Some of us are perhaps confused regarding the differences between science and technology. These two words are sometimes used together, therefore making it hard to distinguish between them. Science is derived from Latin word scire, meaning “to know.” Science exists because we have a natural curiosity. It is in our nature to be eager to know about cause and effect, mystery and natural order. That is why we develop science to help us understand everything around us. What is causing something, or if this thing had happened, what is the effect? Or, what is going to happen if I do a certain thing. All of these questions are trying to be answered by science. So Science is a systematic study of anything that can be examined, tested, and verified (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006).
To examine, test and verify, scientists have their own tools known as scientific method (you will learn it more deeply when you are asked to conduct scientific research). For example, as a scientist, you are asked to verify the existence of a ghost. Using scientific method, you then end up with the conclusion that a ghost does not exist. Your findings are recorded, you can keep that truth until another scientist conducts research and refutes your theory.
So, science helps us to quench our thirst of knowledge, satisfy our curiosity and finally give us better understanding of the world where we live. In the beginning of its history, science used only to understand our physical world because it can be easily observed and quantified. In today’s modern era, scientists have found that human behavior also can be observed and researched, the findings leading to the birth of sociology (science about society), economy (science about how we produce, consume, distribute goods and service), anthropology (study about aspects of human life and culture) and many other social sciences. There are two types of science, pure science (it is conducted just to satisfy our thirst of knowledge and curiosity), and the other one is applied science (it is a study sponsored by some institution to be put into practice or to gain profit from the findings of the study).
Using science, we now have recorded comprehension about the universe where we live, we know why earth is rotating, how gravitation works, why we are hungry, what is light, what is electricity, how is it works, and finally, we can use this knowledge to help us in our daily activities. We can create many tools and crafts to help us by using the scientific law of nature, for example we can fly the airplane after learning the concept of gravity and air pressure, or to produce the light bulb after learning about electricity. This craftsmanship and ability to develop many kinds of tools and machines to help our live is called technology. Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species’ usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species’ ability to control and adapt to its environment (Wikipedia.org). Science enables us to understand our nature and with that knowledge, help us to develop technologies that enhance our life.
Juan Mahaganti. (MIS Bulletin, September, 2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment