DHS Y4 Soc Sem Reading_Government Control

|DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOLYear 4 English 2022Singapore Issues – Government Control SOCRATIC SEMINAR – GOVERNMENT CONTROLEssential Questions:What is government control?When should a government take any action?Who decides when a government should restrict what people do?How should government control be monitored and reviewed?Why is it important that government control be monitored and reviewed?With reference to the attached resource material, as well as your own research, construct a reasoned response on this issue, paying particular attention to the depth, breadth and fair-mindedness of your views.You are not limited to discussing the essential questions above. You may dig deeper into the issues by asking critical questions to your fellow panelists, or lead the discussion into a specific perspective or angle. …About this topicThe primary role of the government is to govern. To govern, the state is given the power to take actions on a wide range of matters. For instance, the state has the power to decide which businesses and investments are allowed, who goes to school, at what age, whether drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are contraband items, how employers treat their workers, whether parents have the right to punish their children, and so on. Some actions that the government takes are seen as necessary intervention and regulation. However, some actions are seen as controlling, an overreach or even repressive. When does a government action become excessive? On what basis is this decided, and by whom? How should government actions be monitored, reviewed and revoked, should there be a need to do so?These are issues to ponder when you examine this broad and wide-ranging topic.

Exhibit 1 - What are rules for?Underlying the discussion is the place of rules in society. This discussion is both philosophical and practical, and one might add, personal. Is having rules a matter of (ideological) preference?You may also wish to read up on rules-based society and the role of the government in terms of rules and regulations. Could we live in a world without rules?By Nick Chater | 22nd February 2020We might dream of a world where there are no rules, but how practical would it be?"I'm in my late 20s and I'm feeling more and more constrained by rules. From the endless signs that tell me to 'stand on the right' on escalators or 'skateboarding forbidden' in public places to all those unwritten societal rules such as the expectation that I should settle down, buy a house and have a family. Do we really need all these rules, why should I follow them and what would happen if we all ignored them?" Will, 28, LondonWe all feel the oppressive presence of rules, both written and unwritten – it's practically a rule of life. Public spaces, organisations, dinner parties, even relationships and casual conversations are rife with regulations and red tape that seemingly are there to dictate our every move. We rail against rules being an affront to our freedom, and argue that they're