Identify two ideas from the passage that challenge the status quo of your country. Do you think these ideas will work in your society?

Two ideas from the passage that challenge the status quo of Singapore are that of Plato’s and Nietzsche.

The first idea is that of Plato’s. Plato proposes that the primary function of the state is to advocate and promote justice. He believes that the state should be just by allowing everyone to follow their own inclinations and talents. He does not encourage the striving for advancement and cut-throat competition in society. This is a stark contrast to Singapore’s meritocratic stance. Singapore advocates meritocracy, where people have to prove their abilities in order to advance in society. With meritocracy, competition is even more intense as people constantly compete to climb up the social ladder. Furthermore, Singapore is a pragmatic country where society favours certain talents that can help enhance Singapore’s economic status in the world. Jobs in the engineering and scientific research field, which can bring in higher revenue and income, may enjoy a slight advantage over a career in the theatre and the arts. As such, some people who have talent in the arts may force themselves to take up a career in the science field, going against their natural inclinations.

If Plato’s theory were adopted in Singapore, upward mobility would no longer be forced amongst people in society. Everyone can follow their inclinations and interests, and face much lesser competition. As a result, Plato’s theory may serve as an antidote to Singaporeans’ hectic and stressful modern lives. However, this is unlikely to work well in Singapore, a small and open economy with no natural resources. If meritocracy was not advocated, and people are allowed to pursue whatever dreams and interests they have, there may be an unequal distribution of talent in each sector. There may also be no incentive for people to work hard since there is no competition to the top. Singapore relies largely on its human resources to compete on the global arena and hence needs to develop talent that can aid in its social and economic development. Plato’s theory would hinder Singapore’s goal towards social and economic progress if the best talent are not developed, and people were simply allowed to pursue their own interests and inclinations.

The second idea is that of Nietzsche. German philosopher Nietzsche advocates and believes in. He feels that there should be equality of capabilities and that one group pursues advantages relative to another. This is in stark contrast to what the Singapore government is doing. The government believes and tries to provide equality of opportunities. In Singapore, individuals are usually not denied of an entry point but how that progress henceforth would depend on how they fare.

Thus Nietzsche’s idea will probably not work in Singapore’s context where meritocracy is much prized and valued as it allows individuals equality on opportunities. Also such a concept is very important in ensuring peace and stability in Singapore due to its multi-racial society. By practicing meritocracy, unhappiness between the different racial groups due to unequal opportunities and discrimination can be avoided. As such, if Nietzsche’s idea were to be implemented in Singapore, there will be much unhappiness between racial groups especially if the people in a certain racial group have better qualifications for education and job opportunities for example.

In addition, being small and lacking in resources, Singapore has to make the most of its few resources. One of these is its people. By ensuring equality of opportunities the Singapore government ensures that the best possible candidates are picked for various tasks and jobs. This in turn ensures that the government makes that most of its human resource. If Nietzsche’s idea were to be taken up, then Singapore’s human resources will not be maximised and this would hinder its development and growth.

Nevertheless, Nietzsche’s idea might work in Singapore as by ensuring equality of capabilities the overly competitive nature of Singaporeans might decrease. This is so as everyone in society is equal and thus there would be no need to compete with each other since everyone will be able to produce the same result. However this would be detrimental to Singapore as Singapore would then lose its competitive edge and fighting spirit to compete with other countries as competition within our society will probably help to increase the rate of development of our efficiency and capabilities.

Inez Foong, Rachel Chin 09S03K