The Human Flourishing in

Science and Technology

 THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN
TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Introduction:
Among the animals on earth, we, humans, identify ourselves as the ones who have higher
intellectual capacity. We have learned that things around us hold potential when combined
with other things or when used in ways that these things are innately inclined to be used.
Through time, passionate search, experiment or even accidental encounter, a lot of things
were discovered, and we are determined to use, produce, and manipulate nature. This lesson
explains briefly the attributes and capacity of man and his role in relation to technology and
to society. It begins with St. Augustine’s idea that human beings were created by God, the
Supreme Good, and that He has endowed us with intellect and the freedom to choose what is
good and ultimately go back to Him. The journey towards God necessitates graces from Him
in order for us, humans, to choose to do and innovate things for each other and for
everyone’s good. This lessons also establishes some philosophical considerations on how
technology can be construed as a tool for higher purposes aside from the usual idea of it
being the provider of more efficient and comfortable ways of achieving and doing things.
(adoniskathleen, 2019 )
THE HUMAN PERSON FLOURISHING IN
TERMS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and being a human activity.
• It has long filled the word. Everyday routines are marked with technological advances that
reflect what a society is good or known for. Technology has well advanced since the middle of
the20th Century especially after the end of World War II. It is not unexpected for technology to
involve question of knowledge which lead to its formation as one of the branches of philosophy.
This also led to the furtherance of technology based on how it is viewed and understood. But
there is more to that.
• 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. To understand the human person flourishing in terms of science and technology, it
is good to first examine technology in its essence.
What is Happiness?
• In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be defined by, among
others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
• To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do something good or positive.
• To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones released in the brain as a reward for
behavior that prolongs survival.
• The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering, the presence of
happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to
maximize happiness, which minimizes misery.
• Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for “good” and “spirit” to describe the ideology.
Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. Eudaimonists do this by challenging
themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people.
Aristotle

→ Aristotle believed that human flourishing requires a life with other people. Aristotle taught that
people acquire virtues through practice and that a set of concrete virtues could lead a person
toward his natural excellence and
→ According to Aristotle, there is an end of all of the actions that we perform which we desire
for itself. This is what is known as eudaimonia, flourishing, or happiness, which is desired for
its own sake with all other things being desired on its account. Eudaimonia is a property of
one’s life when considered as a whole. Flourishing is the highest good of human endeavors and
that toward which all actions aim. It is success as a human being. The best life is one of
excellent human activity.
Eudaimonia

• “good spirited”
• Coined by Aristotle
• Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is attainable by humans.
• “Human flourishing”
• From Nicomachean Ethics (philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life for a human
being.)
- Human Flourishing arises as a result of different components such as

• Phronesis
• Friendship
• Wealth
• Power
• In ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring these will surely bring the seekers
happiness, which in effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of what we call the
Good.
• As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed.
• People found means to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more
products, and make more money.
• Humans of today are expected to become “man of the world”.
• Supposed to situate himself in a global neighborhood, working side by side among
institutions and the government to be able to reach a common goal.
 Principles of Human Flourishing

• Dignity of the Human person – innate personal values or rights which demands respect for
all people, regardless of race, social class, wealth etc.
• Common Good – sacrificing self-interest to provide for the basic human needs of everyone
makes the whole community flourish.
• Preferential Option for the Poor – when decisions are made by first considering the poor.
• Subsidarity – when all those affected by a decision are involved in making it.
• Universal Purpose of Goods – the Earth’s resources serve every person’s needs, regardless of
who “owns” them.
• Stewardship of Creation – duty to care for the Earth as a (God-given) gift is a personal
responsibility for the common good.
• Promotion of Peace – everyone has the duty to respect and collaborate in personal
relationships, and at national and global levels.
• Participation – everyone has the right and the duty to take part in the life
of a society (economic, political, cultural, religious)
• Global Solidarity – recognition that we are all interconnected, part of one
human family.
Different Conceptions of Human Flourishing
Eastern
• Focus is community-centric
• Individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of society
• Chinese Confucian system
• Japanese Bushido
• Encourage studies of literature, sciences, and art for a greater cause
Western
• More focused on the individual
• Human flourishing as an end
• Aristotelian view
• Aims for eudaimonia as the ultimate good
Science, Technology and Human Flourishing

• Every discovery, innovation, and success contribute to our pool of human knowledge.
• Human’s perpetual needs to locate himself in the world by finding proofs to trace
evolution.
• Elicits our idea of self-importance
• Technology is a human activity we excel in as a result of achieving science.
• Good is inherently related to the truth.
SELECTED VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY

- It has been said they there are many views or ways as to how technology is
understood. These philosophies contributed on how technology is understood
and utilized by the society. Some of it will be discussed briefly below.
TECHNOLOGICAL PEMISSIMISM

• This view is extremely supported by French philosopher Jacques Ellul (1912-1994).

• Technological Pessimism holds that technology is progressive and beneficial in many ways, it is
also doubtful in many ways. It is said that technology is a means to an end but this views,
technology has become a way of life. Technique has become a framework which human cannot
escape. It has introduced ways on how to make things easy. Ellul’s pessimistic arguments are:
(1) Technological progress has a price,(2) technological progress creates more problems, (3)
technological progress creates damaging effects, and (4) technological progress creates
unpredictable devastating effects.
• Although Ellul has strongly spoken of his arguments, they are still found to be weak and not
true at all times. Like when he said that technological progress can create more problems than it
solves, he seems to have underestimated the objective decisions a technicians, and other
technological agencies makes regarding the technology where they weigh the good and bad
effects it can have in the society.
TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM

• This view is strongly supported by technologist and engineers and also by

ordinary people who believe that technology can alleviate all the difficulties
and provide solutions for problems that may come. It holds that even though
technological problems may arise, technology will still be the solutions to it.
The extreme version of this philosophy is technocratism which holds
technology as the supreme authority on everything.
EXISTENTIALISM

• The main concern of this view is the existence or the mode of being of someone or
something which is governed by the norm of authenticity. This view basically investigate
the meaning of existence or being and is always faced with the selection must make with
which the existence will commit himself to.
• Martin Heidegger, a philosopher who was briefly introduced in Unit 1is one of the most
known supporters of this philosophy. He did not stop defining what technology is but has
dealt with its essence. To Heidegger, the real essence of technology lies in enframing, the
gathering of the setting upon which challenges man to bring the unconcealed to
unconcealment and this is a continuous revealing. The next section will further discuss the
view of Heidegger that technology is a way of revealing.
MARTIN HEIDEGGER ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Martin Heidegger (1889-1996), a well-known German philosopher, examined the two usual
definitions of technology; means to an end and a human activity, because he believed that this kind
of confusing and there are question 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. To Heidegger, this may not be a false
definition but it is a misleading one because this limits our thinking.
 THE 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. As it is, “a saw mill on a secluded valley of the Black
Forest is a primitive means compared with the hydroelectric plant on the Rhine River”
(Heidegger,1977, p.I). Heidegger also argued that “technology is by no means technological” and
should not be seen as merely neutral. The problem begins when humans see it only as a means to
an end and disregard the fact that there is a good technology and a bad 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 said,” Everything depends on our manipulating technology in the proper manner
as a means. We will, as we say, ‘get’ technology ‘spiritually in hand’. We will master it. The will
to mastery becomes the more urgent the more technology threatens to slip from human control.”
(Heidegger, 1977,p.I) with this, the argued that the problem does not fall on making technology
better but on how man sets upon technology, his thoughts that makes him blind to the real essence
of technology.
• For Heidegger, this correct definition of technology is insufficient as it
does not bring out its real essence. He said, “In order that we may arrive at
this, or at least come close to it, we must seek the true by way of the
correct. We must ask: what is the instrumental itself? Within what do such
things as means and end belong? (1977,p.2) In answering these question,
Heidegger arrived at a discussion of causality which to him in reality
initially involves four ways that leads for something to exist or to be
“caused”.
ARISTOTLE’S FOUR CAUSES
Heidegger further studied Aristotle’s Four causes and illustrated it using a silverchalice
which he said owes its make up from the four causes.
1. Causa materialis or the material cause
• The material by which the silver chalice was made of silver.
2. Causa Formalis or the formal cause
• The form of the shape that gave the silver chalice its image.
3. Causa Finalis or the final caus
• The purpose or the primary use by which the silver chalice was made for to be used during
the Holy Communion as a vessel for the wine that represent the blood of Christ
4. Causa Efficient or the Efficient Cause
• The agent that has caused for the silver chalice to come about: the silversmith.