Thoughts on Singapore Election and Critical Thinking

Yesterday was an election day in Singapore, where 97 parliamentary seats were contested among various political parties. The candidates were announced on April 23, and the electorate had exactly 10 days to decide who to vote for.

The polling station in my district was set up at a local library, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Even though Singapore makes it mandatory for every citizen to vote and penalties are imposed on absentees, when I got to the polling station I was surprised that there was virtually no line of voters—I was able to cast my ballot pretty much immediately.

In my constituency, two political parties were running as groups instead of each candidate running individually, so all I had to do was choose one party over another, making my decision process relatively simple. I spent some time checking the two parties’ platforms on their respective websites and also watched a two-hour-long political debate on television before arriving at my final decision.

We are living in an era of political and economic uncertainties, and there are no straight answers to such thorny issues as rising costs of living, declining birth rates, and defending Singapore’s interests in the face of global superpowers. In the end, I cast my vote wishing for political stability, fiscal responsibility by the government, and a harmonious society. Like the previous presidential election, I’m delighted to have participated in this democratic process.

まんがでわかる　地頭力を鍛える

When I finished voting, I walked across the street and sat down at a cafe to read a Japanese comic book. The book, despite being presented in manga format, was about the serious topic of how we can apply critical thinking skills to the nitty-gritty of our various tasks in the corporate world. It touched upon the processes of induction and deduction, and how we can enhance our work efficiency through framework-based thinking.

One thing that really impressed me about this book was that it clearly illustrated the role of critical thinking skills in finding solutions to numerous issues at work. It drew an interesting analogy of cooking—having knowledge and information was likened to possessing the ingredients, while applying critical thinking represented the processes of cooking the food items, such as frying, baking, or steaming, to produce delicious dishes as the end results.

The book also made me think about the issue of whether studying to acquire knowledge—particularly through reading—is still necessary in this era dominated by the internet and artificial intelligence. The very meaning of my writing this journal entry to practice my English writing skills could be questioned, as tools like ChatGPT and DeepL can instantly translate my Japanese thoughts into English at a satisfactory level of accuracy.

To this question, my answer is still a definitive “yes”. Merely having access to a myriad pieces of factual information is useless unless you learn their meanings through studying. To demonstrate a concrete example, you can easily find the benchmark US interest rates and whether they’re on an upward or downward trend through a Google search. However, if you haven’t learned from a financial textbook that bond prices are inversely related to interest rates, you won’t be able to decide whether you should buy or sell bonds to make a profit.

Also, it’s important to know that the human brain is structured in such a way that new knowledge can only be effectively acquired through the framework of your existing knowledge. Bombarding your head with disparate pieces of information acquired through web searches in an uncontextualized manner can’t assimilate them into your knowledge. On the other hand, reading a book that’s suitable to your current level can help you incorporate new knowledge into your brain.

While modern technology can evolve at breakneck speed, the biological traits of our brains do not evolve nearly as fast as compared to our ancestors. Certain things are better done the old-fashioned way, and the importance of studying will never diminish even in a completely digitalized society.