en.soc | An increasingly dogmatic Singapore?
I just started reading Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil. The preface, opposing dogma and philosophy, made me rethink Singapore's evolving socio-religio-political landscape.
A few observed and narrated events brought my attention to the question of dogmatism in Singapore.
A writer to the Straits Times Forum 15 nov 2005 actually contested the scientificness of the Theory of Evolution and suggested balancing it with Creationism, even though he didn't explicitly state the word. The letter is archived on YawningBread's site.
An agnostic friend of mine had to break up with his Buddhist* girlfriend solely because the "religious master" at the girl's temple judged them to be "incompatible".
A gay muslim friend of mine recently told me he thinks he's probably bi, and he'd want to get married with a family and all, mainly because his dad has been saying "these people (gays) will all go to hell".
Not forgetting the usual superstitious and conservative Chinese heartlander...
I have nothing against religion nor traditions. I think it is good for people to have a spiritual greater being to look up to, or to not forget their roots.
But have these Singaporeans, all university-educated (the Creationist guy has a doctorate), actually tried doubting, not the entire religion as a whole, but these minute details that some other mortal tell them as being the absolute truth?
Why is it that as Singaporeans become more educated, we seem to be still as, if not more, dogmatic as before?
Is it the education system and socio-political climate that are dogmatic themselves, i.e. the what-we-say-is-right-you-shall-ask-no-questions attitude?
Is it the excessive stress on our ancestral origines, that we no longer can distinguish between dogma and tradition?
Or are the educated and elite in Singapore becoming more and more like the American neo-con?
What ever the causes, this increasing polarisation and dogmatisation of Singapore is extremely dangerous.
Singapore cannot expect to be innovative in sciences when her people are not even able to question irrational "truths". It is not about "creative thinking" or "thinking out of the box", but simply being heretic.
* I suspect she might not be Buddhist, but rather Taoist. Such dogmatic behaviour does not seem to come from real Buddhism.
A few observed and narrated events brought my attention to the question of dogmatism in Singapore.
A writer to the Straits Times Forum 15 nov 2005 actually contested the scientificness of the Theory of Evolution and suggested balancing it with Creationism, even though he didn't explicitly state the word. The letter is archived on YawningBread's site.
An agnostic friend of mine had to break up with his Buddhist* girlfriend solely because the "religious master" at the girl's temple judged them to be "incompatible".
A gay muslim friend of mine recently told me he thinks he's probably bi, and he'd want to get married with a family and all, mainly because his dad has been saying "these people (gays) will all go to hell".
Not forgetting the usual superstitious and conservative Chinese heartlander...
I have nothing against religion nor traditions. I think it is good for people to have a spiritual greater being to look up to, or to not forget their roots.
But have these Singaporeans, all university-educated (the Creationist guy has a doctorate), actually tried doubting, not the entire religion as a whole, but these minute details that some other mortal tell them as being the absolute truth?
Why is it that as Singaporeans become more educated, we seem to be still as, if not more, dogmatic as before?
Is it the education system and socio-political climate that are dogmatic themselves, i.e. the what-we-say-is-right-you-shall-ask-no-questions attitude?
Is it the excessive stress on our ancestral origines, that we no longer can distinguish between dogma and tradition?
Or are the educated and elite in Singapore becoming more and more like the American neo-con?
What ever the causes, this increasing polarisation and dogmatisation of Singapore is extremely dangerous.
Singapore cannot expect to be innovative in sciences when her people are not even able to question irrational "truths". It is not about "creative thinking" or "thinking out of the box", but simply being heretic.
* I suspect she might not be Buddhist, but rather Taoist. Such dogmatic behaviour does not seem to come from real Buddhism.
posted by quzy at
16:47
4 Comments:
oooohh!! i feel so honoured to be quoted in your blog! hehe! inevitably, I think i'm heading to hell! :S confused-confusion
By
Anonymous, at 24 December, 2005 15:06
Hi there, I surfed on the recommendations of From a Singapore Angle and I couldn't resist a fellow Nietzsche reader's comments.
It is not clear to me on what grounds are you saying that American neo-conservatives have an influence on "the educated and elite lot"? Btw, the term "neocon" is itself nebulous at best. It seems like you are referring more to the Intelligent Design crazies and the religious far right than the "Bush doctrine" people who are supposedly the cohesive group that initiated the 2003 Iraq war.
I have a partial answer for one of your questions: the practice and doctrine of meritocracy.
By
Elia Diodati, at 08 January, 2006 05:54
elia diotati,
To clarify, I didn't SAY that American neo-conservatives have an influence on the educated and elite lot. I ASKED it, as an expression of doubt, or even fear.
But thanks to your comment, I've decided to rephrase that line, to : Or are the educated and elite in Singapore becoming more and more like the American neo-con?
Frankly I do not know. I do not have full understanding of neither the American neo-cons, nor the Singapore elite. I've to admit that my use of the term "neocon" was not well weighted. Until now, I've spent 6 years living in France, and two weeks holidaying in US). So my understanding of the USA is surely inadequate, and probably biased due to European infleunce.
The "American neo-con" I'm refering to includes both the religious far-right and the "Bush doctrine" people who, I believe, to a great extent, are the same people.
My post was about dogma. What I wanted to highlight was the dogmatic ways of this particular population of the US who sees things in black/white, right/wrong, good/bad, natural/unnatural; and most importantly, does not accept the questioning of their perceived "truths". Eg.: Against the war = unpatrotic. Do correct me if I'm wrong.
Admittedly, I chose the term "neo-con America" for its impact, to illustrate the potentially disastrous consequence of an increasingly dogmatic Singapore, especially among the educated and elite.
By
quzy, at 09 January, 2006 04:13
Enjoyed a lot! Superman motorcycle jackets
By
Anonymous, at 21 February, 2007 09:10
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