by What would be the world today without electricity? What would the world be today without the invention of the computer? Imagine if we, as humans, never evolved out of the hunter and gatherer stage. Our society has changed over
time because of science and technology.
Science, Technology, and Society is also known as STS, “is the study of how society, politics, and culture affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics, and culture.” (Wikipedia). STS is important to our world because the increase in innovation can help us understand more about ourselves and the world around us.
Although, STS has a very special meaning to me. I have grown up with a brother who was diagnosed with Holoprosencephaly when he was born. Most babies born with holoprosencephaly die shortly after being born or live up to 12 months. My older brother is now 29 years old and healthy.
He’s a medical mystery. When my parents had him the doctors told them that he would not live past a few months. When he broke those odds, they told my parents that he would not be able to talk or walk, and basically not be able to function on his own. My brother now can talk, walk, read, write, do math, lives semi-independently, and has a job. For all the odds stacked against my brother, he was able to keep fighting and persevering and broke the odds. Although, that still brings up the question… How is he still with us today?
The answer my parents and I always respond with is, “I don’t know.” We have no explanation for him being here today. Doctors have no answer for us. My brother is an enigma and his life is surrounded by science and technology. Although the science behind him being around today still has not been answered, technology has bettered my brother to extreme extents.
My brother when first born was unable to walk and was stuck in a wheelchair. Through practice, my brother started to become able to walk. He took part in a special program that used music to help kids with disabilities learn to walk. When he was old enough the doctors performed surgery on him to loosen muscles and include metal pieces that helped him move his legs in such a way so he could walk. He wears splints whenever he leaves the house to help him keep balance as he walks.
All these additive accessories and surgeries that help my brother are all thanks to technology. When you look at his life you realize that it has been shaped and formed by the technology and science available for him to use. Like this, there has been technology in all shapes and forms that have helped save lives. For example, the discovery of food allergies which was found around the early 20th century has been addressed despite the progress made with helping people with allergies, although there hasn’t been a certain fix which can remove allergies together. We see the effect of technology, where for certain individuals with allergies, they are able to take a pill that helps them temporarily get over their allergy.
As we look at our lives we sometimes don’t realize how much science and technology have affected our lives. We have saved and killed lives in the process of bettering our science and technology. When we look at our world today and we were to remove the technology given to us we would be lost without it. The reason STS is a study is to analyze the effect that these innovations in technology and discoveries in science have affected our society. Have they affect us positively or negatively, have they changed our world for the better or for the worse. Although, yes there have been many scientific breakthroughs, it is important to recognize that, but it is also important to understand that there is still a long way to go with science and technology, and there is a vast amount of knowledge that humans have no idea about. The idea of STS is that there is always gonna be room for improvement, it is just understanding how these advancements can affect your society.
Bibliography
- “Holoprosencephaly.” Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed December 7, 2020. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/6665/holoprosencephaly/cases/27877.
- MacPhail, Theresa. “Fact, Fad, or Fiction? A Brief History of Early Allergy Science.” Allergy Amulet. Allergy Amulet, December 13, 2016. https://www.allergyamulet.com/blog/2016/12/13/fact-fad-or-fiction-a-brief-history-of-early-allergy-science.
- “Science and Technology Studies.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 1, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_studies.