• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.3 no.1 s.5
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• pp.1-17
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• 2003

Though science and technology can understood as a part of cultural system, the relationship of science/technology with culture is often viewed as contradictory or mutually exclusive by many scholars. Therefore, in the first section of the present paper, the nature of science and technology as a cultural form is examined. Here, science is viewed as a form of symbolic culture, while technology is regarded as a form of instrumental culture. In the second section, the contradictory relationship and/or tensions between science-technological system (instrumental culture) and cultural system (symbolic culture) within a society is discussed. In the final section of this paper, 'science culture' is conceptualized as a dynamic social process in which contradictory science sub-cultures of political system(state), economic system(cooperations), civil society (including academic community of scientists and other social organizations and movements), and cultural system are supposed to be coordinated. In conclusion, establishment of 'humanized science culture' and 'democratic science-culture movement' is proposed as an alternative way of resolving contradictory relationship between cultural system and science-technological system in the modern world.