DHS 2024 GP Y5 Lecture - Governments Part 2

1 © 2024 DHS | GP | Y5 Dunman High School H1 General Paper Governments – Part 2: Individual Freedom vs Government Regulation [T2W1] Name Class Organisation of these notes: A. Key terms often used in debates about individual freedom and government regulation B. Arguments for and against individual freedom and government regulation 1. How can we justify individual freedom from government control? 2. How can we argue for some government control over individuals’ lives and actions? 3. How can we reconcile these perspectives, resolving the tension between individuals and governments? C. Conclusion: the importance of identity in debates on individual freedom vs government regulation D. A-Level exam questions related to governments, grouped into sub-topics, from 2004 to 2023 A. Key terms often used in debates about individual freedom and government regulation Individual: A person capable of having their own thoughts and making their own choices, including the choices of how to live their life and which groups to identify with. Community: A group whose members share a common trait that gives members a sense of belonging, eg. the Christian community, the LGBT community, the elderly community, etc. Society: A collection of multiple communities existing together as a country, eg. the Singapore society, American society, etc. Freedom/Liberty: There are two kinds of freedom: • Freedom to do an action you desire: being able and allowed and empowered to do that desired action (eg. freedom to express oneself , freedom to marry ); this is sometimes called ‘positive liberty’. • Freedom from something undesirable: being safe and protected against that undesirable thing, not having it threaten or constrain or interfere with one’s life (eg. freedom from oppression , freedom from harm, freedom from discrimination); this is sometimes called ‘negative liberty’. Government regulation: • The government’s use of laws or rules to constrain and/or direct actions of people or organisations. • Those laws or rules are called ‘regulations’ (plural). There are different kinds of regulations: (i) banning (“you must not do this”) (ii) mandating (“you must do this”) (iii) drawing boundaries (“you can do this, but only within these limits”) (iv) setting conditions (“you can do this, but only after meeting these requirements”) (v) imposing costs (“you can do this, but must pay more for it”) (vi) offering incentives (“you don’t have to do this, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded”) The first two are stricter, whereas the latter four options may offer more flexibility.

2 © 2024 DHS | GP | Y5 Individualism: • This is the belief that individuals’ preferences and rights should be valued and prioritised, and not sacrificed in favour of a larger collective. The opposite of collectivism. • This is also th e trend of people seeing themselves more as individuals than as members of a larger community or society