“Technique has penetrated the deepest recesses of the human being. The machine tends not only to create a new human environment, but also to modify man’s very essence. The milieu in which he lives is no longer his. He must adapt himself, as though the world were new, to a universe for which he was not created.
Read More >Muhammed Shahril Shaik Abdullah
The Dialectics of Digitalisation
“A specter is stalking in our midst whom only a few see with clarity. It is not the old ghost of communism or fascism. It is a new specter: a completely mechanized society, devoted to maximal material output and consumption, directed by computers; and in this social process, man himself is being transformed into a part of the total machine, well fed and entertained, yet passive, unalive, and with little feeling.”
— Erich Fromm1
Breaking The Chains That B(l)ind Us All
When the positive COVID-19 cases spiked in March, Singapore had to undergo a circuit breaker period during which all schools were closed and students shifted to full home-based learning (HBL). On April 18, The Straits Times published a report[1] that showed how the move to HBL has exposed inequality in Singapore as it impacted families in unequal ways.
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Let’s Talk about Our Prejudice against Children
In a news article published on 21 May 2017 1, it was reported that there has been a spike in the number of child abuse cases in Singapore. According to the report, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) probed a total of 873 child abuse cases in 2016, an almost 60 per cent increase from the 551 cases in 2015.
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The Perceived Disconnect Between Young Malay/Muslim Professionals and Community Affairs
The Malay/Muslim community in Singapore is known to have a bulging youth population. It is thus understandable for community leaders to express concern if Malay/Muslim youths, particularly young professionals, are showing, or perceived to show any sense of disengagement from community affairs. In other words, it is important for the community to ensure and sustain the level of civic engagement of its youths.
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