Sts - Science, Technology And Society

THE GOOD LIFE AND HUMAN FLOURISHING

REPORTERS:

Alvarez, Harvey Cuartel, Nyrico Cajucom, Elionore Dagdagan, Patrick Camano, Crissanta Escarlan, Ace Linda, Francis Nablo, Marichael Timbreza, Fitzjerald

OBJECTIVES:: o Examine shared concerns that makes up the good life in order to come up with innovative, creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical standards. o Analyze the human condition in order to deeply express philosophical ramifications as a part of society; and o Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology so that the student can define for himself/herself the meaning of good life.

ARISTOTLE AND HOW ALL ASPIRE FOR A GOOD LIFE

Aristotle: A Little Background • Aristotle is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of western science and philosophy, making contributions to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and theatre. • According to Aristotle, this view of education is necessary if we are to produce a society of happy as well as productive individuals. • Some of his most notable works include Nichomachean Ethics, Politics, Metaphysics, Poetics and Prior Analytics.

• Aristotle’s views on living well begin with a consideration of ends and means. • Such considerations led Aristotle to wonder whether there is any final or ultimate end. In short, he wanted to know if there is an ultimate end, goal, or purpose for human life. • the final end of human life is to flourish, to live well, to have a good life.

• Aristotle states that the good life consists in the possession, over the course of a lifetime, of all those things that are really good for us. • Summary – The end, goal, purpose (or meaning) of human life is to live well. We do this by accumulating, over the course of our lives, all the real goods that correspond to our natural needs; and we increase our chances of having good lives by cultivating good habits. In addition, we also need good luck.

HAPPINESS AS A GOAL OF A GOOD LIFE

...the function of man is to live a certain kind of life, and this activity implies a rational principle, and the function of a good man is the good and noble performance of these, and if any action is well performed it is performed in accord with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, then happiness turns out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. (Nicomachean Ethics)

He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life. (Nicomachean Ethics, 1101a10)

In conclusion, according to Aristotle, what is happiness? • Happiness is the ultimate end and purpose of human existence • Happiness is not pleasure, nor is it virtue. It is the exercise of virtue. • Happiness cannot be achieved until the end of one's life. Hence it is a goal and not a temporary state. • Happiness is the perfection of human nature. Since man is a rational animal, human happiness depends on the exercise of his reason. • Happiness depends on acquiring a moral character, where one displays the virtues of courage, generosity, justice, friendship, and citizenship in one's life. These virtues involve striking a balance or "mean" between an excess and a deficiency. • Happiness requires intellectual contemplation, for this is the ultimate realization of our rational capacities.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN FLOURISHING

In science The Science of Human Flourishing' is a bold and ambitious new project, bringing together leaders in the fields of science, technology and theology to examine some of the key elements that contribute to human flourishing. Science is taken in the broader sense of scientia, which encompasses the whole range of human knowledge. Unlike a standard research grant, this proposal deliberately spans a number of disciplines and seeks, in line with Sir John Templeton's donor intent, to gain new scientific and spiritual information that will enable human flourishing or, as he himself put it, "a better way of life for all humanity".

The project is based around three crucial aspects of human flourishing that are both related and overlapping: the quest for new purposive and future-minded understanding of the world, the recognition of the open-ended nature of spiritual enquiry, and the promotion of positive character virtues. The research sub-projects each seek to examine one or more of these aspects of human flourishing across a whole range of sciences (in the broad sense of the term) including the structure of the physical world in which we live, the nature of human identity and human mystical experiences, character formation in adverse circumstances, the relationship between ancient scriptures and modern scientific knowledge, and the notion of purpose in biology. The academic research is combined with plans for dissemination of the new spiritual information that will be generated, thus forming an integrated and comprehensive examination of science and human flourishing. The whole project is centred on The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, which acts as a hub to coordinate, integrate and disseminate the research being carried out.

In technology Our current historical moment demands the very best from us individually and collectively precisely because technology is accelerating our cultural rhythms, disrupting our social systems, and amplifying our impact on ourselves, each other, and the world around us. New insights from the science of wellbeing offer a framework for guiding our efforts in utilizing existing tech, designing and creating new tech, and finding the balance between living fully plugged-in and/or radically tech-free. Enhancing technology as a force for positive individual and collective development necessitates investigating the nature of technology, assessing how it impacts our wellbeing, and deploying it with the proactive intention for enhancing human flourishing. Without this, the risks associated with unexamined usage of technology increase exponentially. Alternatively, thoughtful exploration emerges the possibility of technology as a prime driver of human flourishing on a mass scale.

The science of human flourishing Scientific progress on the positive side of human functioning lags woefully behind strides on the negative side of health assessment, treatment and research. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. Growing empirical research has documented the remarkable capacity of some individuals, from early life through old age, to thrive in the face of life's challenges and setbacks

TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF REVEALING

Martin Heidegger’s work on technology is explored from the point of view of the ‘essence’ of technology as a revealing. Discussion of a wider understanding of poiēsis, including physis. Poiēsis with respect to technē. Description of technology as a way of revealing, in the sense of truth as unconcealment. How human beings find themselves uprooted from the earth by the technology as a way of revealing. Furthermore, an explanation of why Heidegger is not “against” technology per se. Heidegger is rather concerned with its essence, and not technology as such. Additionally, an explanation of Heidegger’s ideas of the relationship between technology and science. Also, Heidegger’s famous comment that “Science doesn’t think” comes up in this context. Introduction of “the happening” (Ereignis).

Personal reflections on the contemporary state of technology, e.g. artificial intelligence and robotics. Dismissal of pessimism and neo-Luddite positions in the face of the challenges to technology, as ways of rooted in literal / subject-object ways of thinking. How Heidegger points toward the need for thinking in a participatory sense. Hope for the present time, because we now recognize the uprooting effect of technology. This recognition provides an occasion for thinking, and therefore, for the “happening” that may reveal more about our relationship to Being. This episode draws on Heidegger’s essay The Question Concerning Technology / Die Frage nach der Technik. It also includes a look at some especially relevant interviews with Heidegger in which technology comes up. These include the famous 1966 interview with Der Spiegel (published first in 1976 on Heidegger’s death) and then also a 1969 interview with ZDF television on the occasion of Heidegger’s 80th birthday.