Brief overview/Summary:
Session 2A:
- Prof Shahi started the class by asking what is the difference between innovation and invention! This really got the class going by throwing out 'definitions' or what we think about the subject matter.
- We also begin started discussing which countries are dominance in a particular aspect, for example, social dominance would be Korea and culture dominance would be America.
- We discussed how some countries flourished and why some remained stagnant, basically the rising/falling star mentality! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period
Session 2B:
- We discussed that while there are positive developments in technology and increase economic well-being in the country, they could bring about negative environmental damages to society.
- How do we maximize a human's potential? Human development index was introduced to me.
Interesting observations and Ideas:
Economic:
- One interesting thought that came to my mind is that Singapore being relatively young and we are considered to be quite well economically developed. Could Singapore eventually adopt a falling star mindset and close ourselves out from the world? Some might argue that Singapore would never close ourselves to free trade as we rely heavily on them. However, people tend to neglect the political agendas of other countries. Are we progressing at the expense of others? If so. Could other countries eventually refuse to conduct 'free-trade' with us? What will happen to our economy then!
Social:
- My classmate brought up about how America has culture dominance now. With American culture being the singularity among the world, it brings about culture erosion and some cultures might be overlooked and eventually lost. This statement really piqued my interest as Singapore being a melting pot of culture, how then do we sustain our 'culture'. I personally feel that Singapore's culture is distinct, unique and unseen in the past cultures. We are so globalized and welcoming that we've developed our own concoction of "kiasu-ness" and "kiasi-ness" , we are so afraid to lose out that we are constantly hungry for knowledge and learning from our neighbours as well as past case studies. Singapore's culture will be amplified in years to come with the increase of globalization.
- Another interesting topic that was discussed would be the Gross National Happiness Index. Instead of using the GDP to indicate if the country is growing, Bhutan used the GNH. While using the GDP has it benefits, it has caused Singapore to become extremely competitive and the nation's people may not necessary be happier due to the increase in economic wealth! It will be interesting if Singapore could actually achieve both GNH and GDP growth, certainly its not a zero sum game right?
Political:
- We looked at China and Japan as case studies and realized that economic growth is tied to political decisions. Decisions made by the country's leader could affect their economic growth for years to come. The falling star mentality adopted by China's leaders stopped them in their tracks and they had to struggle with economic growth for years! Is Singapore's leaders capable of making sensible and calculated decisions for the overall benefits of Singaporeans?
Key Takeaways:
- There is a balance between culture-social-political-economic advances.
- A closed mindset precedes the decline of a country.
Issues for further discussions:
- Has technology caused the decline of a country?
- How has technology helped certain developing country?
Personal Rating:
- I would give this lesson a rating of 8!
No comments:
Post a Comment