that no one knows what's going to happen. The models of science have yet to determine the fate of the boundless skies that hang above us.

Our case, on the other hand, is different & simple:

from stardust we began & to stardust we shall return.

3. Much is known, yet there is more to know.

Over time, countless theories about the origin of the universe have been formulated by the world's greatest minds; but ultimately, the answer that would piece it all together has not yet been found. The truth is that it cannot be helped. The expanse of the universe is far too great for man to actually know every single nitty-gritty detail about it. This both poses a challenge and presents a privilege. 

THE CHALLENGE: It challenges the capacity of the human mind to dig deeper into what is already known & to delve into what remains to be unknown.

THE PRIVILEGE: Having more to know gives human beings the opportunity for future great discoveries. It allows us to continue staring up at the skies, both wondering & marvelling: what else could be up there? 

A Cleaner Environment, A Better Environment

Having a cleaner environment is something that would provide us a lot of benefits such as cheaper materials and safer and simpler environment. But as we look at our streets and rivers, could we see anything clean about them?

Nowadays, it is evident that many individuals constantly innovate ideas on how to make our environment cleaner and better. However, truth to be told, only a few of these were actually strictly implemented. Moreover, only a few had concrete effects in alleviating the problem of the environment.

Remnants of packaging can be seen everywhere in our country from outside people’s houses to the flowing rivers. Most packaging materials evidently seen in the streets are made up of disposable plastics, papers, and styrofoams.

Hence, to compensate for the increasing volume of packaging and its according effects to the environment, a stricter implementation of environmental courtesy and laws should be done. To decrease the volume of packaging and practice efficiency, different approach and ways should be done. In this light, one of the ways to practice a concrete and stricter implementation is to impose heavy taxes on those who manufacture these products. Similarly, taxes should be imposed to its consumers like the ones being implemented by the Quezon City government on plastics but it should a lot be higher than the tax imposed by the Quezon City government which is only two pesos because two pesos is really cheap. Countries such as Vietnam have high taxes on plastics amounting to $1.9 per kilogram, why can’t the Philippines do the same? Taxes should not only be imposed on plastics but to paper bags as well because even though paper is a renewable resource, the process of making a piece of paper consumes and contaminates a lot of water. The money from those taxes should then be used to make our environment cleaner and to provide and advertise to consumers low price but high quality reusable bags such as “bayongs” and “eco bags”. With the implementation of heavy taxes, reusable bags would be a lot cheaper and popular thus we would have less trash from packaging leading to a cleaner environment.

One of the reasons why our environment is so polluted is because of the smog and chemicals released from industrial factories to the air and various bodies of water.  Father Jett talked about how everything has a cost and in the factories’ case the cost of creating all those manufactured products is being paid by the environment and the people within that vicinity. The best way to treat this problem is to require factories that contribute to pollution to deal by themselves the pollution that they have created. They would have to take back what they released and through gas treatment system or water treatment like the ones founded in Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola’s water treatment facility makes sure that the water they release back into the environment is clean and uncontaminated water.  By making those factory owners take back what they give then they would realized how harmful it is to be in contact with that pollution.

By creating all those changes and through implementation of the law then we would have a much more cleaner environment. This will lead to a cheaper ( no cost of packaging because of using “bayongs”) , simpler, lovelier, and safer environment.

References:

Viet Nam News. "High Tax May Lead to Plastic-bag Imports | Eco-Business.com." EcoBusiness Asias Cleantech Sustainable Business Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.

A Being Of Technology

Has it ever occurred to you that almost everything in our society is driven by technology? Look at the way we dress, talk, and view things. When you look closely, it feels as if our whole lives are written along the lines of technology. If this is so then what are we really?

Homo Technologicus, user of technology, is what most of us are. Daily, we make use of things that are 

supposed to make life easier. Every day, we have personal experiences with such objects without knowing much about them. It seems almost impossible to function without them. Try imagining life without an alarm clock, cellphone or a computer? It has become unthinkable since we use them so often that they have become a part of our identity. But the ironic truth is that we keep using them but don’t even know how to fully utilize them. Most of us are only users of such advancements. Rarely do we see someone stop and think about how these things emerged.  

I guess I believe that we are all just mere users of technology since we cannot come to understand how each and every detail of it emerged. In fact, I don’t even believe that there exists a technology that sprung out of pure invention .This realization came to me when I thought about mobile phones. I know that we would most likely find that Dr. Martin Cooper was the one who invented it. But is that really true? Isn’t technology after all a revelation? Aren’t we just using all this technological information to “invent” new technology? When it comes down to it, it feels almost impossible to go down to every detail of technological advancements to create a new tool. The world we live in today is then just a modification of these patterns within technology and its self-revelation to us.

In a sense, my being a Homo Technologicus saddens me. I use my laptop every day without a clue as to what makes it work. I guess this issue’s connection to reality is what really makes being a Homo Technologicus saddening. Our society is defined by the technologies we have now. We classify our kind based on which gadgets they have, can use and can buy. This is a sad reality since the divide we have exists because of advancements we claim to use but do not even understand. 

CLAYGO, Filipino!

            Holding your food tray, you move past a multitude of occupied tables, looking for a vacant one where you can settle and enjoy your meal. After a few more rounds, you find yourself an empty one. To your disappointment; however, the table is full of food scraps and soiled wrappers. So, you wait a little longer until a waiter comes to clean your table.

            Does this sound familiar to you? I am 99% sure that your answer would be a resounding yes. This has always been the system of Philippine fast food chains. People leave all their scrap on the table and it’s perfectly ok because doing so wouldn’t really be a violation against common courtesy. It has always been the waiters’ job to wipe the tables clean -- not the ones who actually made the mess.

            In other countries, however, let’s take for example, the United States of America, it is mandatory for costumers to clean their table before they leave. It would have been overtly rude if they were to leave their trash on the table. Technically, it’s a Your trash, your responsibility kind of thing. It is no one’s job to clean your mess for you.

            CLAYGO, or the Clean as You Go Policy, very much applies in other countries. Why then does this policy not sit very well with Filipinos?  Could it be because we have been so used to having people, whose job’s to clean our trash, that we find it difficult and, perhaps, weird, to clean the tables by ourselves? Would this behavior reveal that the middle to upper class Filipinos are already prima dona’s without them even noticing it? Taking into consideration that labor here is actually very cheap, it has been a way of life for Filipinos to hire maids and have them do all the work you tell them. This behavior is similar to how we treat table cleaners. We actually take them for granted until we realize that life wouldn’t be as convenient and as good without them. I honestly think that this mindset can be wrong and must actually be changed. It’s not always good to have people do the most menial things for you when you can actually just do them by yourself. With that, guess what we can do to start changing this mindset. CLAYGO anyone?

Originality - today's best friend

What makes a book, essay, poem, and any other kind of artistic work so interesting? They are interesting because they bring something new to the minds of others. Something original that many people would stop, look and exclaim, “Wow! That’s some interesting ideas you have there!” People always have something to say about some topic. There may be times where these ideas might coincide and match but there are also times where they are totally different. It gives a whole new different perspective to a certain subject.

In today’s world, ideas can be known easily through something we all know, the internet. Information can be known easily by just one tap of a finger on a mouse pad. Thoughts can be seen by everyone in the world. Someone can opt to write about a certain issue then if it is radical enough, the whole world can know it by just one click. That is not to say that this technology is something bad. Think of all good things the internet brought the world. You don’t have to look through a great big library and a whole section of books just to look for the history of a certain location. Everything is so accessible that you can know just about anything in the comfort of your home.

Although this tool gave way to a world where ideas can be shared to many people, this also gave way to a world where plagiarism became an issue. Plagiarism is basically copying another’s work or idea and claiming it is your own work. Just by not sourcing the text where the idea came from is already considered plagiarism. Since there is a great big access to much information, there are great many people who try to use another person’s original idea and say that he/she himself/herself thought of it.

There are times where plagiarism is merely mistake and he/she just forgot to source the person who have thought of the idea. Thus, caution must be practiced for even by just forgetting to properly cite the true owner of the idea is already considered plagiarism. For in lay man’s terms, plagiarism is stealing. Therefore, the only thing that can be said is, be mindful, cite properly and originality is today’s best friend to an easier and fulfilling life.

Image Sources:

<http://www.pyrczak.com/antiplagiarism/cartoons.htm>

<http://www.stjohns.edu/ev_cam_121128ay.event@digest.stjohns.edu%2Fstudent_life%2Fev_cam_121128ay.xml?context_date=11/26/2012>

<http://s612.beta.photobucket.com/user/peacered/media/my%20quotes%20and%20sayings/artful-s-quotes-originality.jpg.html?sort=3&o=38>