Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
LEARNING community of individuals, each
OBJECTIVES with a right to pursue his or her
own such efforts.
At the end of this lesson, you should be
able to:
1. Discuss human flourishing in Science
and Technology.
2. Explain De-development as a progress
and development framework.
3. Differentiate between traditional
framework of progress and development
and Hickel’s concept of de-development.
TOPIC
OUTLINE
Lesson: 2 Human Flourishing in Progress
and De-development
OVERVIEW
This lesson tackles human
flourishing in science and technology and
the rise of global consumption based on
Jason Hickel’s de-development
framework.
Flourishing is a
state where people experience
positive emotions, positive
psychological functioning and
positive social functioning, most of
the time living within an optimal
range of human functioning.
Human flourishing on the other
side focus on the effort to achieve
self-actualization and fulfilment
within the context of a larger
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
Human flourishing ___________________
____________
involves the rational use of one’s
individual hum potentialities, 2. How do you think
including talents, abilities and overconsumption puts
virtues in the pursuit of his freely the planet and society at
and rationally chosen values and risk?
goals. Humans are considered as ___________________
both the bearer and beneficiary of ___________________
science and technology. When we ___________________
say bearer – a person or thing that _______________
carries or hold something. Human 3. What are the
flourishes and finds meaning in the manifestations of
world that he/she builds. He may society’s tendency to
unconsciously acquire, consume or overproduce and
destroy what the world has to offer. overconsume?
___________________
___________________
_____
Should middle and high-
Please examine the picture and
income countries regulate their growth and
answer few questions below.
consumption? Why
__________________________________
____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Recent researches found that
around 60’s and 70’s overconsumption
was already witnessed in those middle and
high income generating countries. These
efforts have placed the planet into risk.
scmp.com
Throughout the 1950’s and early
1960’s there was an increased in factory
production and economic prosperity in the
1. Tell something you United States contributed to a major rise
observe in the picture? in the consumer culture dominated also by
___________________ recognizable product brands and icons in
___________________ advertising via mass media. You are tasked
___________________ to watch this video clip of Coca Cola art
https://tinyurl.com/y3k3fadg
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
In the context of unprecedented
scientific and technological advancement
Accord
and economic development human are
ing to BBC
seen flourishing in those developed
Health News,
countries however such flourishing led to
2019 Meat overconsumption of resources in the
production planet. The use of advance scientific and
today is nearly five times higher technological knowledge supports the
than the early 1960’s- from 70 growing consumerism culture of the
million tonnes to more than 330 people to crave and to use more of these
million tonnes in 2017. One of the resources for their enjoyment and
biggest reason for this there are satisfaction.
many more people to feed. The
world population over the period The succeeding paragraph is the
of years double and even tripled.
article of Jason Hickel, an anthropologist
Another key factor in this at the London School of Economics. He
consumption issue is the rise of criticizes the failure of growth and
incomes; people have become development efforts to eradicate poverty
richer showing tripling global seven decades ago.
average in their income in half of
the century. When we compare
Last year, heads of state gathered in
New York to sign the UN’s new sustainable
consumption across different
development goals (SDGs). The main
countries we see that, typically,
objective of the SDGs is to eradicate poverty
the richer we are the more meat
by 2030. Beyoncé, One Direction, Malala
we eat. Therefore, there is a gap
and many other celebrities were contracted
between the rich and the poor for the publicity
countries according to campaign, which was
Organization for Economic billed as the largest in
Cooperation and Development the world. When the
(OECD). SDGs were launched,
it was staged as a
Should we help the world’s poor?
monumental
The United Nation cited its goals of
international celebration. Given all the
reducing the poverty and inequality by
fanfare, one might think the SDGs must
2015 may not be met. The aid is making
offer a fresh plan for how to save the world,
the majority of the poor in developing
but beneath all the hype, it’s business as
countries poorer it is the fault of the rich
usual.
countries that the poor countries become
poorer.
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
The main strategy for eradicating Europeans consume 4.7 hectares – many
times their fair share. What does this mean
poverty is the same as it has always
for our theory of development?
been: GDP growth. Growth has been
Economist Peter Edward argues that instead
the main object of development for the
of pushing poorer countries to “catch up”
past 70 years, despite the fact that it’s
with rich ones, we should be thinking of
not working. Since 1980, the global
ways to get rich countries to “catch down”
economy has grown by 380%, but the
to more appropriate levels of development.
number of people living in poverty on
We should look at societies where people
less than $5 (£3.20) a day has
live long and happy lives at relatively low
increased by more than 1.1 billion.
levels of income and consumption not as
That’s 17 times the population of
basket cases that need to be developed
Britain. So much for the trickle-down
towards Western models, but as exemplars
effect. Orthodox economists insist that
of efficient living.
all we need is yet more growth. More
progressive types tell us that we need How much do we really need in order to
to shift some of the yields of growth live long and happy lives? In the US, life
from the richer segments of the expectancy is 79 years and GDP per capita
population to the poorer ones, evening is $53,000. But many countries have
things out a bit. Neither approach is achieved similar life expectancy with a mere
adequate. Why? Because even at fraction of this income. Cuba has a
current levels of average global comparable life expectancy to the US and
consumption, we’re overshooting our one of the highest literacy rates in the world
planet’s bio-capacity by more than with GDP per capita of only $6,000 and
50% each year. consumption of only 1.9 hectares – right at
the threshold of ecological sustainability.
In other words, growth isn’t an option any Similar claims can be made of Peru,
Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Tunisia.
more – we’ve already grown too much.
Yes, some of the excess income and
Scientists are now telling us that
consumption we see in the rich world yields
we’re blowing past planetary boundaries at
improvements in quality of life that are not
breakneck speed. And the hard truth is that
captured by life expectancy, or even literacy
this global crisis is due almost entirely
rates. But even if we look at measures of
to overconsumption in rich countries. Right
overall happiness and well-being in addition
now, our planet only has enough resources
to life expectancy, a number of low- and
for each of us to consume 1.8 “global
middle-income countries rank highly. Costa
hectares” annually – a standardised unit that
Rica manages to sustain one of the highest
measures resource use and waste. This
happiness indicators and life expectancies in
figure is roughly what the average person in
the world with a per capita income one-
Ghana or Guatemala consumes. By contrast,
fourth that of the US. In light of this,
people in the US and Canada consumes
perhaps we should regard such countries not
about 8 hectares per person, while
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
as underdeveloped, but rather as increasing amounts of stuff, which doesn’t
appropriately developed. And maybe we make anyone happier anyway. What is
need to start calling on rich countries to certain is that GDP as a measure is not going
justify their excesses. The idea of “de- to get us there and we need to get rid of it.
developing” rich countries might prove to be Perhaps we might take a cue from Latin
a strong rallying cry in the Global South, but Americans, who are organising alternative
it will be tricky to sell to Westerners. Tricky, visions around the indigenous concept
but not impossible. According to recent of buen vivir, or good living. The West has
consumer research, 70% of people in its own tradition of reflection on the good
middle- and high-income countries believe life, and it’s time we revived it. Robert and
overconsumption is putting our planet and Edward Skidelsky take us down this road in
society at risk. A similar majority also their book How Much is enough?, where
believe we should strive to buy and own they lay out the possibility of interventions
less, and that doing so would not such as banning advertising, a shorter
compromise our happiness. People sense working week, and a basic income, all of
there is something wrong with the dominant which would improve our lives while
model of economic progress and they are reducing consumption. Either we slow down
hungry for an alternative narrative. The voluntarily, or climate change will do it for
problem is that the pundits promoting this us. We can’t go on ignoring the laws of
kind of transition are using the wrong nature. But rethinking our theory of progress
language. They use terms such as de- is not only an ecological imperative; it is
growth, zero growth or – worst of all – de- also a development one. If we do not act
development, which are technically accurate soon, all our hard-won gains against poverty
but off-putting for anyone who’s not already will evaporate, as food systems collapse and
on board. Such terms are repulsive because mass famine re-emerges to an extent not
they run against the deepest frames we use seen since the 19th century.
to think about human progress, and, indeed, This is not about giving anything up –
the purpose of life itself. It’s like asking
people to stop moving positively thorough at least not anything that’s actually
life, to stop learning, improving, growing. important. And it’s certainly not about living
Negative formulations won’t get us a life of voluntary misery or imposing harsh
anywhere. limits on human potential. On the contrary,
The idea of “steady-state” it’s about reaching a higher level of
economics is a step in the right direction and understanding and consciousness about what
is growing in popularity, but it still doesn’t
we’re doing here and why.
get the framing right. We need to reorient Source: Pls click
ourselves toward a positive future, a truer http://voices.uni-koeln.de/2016-1/forgetdevel
form of progress. One that is geared toward oppoorcountries
quality instead of quantity. One that is more
sophisticated than just accumulating ever-
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
EARNING ______________________________
ACTIVITY 1 _______________________________
______________________________
Reading Comprehension
Task
Direction: After reading Jason Hickel’s
article on the concept of De-development,
answer the following questions in two to
three sentences. 5. According to Jason Hickel our
addiction to economic growth is killing
1. What do you mean by De-development? us what does this mean?
__________________________________
__________________________________ _______________________________
__________________________________ ______________________________
__________________________________ _______________________________
______________________________
2. According to Jason Hickel what is de-
development of rich countries is all
about? LEARNING
ACTIVITY 2
_______________________________
_______________________________ My Personal Consumption Audit
_______________________________
_______________________________ Direction: People believe that the more
they are able to purchase and spend on
many things, the more developed and
3. What are the two indicators of the progressive their lives are. In Jason
quality of life given in the article of Hickel’s article he emphasized that huge
Jason Hickel? consumption does not equate to long and
_______________________________ happy lives. Below you are tasked to
______________________________ accomplish this personal consumption
_______________________________ audit and see if you can possibly reduce or
______________________________ minimize without sacrificing, or even
4. What do you mean by improving the quality of your daily life.
overconsumption is putting our planet
and society at risk?
_______________________________
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
LEARNING
ACTIVITY 3
My Personal Consumption Audit
Product/Food Ave./Daily/weekly/ How Impact of
monthly much this de-
Amount consumed can I developing on Times for DE growth: To save the
reduce my everyday
/do life. planet, we must shrink our economy.
away Protecting our planet starts with you. Suggest
with
simple ways you can do to help protect the
Example: 1 grams daily 3x a By
High week minimizing planet.
Carbohydrate eating
food - chocolates, I
Chocolate can still eat
other foods1._________________________________
that are2.________________________________
nutritious 3.________________________________
such as
vegetable 4.________________________________
and fruits. 5.________________________________
1. 6.________________________________
2.
3.
SUMMARY
4.
5. Technology has made possible what
previously was impossible. Every
discovery, innovation, and success
contributes to our pool of human
knowledge. Technology is a human
activity we excel as a result of science.
There are major indicators of
development. One of these is the Poverty
Level per capita –GDP. The main
objective of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) is to eradicate poverty by
2030.
Module 2- SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY AND THE HUMAN CONDITION
Growth is the standard response to poverty.
According to Jason Hickel "Forget
'developing' poor countries, it's time to 'de-
develop' rich countries." This means that
instead of pushing poor countries to catch up
with rich countries, there is a need to make
the rich countries catch down.
REFERENCES
Quinto et al., (2019). Science, Technology and
Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Patria et al., (2018). Science, Technology and
Society. Rexbookstore Inc.
Websites
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-
1010/post-war-american-art/popart/v/warhol-
coca-cola
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HckWP75yk9g(Jason Hickel de-
development)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0MXP2E09dJQ ( Degrowth Explained)
