TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF REVEALING Human Condition Before Common Era
Our early ancestor’s primal need to
Comparing the lives of the people survive paved way for the invention of
before and now will make anyone several developments.
realize the changes that happened in
society not just in terms of culture, Time Line of Stone Age
language, or rights but more Paleolithic or Old Stone Age
importantly, changes in people’s way Used stones for hunting
of life due to the existence of science Used tree branches, leaves, and
and technology. stones to make shelter for living
Even before, people are already Ate plants and meat, gathered berries.
fascinated with science and They may have eaten flesh of dead
technology. This fascination led to animals left behind by other larger
numerous magnificent inventions that predators
people in the present are able to enjoy Used fire by rubbing stones together
and benefit from. Through science and roasted meat.
and technology, people get to
experience what it really means to live Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age
because it helps people in more ways Started to sharpen their stone tool for
than one. People who lived in the past hunting and looked for stones (such
and people who are living in the as flint) that was harder and could be
present all have different views of sharpened easily
what it means to flourish, primarily due Started to settle in one place but still
to the kind of environment and the remain hunter and gatherer of meat,
period one is in. fish, berries, nuts and fruits.
Neolithic or New Stone Age
Ardipithecus Group Group of hunters learned about
agriculture. At first, they collected wild
The earliest humans are our closest crops and domesticated wild animals
link to other primates. They evolved in By 10,000 years ago they started to
Africa and took the first steps toward produce grains, fruits and vegetables
walking upright. from seeds
Australopithecus Group They made plow out of antlers, stones
and wood and started to cultivate the
Species in this group of early humans land with the help of herded animals
walk upright on a regular basis, but They used stone mortars and pestles
they still climb trees too. to grind cereals and grains.
Paranthropus Group
Large teeth and powerful jaws
enabled this group of early humans to
feed on a variety of foods.
Homo Group Tools
Like modern humans, other species in Three bone needles (Xiaogushan,
this group had large brains and used China)
tools. Members of this group were the Handaxe from Bose, China about
first to expand beyond Africa. 803,000 years old
Stone core and flake from Lokalalei, Skills were compensated (Artisans)
Kenya about 2,3 million years old Medicine
Boxgrove horse scapula with spear Wars were waged
puncture hole
How Do We Know This Zebra Was Notable comparisons then and now:
Food? Scanning electron micrograph Mortality rate
image of cut marks on fossil bone Average lifespan
Cooking (flint stone) Hunting (knife, Literacy rate
spear, hammer, axe) Scavenge Gross Domestic Product (GDP
Body Adornment The Essence of Technology
Jewelries and amulets Martin Heidegger
Venus Figurines A means to achieve man’s end
That which constitute human activity
The most common material used to It paints technology in such a way that
carve venus figurines is mammoth each period reveals a particular
tusk. character regarding man’s being. A
characteristic design, or flaw, unfolds
Religion based on the repercussions brought
Sun upon by immersing ourselves with a
Mountain god piece of new technology
Water god Technology allows humans to confront
the unknown and see how they would
Human Condition in the Common Era react.
In the name of growth, we view the
Earliest case of man-made extinction
world as a field of resources, vent on
occurred over 12,000 years ago,
attributing monetary value on
possibly brought about by hunting and
seemingly priceless entities.
territorial disputes. Driven by their
Humans are reduced into the amount
primal need to survive and gaining the
of productivity they are able to render
upper hand in terms of development
during their lifetime, and our current
and adaptability, humans were quick
mindset is geared toward which will
to find ways to drive off other
utilize our own skills. A good life is one
megafaunas threatening a prospective
which is practical in essence; a life
hunting spot and eventually settling
which makes use of our labor and
grounds. And overfishing common
which we get compensated fairly upon
prey. Growing population also
Since humans appear not to really
necessitated finding additional
resources, leading to overhunting know what they are seeking for, the
search continues. It is a looming fear,
however, that the path we are treading
will not take us to the right direction,
leading us in endless circles instead in
Human Condition in the Common Era our pursuit of the good life.
Formation of communities Backtracking the Human Condition
Trade emerged
Scientific Breakthroughs
Cross-cultural interaction
Improved lifestyles
Hunting
Machineries aid in prolonging lives
Animal domestication
Efficiency in industrial workplace
Farming
Exploring the universe
greatest number of people- John
Science and Religion Stuart Mill
A lot of people still subscribe to
religion in explaining things that they Schools of Thought
do not know Materialism
When Science meets Soul is a tradition of thought in which all
Virtues and their role in achieving the things that exist are made up of
good life. -Aristotle matter in some way. To update this
Technological advancement is theory, it might be restated that all
seemingly occurring in a rapid pace existence is made up of energy in
that our morality cannot quite keep up some form. Matter is a form of energy.
All things that exist are made of
energy. There are no non-physical or
non-material existents- Democritus
THE GOOD LIFE In terms of human flourishing, matter
is what makes us attain happiness.
We see this at work with most people
Plato who are clinging on material wealth as
Man must seek to understand himself the primary source of the meaning of
Two aspects of realities: the world of their existence
forms and the world of matter Hedonism
Aristotle The word hedonism comes from the
“Truth” is the aim of theoretical ancient Greek word for ‘pleasure’.
sciences, the “good” is the end goal of Psychological or motivational
practical ones hedonism claims that only pleasure or
One must find the truth about what the pain motivates us. Ethical or
good is before one can even try to evaluative hedonism claims that only
locate that which is good pleasure has worth or value and only
There is no reality over the above plain or displeasure has disvalue or
what the senses can perceive. the opposite of worth
The end goal of life is acquiring
Aristotle and how we aspire for a good life pleasure. Life is about obtaining and
indulging in pleasure because life is
Aristotle claims that happiness is the limited- Epicurus
be all and end all of everything that
we do. We may not realize it but the Stoicism
end goal of everything we do is
happiness. Aristotle actually mean is To generate happiness, one must
human flourishing, a kind of learn to distance oneself and be
contentment in knowing that one is apathetic “to be indifferent”
getting the best out of life. A kind of Happiness can only be attained by a
feeling that one has maxed out his careful practice of apathy, some things
potentials in the world that he has in this world are not within our control.
attained the crux of his humanity. The sooner we realize this, the
happier we can become - Epicurus
The Greatest Happiness Principle
Theism
An action is right as it maximizes the
attainment of happiness for the
- Most people find the meaning of their
lives using God as the fulcrum of their
existence.
- The ultimate basis of happiness is the
communication with God
- The world we are in is only just a
temporary reality where we must
maneuver around while waiting for the
ultimate return to the hands of God
Humanism
- Espouses the freedom of man to
carve his own destiny and to legislate
his own laws, free from the shackles
of a God that monitors and controls
- Man is the captain of his own ship
- This is the spirit of most scientists who
thought that the world is a place and
space for freely unearthing the world
in seeking for ways on how to improve
the lives of it inhabitants
