One of the most often asked questions in the contemporary world is ‘What is the meaning of science and technology?’ Man is innovative in nature. The ability of man to create and change the shape of that which he has created is what sets him apart from other organisms. Science is the approach to study that emphasized the use of empirical evidence to come up with new ideas. As one of the branches of knowledge, it sets out to find out more on the nature of the physical world. Through practical analysis of phenomena, scientists have come up with solutions to many problems that have plagued mankind for many years.
The first step in scientific undertaking is coming up with a problem. Once a problem has been identified, there has to be dependent and independent variables that guide the researcher in formulating a hypothesis that will help him to come up with the most accurate results. A hypothesis is a tentative statement assumes that one of the two possible outcomes will happen. The researcher can choose to adopt any of the possible outcomes as his hypothesis. This is the foundation that led to the discovery of cures for many diseases that initially used to kill millions annually such as malaria.
The scientific approach to research is responsible for development of technology. Technology is the ability for man to make tasks easier to perform through a highly sets of scientific applications which build on interrelatedness of many basic principles. Machines are synonymously used with the concept of technology. Yet the contemporary use of the word presumes things like computers and mobile phones. It is true that technology these days must be viewed in terms of the changes brought into the existing communication systems through the computer. The electronics industry has grown a lot within a short span of time. Science has contributed largely to this since it is through continued research that new machines are being unveiled.
When trying to answer the question ‘What is the meaning of science and technology?’ we have to view science as the study of the natural world while technology has to be viewed as the study of how to manipulate the natural world in order to suit man. This relationship is best understood through Science and Technologies Studies (STS). Being a scientific discipline, this study highlights the relationship between these two areas of study and how they affect the cultural, scientific, political and social set-up of world’s communities. The amount of information that is coming out of scientific enquiries is overwhelming. It is surprising how universities have succeeded in harmonizing the large body of research data that comes from research institutions fro around the world.
To differentiate between scientific enquiries from the artistic ones, there is need to look into the nature of truth. Science has no room for that which is taken to be true or false on the power of belief. This is the best way in which we can answer the question ‘What is the meaning of science and technology?’ There has to be a way of verifying the truth or falsity of any phenomenon. This is called the verification principle. There must be truth conditions which in practical terms are variables. If a statement cannot be proven to true or false, it is without sense and is not good for science and technology.