HUMAN FLOURISHING

AND SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
Subject:
Science, Technology, and Society

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 INTRODUCTION
best captured by
Concept of Human Flourishing Eudaimonia

Pinnacle of Contented state of being Well-lived life (ideal

happiness happy, healthy, and prosperous emotional state)
(by
Aristotle)

Excellence of any
kind

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE
Eudaimonia is composed of the following
1. Good judgment (prudence)
2. Wealth
3. Friendship
4. Power
5. Comfort
NOTE: The Greeks believed that acquiring the qualities above will surely
bring the seekers happiness.
Aristotle believes that worldly conditions are important in
attaining eudaimonia.
Aristotle also believes that any person living a life of virtue will
not be happy if faced with predicament.
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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO Socrates
Eudaimonia can be achieved by living a life of virtue.
What are examples of virtues?
1. Honesty
2. Courage
3. Compassion
4. Generosity
5. Fidelity

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO Socrates
Eudaimonia can be achieved by living a life of virtue.
What are examples of virtues?
6. integrity
7. Fairness
8. Self-control
9. Prudence

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
PAUSE….
What is the difference between Aristotle’s view and
Socrates view on eudaimonia?

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Eudaimonia is achieved by having knowledge of God.
Old Testament
- shalom
- Shalom means inward completeness and tranquility
(peace) through God
New Testament
- Beatitudes (blissful, happy, and fortunate)

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Carol Ryff (1995)
- Psychology professor
- Proposed the components of well-being (Eudaimonia)

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 HUMAN FLOURISHING
ACCORDING TO SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Do you have all the components?

Ryff’s Model of Psychological Well-being

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 BENEFITS OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY TO HUMAN
FLOURISHING
1. Improved communication
2. Safer management of money
3. Fast and easy data retrieval
4. Easier access to education
5. Improved health management
6. Improved quality of life
Can you cite other benefits of science and technology?

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 DISADVANTAGES OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY TO HUMAN
FLOURISHING
1. Invasion of privacy
2. Creation of weapons of mass destruction
3. Pollution
4. We have allowed science to master us instead of
using it as our servant. In what way?
5. Machines have given man leisure, but man misuses it
to get cheap and vulgar entertainment which
destroys his physical and mental health.
6. Machines have led to unemployment.

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THE GOOD LIFE

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 WHAT IS A GOOD LIFE?
A good life is a:
1. Condition in which a person will be the most
happy
2. State in which a person exhibits total virtue

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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
ARISTOTLE AND HOW WE ALL ASPIRE FOR A GOOD LIFE
Aristotle said the following:
1. Every human person aspires for an end, which is happiness
or human flourishing.
2. The Good Life is happiness.
3. Everyone wants to be happy.
4. Happiness is the BE ALL AND END ALL OF EVERYTHING THAT
WE DO.
5. Happiness is human flourishing, a kind of contentment in
knowing that one is getting the best out of life. It is a kind of
feeling that one has maxed out his potentials in the world,
that he has attained the crux of his humanity.
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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
JOHN STUART MILL AND GREATEST HAPPINESS PRICIPLE
1. JOHN STUART MILL believes that an action is right if it
provides happiness for the greatest number of people.
2. An act is ethical if it provides happiness for the
greatest number of people.
3. The ethical is meant to lead us to the good and happy
life (human flourishing).

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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
DEMOCRITUS AND LEUCIPPUS MATERIALISM
1. They believed that the world is made up of and is
controlled by the tiny invisible units in the world called
atomos/seeds.
2. They believe that the world is made up of matter.
Thus, only material entities matter.
3. In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes
us attain happiness.
4. Materialism claims that material wealth is the primary
source of the meaning of existence.
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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
EPICURUS AND HEDONISM
1. The end goal of life is to acquire pleasure.
2. Life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure
because life is limited.
3. This philosophy has this mantra: “EAT, DRINK AND BE
MERRY FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.”
4. This philosophy does not buy any notion of the
afterlife just like the materialists.

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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
EPICURUS AND STOICISM
1. This philosophy believes that one must learn to distance
one’s self and be apathetic (to be indifferent).
2. For stoics, happiness can only be attained by a careful
practice of apathy (indifference). This supports the fact
that some things are not within out control. The sooner we
realize this, the happier we can become.
3. The philosophy supports this mantra: “AMOR FATI (LOVE
OF FATE).” It is used to describe an attitude in which one
sees everything that happens in one’s life (including
suffering and loss) as good and necessary.
NOTE: Please watch a video in YouTube about stoicism.
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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
THEISM
1. The ultimate basis of happiness is communion with
God (the Supreme Being).
2. They believe in the existence of heaven.
3. The world is just temporary and everyone will
eventually return to the hands of God.

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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
HUMANISM
1. It espouses the freedom of man to carve his own destiny and to legislate
his own laws, free from the restraints from God who monitors and
controls.
2. For humanists, man is literally the captain of his own ship.
3. Humanists see themselves not merely as stewards of the creation but as
individuals who are in control of themselves and the world outside them.
4. This is the attitude followed by scientists. As a result of the ideas of
humanism, scientists turn to technology to ease the difficulty of life.
Consider the examples below:
a. Invention of smartphones
b. Emergence of the social media
c. Emergence of internet
d. Emergence of electronic mail
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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
HUMANISM
5. Technology can allow people to distort sexuality. For
instance, biologically male individuals can now undergo
medical operation to change their sexual reassignment.
Breast implants are now available and can be done If
somebody wishes. Hormones can also be injected to
change the sexual chemicals of the body.
6. Whether or not we agree with these technological
advancements, these are all undertaken in the hopes of
attaining the good lifer. The balance between the good
life, ethics, and technology must be attained.
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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
MINIMALISM: FREEDOM FROM THE PASSION TO
POSSESS
1. It is a philosophy in which one is living more with less.
2. For minimalists, the philosophy is about getting rid of
excess stuff and living life based on experiences rather
than worldly possession.
What are the benefits of minimalism?
NOTE: Watch a video in YouTube about minimalism.

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 A GOOD LIFE FROM
VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
PREFERENCE THEORY
A person’s good is what one wants most for himself or
herself. For instance, some people prefer material wealth
over fame or a good reputation.

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 IMPORANCE OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
1. It makes life easier and more convenient.
2. It brings pleasure and happiness to people.
3. It is instrumental in curing diseases.

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 ETHICAL DILEMMA FACED BY
THESE TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENTS
1. They make children lazy and dependent on technologies.
2. They make people unhealthy.
3. People easily get annoyed if they get disturbed in their use of
the technologies.
4. People suffer from alienation because they no longer have time
to mingle with people.
5. Moral dilemma – for instance, children are not yet capable of
deciding what is right or wrong, and yet they are exposed to
different things on TV, mobile phones, laptops, and computers.
In addition, children can easily access various websites without
restrictions. This scenario makes them vulnerable to character
change and can easily affect the way they view the world and
the things around them.
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 ROBOTICS AND
HUMANITY
Definition of a Robot (as defined by the International Federation
of Robotics [IFR])
1. A robot is an actuated mechanism programmable in 2 or more
axes with a degree of autonomy, moving within its
environment, to perform intended tasks. Autonomy means to
perform intended task without human intervention.

2. A service robot is a robot that performs useful tasks for humans

or equipment excluding industrial automation application.

3. A robot may be classified according to its intended application

as an industrial robot (used in industries) or a service robot.

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 ROBOTICS AND
HUMANITY
Definition of a Robot (as defined by the International Federation of
Robotics [IFR])
4. A personal service robot is a service robot used for non-commercial
task, usually by laypersons.
Examples: domestic servant robot, automated wheelchair, personal
mobility assist robot, and pet exercising robot
5. A professional service robot (service robot for professional use) is a
service robot used for commercial tasks, usually operated by a
properly trained operator.
Examples: cleaning robot for public places, delivery robot in offices or
hospitals, fire-fighting robot, rehabilitation robot, and surgery robot
in hospitals.
NOTE: the operator is a person designated to start, monitor, and stop
the intended operation of a robot or a robot system.
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 ROBOTICS AND
HUMANITY
Definition of a Robot (as defined by the International
Federation of Robotics [IFR])
6. Germany was one of the countries to develop service
robots. It made a robot called Desire, which was
launched on October 1, 2005. Some of the expected
works to be performed by the DESIRE are the
following:
6.1. To clean up the kitchen table
6.2. To fill the dishwasher
6.3. To clear up this room

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 ETHICAL DELLIMAS OF
ROBOTICS
1. Injury
2. Invasion of privacy
3. Job displacement

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 ETHICAL DELLIMAS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
What is Social Media?
The term social media refers to web and mobile
technologies and practices that people use to share
content, opinions , insights, experiences, and
perspective online. There are many prominent
examples of social media platforms:
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. YouTube
4. LinkedIn
5. Blogging sites among many others
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 ETHICAL DELLIMAS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
1. Cyber Bullying
2. Stranger Danger
3. Scam
3. Digital Footprint
-Trail, traces or "footprints" that people leave online

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 GENERAL INTERNET
SAFETY
1. Be nice. Never post hurtful messages about others.
2. Think twice before clicking. Teens should avoid
posting specific locations of parties or events, as well
as phone numbers.
3. Use privacy settings. Passwords are there to protect
them against things like identity theft and should
never be shared with anyone.
4. Evaluate the pieces of information in the net.
5. Don’t share private information as it may be used
against you.
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 ASSESSMENT
1. Define eudaimonia
2. What are the components of eudaimonia according to Aristotle.
3. What is the difference between Aristotle’s view and Socrates view on
eudaimonia?
4. What are the components of eudaimonia according to socio-
psychological perspective?
5. In your own words, cite 5 advantages of technology.
6. In your own words, cite 5 disadvantages of technology.
7. Discuss the Good Life from various perspectives.
8. In your own words, discuss the ethical dilemmas faced by these
technological advancements.
9. In your own words, discuss the ethical dilemmas faced by robotics.
10.. In your own words, discuss 5 advantages and disadvantages of the
social media.
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Thank you!

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