2020 KS Bull Issue 1

KS Bull 2020 Issue 1 The views expressed in each essay are purely for the academic purposes of crafting a viable argumentative response. They do not necessarily reflect the personal opinions of any student or staff member, nor do they necessarily represent the perspective(s) of Raffles Institution. All submissions have been edited for language before publication. No portion of this collection may be reproduced or shared for any reason and by any means whatsoever.

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 1 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing & distribution prohibited 2 CONTENTS 2020 Year 6 GP Timed Practice 1 Why is it that, in spite of international efforts, world peace remains unattainable? 1 Matthew Tan | 20S06D 3 2 Lim Zheng Wei | 20A03A 8 Is it fair to say that technology has only worsened conflict in society? 3 Chee Kar Ho Russell | 20A01B 14 Is our trust in science misplaced? 4 Brendan Mark | 20S03C 21 5 Koh Yi Hui | 20S03H 25 Do you agree that a university education is becoming increasingly unnecessary today? 6 Boo Jin An, Joshua | 20A01B 31 7 Elliot Han | 20S06F 36 Consider the value of having routines in today’s world. 8 Nellie Toh | 20A01A 41 ‘We can never rely on social media to tell the truth.’ Do you agree? 9 Angeline Lai | 20S03H 45 10 Regan Ng | 20S03O 51 ‘Support for the arts should come mainly from the government.’ Discuss. 11 Alvan Png | 20A03A 55 12 Siddarth Venkateswaran | 20S03Q 60

KS Bull 2020 | Issue 1 © Raffles Institution Unauthorised copying, sharing & distribution prohibited 3 2020 | Y6 | GP Timed Practice 1 Matthew Tan | 20S06D Why is it that, in spite of international efforts, world peace remains unattainable? Slavery is not a relic of the past. The inhumane use of biological and chemical weapons is not a relic of the past. Conflict is not a relic of the past. Contrary to the mainstream perception that the world today is a far cry from the barbarism and atrocities committed decades and centuries ago, many of the horrors of humanity we thought we eradicated still continue to haunt our society today. They hide behind a façade of lies and cover-ups, standing between us an d world peace: the ideal that every global citizen lives harmoniously together and that no one is mistreated or violated. Counterintuitive as it may sound, it is precisely our international efforts to achieve world peace that have aided in allowing such acts against peace to proliferate in the shadows: the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and more. World peace remains unattainable in spite of international efforts because of weak international organisations that cannot enforce peac e, the continued presence of strongman authoritarian leaders who blatantly disregard international efforts, and the hijacking of international efforts to obtain world peace by malicious countries, despite the fact that some may