News
A state of affairs is either a way things are or a way things aren’t. The two most popular theories of states of affairs are the coarse-grain theory, according to which states of affairs are identical if and only if they are necessarily equivalent (that is, if and only if, necessarily, they either both obtain or they both fail to obtain), and the structure theory, according to which states of affairs are structured in the same kind of way sentences are structured. Despite their popularity, both these theories have serious problems.
Singapore is known as an affluent or middle class society. It has an adaptive knowledge-based economy which produces much opportunities for employment and social mobility. Is poverty the cause of bad decisions, or are bad decisions the cause of poverty? The two opposing views here suggest that either the poor are not to be blamed for the condition they are in or they are to be blamed. A socially responsible capitalism, including a vibrant economy and a progressive tax system to fund redistributive measures, is essential to ensure that all Singaporean meet their basic needs, writes Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser from NUS Sociology.
When we try to navigate potential impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), we invariably ask: Is AI for the good? Often, implicit in the question is: Is AI good for humans and humanity? This vagueness is captured by the interchangeable use of “ethical AI” and “human-centered AI”. But those two AI systems—and those two questions posed above—might differ significantly. While an ethical AI is, by definition, for the good, it might not necessarily be good for humans and humanity in all circumstances. Put differently, a human-centered AI might not be an ethical AI.
There has been a considerable increase in the proportion of single-person households around the world. In Singapore 14% of total households live alone. Single-person household typically involves older persons aged above 65 and urban youngsters who are earning for the first time. CFPR’s Founding Director Professor Jean Yeung was interviewed by Channel NewsAsia for the “Money Mind 2019/2020” program. She shared her views on one-person households, how Asia’s singles are changing consumption trends and the importance of studying their demographics in different countries for businesses to anticipate consumer behaviour.
A study conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Associate Professor Jessica Pan (NUS Department of Economics, CFPR’s research associate) found that the adjusted gender gap in median pay has decreased from 8.8% in 2002 to 6% – or $342 a month – in 2018. However, women in Singapore are earning less even if they may be doing the same job as male colleagues of the same age and education level, even as this pay gap has narrowed. The study noted that higher-paying roles – such as managing directors, chief executives and general managers, and sales, marketing and business development managers, still tend to be male-dominated. Occupation accounted for 43 per cent of the pay gap in 2018 and played the biggest role. Hurdles remain as unpaid care work remains skewed towards women. The study suggests ways to bridge the gap by getting companies to address possible bias in performance assessments.
Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng from the Dept of Japanese Studies at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences discussed the popular retirement places in Asia, and whether Singapore’s high cost of living which dissuades the average Westerner from retiring here would also encourage Singaporeans to look to places in Asia for retirement.
A study by Assistant Professor Tan Poh Lin from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS found that married women in their peak child-bearing age in Singapore have a lot less sex than they desire, thwarted by stress and fatigue. The findings have significant bearing on Singapore’s fertility rate. This independent research is the first here to examine the coital frequency of married women at their peak child-bearing ages, and to understand the effects of stress and fatigue on their sex lives.
“A well-loved and much respected educator, Mrs Chua-Lim Yen Ching is best known for her role in conceptualising NorthLight School to admit students with difficulties handling the mainstream academic curriculum. During her stint, she touched the lives of many students and touched the hearts of many Singaporeans,” said Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Education.
Students from NUS Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) will be able to explore social entrepreneurship with the newly launched NUS FASS Social Incubator Programme (SIP). Aimed to provide FASS students with the opportunity to co-develop social advancement and social entrepreneurship programmes, participants will take the lead in running their own social enterprise projects, with supervision and advice from the faculty.
It is a great year for NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) as it celebrates its 90th Anniversary. The Faculty received the Top Achievement Award (Faculty with 1,000 or more graduands category) in the Commencement Class Giving 2019 campaign for attaining the highest participation rate. FASS 2019 graduands, Ms Sabrina Meah and Ms Losheini Ravindran, also clinched the top Class Champions Awards. The Commencement Class Giving is an important tradition that instills the spirit of giving in our students to give back.