much more affordable pastimes such as sports or physical activities of games or like just going out there and not having to purchase or use, funds to get a book for the less fortunate our in third world countries right so


while I feel they have the capacity to captivate and to compel I also do not think reading books is one of the wondrous like, of all leisurely pastimes in my opinion based on the points that I've shared lah


what , yeah


okay okay so basically I don't disagree that it's uh I agree it's a very


wonderful like hobby like a pastime is it it is but the most to wondrous I don't disagree I n I don't agree because yeah definitely it it's a pastime like owned by so many people out there and also and you mention india thailand and


what not I'm not sure about the percentage of the literate versus the illiterate so definitely there might be a number change so I think it's also that's something I got to, check and see what is the percentage indifference but yeah I agree that it is a pastime known by so many and it's done so many and it because it's


something that's always there since we were kids like you go to school it's a book and it's you read you read to do a lot of things to get things moving for sure but as a pastime how wondrous not most on my part and also


and that's where I still like it can hardly be a considered the most absolute most wanderers of all because it feels to engage all the senses of the, human body like you were saying on the neuroscience of things right it engages your brain and


but to me as much as it engages your brain it doesn't engage all your five senses because a lot of times not everyone's reading format is the same so I think it differs from one person to another so you can be reading and you can be enhancing your emotions so you're magnified or what not but some people are just reading to memorize


but reading is done worldwide that's for sure as a pastime that varies because I also feel like , it is it's a like were you using a lot of senses of the body its appeal his old most limited to the psychology effects on a mile and nothing else like you said you let the brain work right and when you allow yourself to immerse


once past time like to provide a more engaging experience but with reading it's less sensory so that's my defence in the centre I guess it's a good pastime but, I feel it should engage more than just the brain like music for example let's say if I'm defending myself there's music another common past time and that's also


a formidable rival to, like reading in both auditory sometimes even tactical or oral experiences so it's not just the eyes the brain and the like reading right so for example playing instrumental singing while reading is quite passive I feel engaging music also requires actual


participation and this sense of personal, engagement is quite imperative to creating an immersive an enchanting experience as an individual and I fear can overlap just reading it but I mean even with music we read lyrics we read chords we read all this too


but is it wondrous it plays a big part yeah it can but naturally if you're enhancing your all five senses I think that it plays a very small, percentage compared to everything else so the I think the sensory overload could also be a reason perhaps why so many artists and musicians like you know when they will shed a tear and voluntary or like emotionally engaged themselves in music because music is one of the examples I'm just giving so


I think that's why in my defence reading cannot be the most wondrous it is wonderful but not the most in my aspect, given his inability to invoke to evoke and intimate and like personal sensory experience as opposed to other pastimes that can do so so that's why I feel they are not the most


but definitely good yeah for sure no denying that


yeah for sure because it's a tangible it's such a tangible object right and it has, the thing is why people lah yeah for sure but when you hold the book you know the feeling it gives you the smell it has the smell of new pieces of pages or like that evokes sensory feelings also but I agree like people still like the physical


copy of a book and not just going online because it completely different but don't you think there are also reasons why, movies are created in a book, and also in in a movie because you know yeah


that's true that's true they're not reading for like forced reading


yeah I think it's wondrous for sure like it's engaging its


heartwarming at the same time but they're just so many other platforms in this, nah a modern day like you can also make it wondrous in a sense like watch youtube videos, or like talk to people or like it's the same as reading a book but not like you said it takes time to be in solitude and not everyone has the advantage or that opportunity to halve the time so it really is


what kind of like you said it all falls back to what kind of reading it is, yeah done


I kinda have to disagree and I have to


thing that pop music is I mean it's not superficial so difficult topic right, , yeah we all do yeah for sure


, yeah from an artist himself that true


okay , okay so you're you're saying that music today it's frivolous right, so yeah


and I think it's a good point that you have an artist to gain feedback, from so on my part also I agree that, credit where it's due so of course I also live with an artist so I have asked him granted some feedback but I think


at the end of the day music is music and whatever the engineering behind, the music it is what kind of genre and market or gentrification that you are leaning against to like okay eighty like I think maybe sixty to seventy percent of the world listens to pop music and we grow with pop music


and it is something and research has shown that when you listen to pop music that actually will be a chemical that would be produced from your brain that is called dopamine yeah dopamine so that is, we are , yeah so that is responsible for the overall mood of the music so generally as a teenager you start with that as a kid


your parents play that because it's so like the kind of music that can like play and rewind in your head and it naturally increases, dopamine so it always also, based on the engineering that you're saying is engaging with the repetitive lyric


and approachable music style that so easy to sing along so it's so easily to have memories of also really easy like you're in a shower everyone suddenly is like a toilet singer you know what I mean , yeah


yeah and it's so easy like the the ability to sing along is the key for a lot of people who liked to listen to music in the car or while commuting and basically killing time so I think it's not frivolous because pop music can be categorized in the not so serious aspect of music and like


it's easy to dance to so you can dance and sing and in a very lighthearted fashion, so nothing serious and then like you were saying about the engineering in the chords right I feel music and rhythm is ingrained into the human experience so it may be even genetic like within the family so


like how primary it is written by four four by four right in time and the simplicity of that allows people to drum along or to engage along, in whatever speed that they want to so I think at the end of the day they are going to be genres that are so wide and so in depth in the engineering of it but I think


the it depends on the market and what style, you are looking at yeah so that's what I like depends on the audience, it's wide


yeah, yeah I get what you mean like so that's it so that that's it okay what's


uh and most of the time it's for


yeah,


I think artist questions and speaks in like goes in depth of whatever they're facing it pertains to music,


yeah that's true but at the end of the day I also feel as much as frivolous or not it's also money making industry so it's what people want to hear right because they know


they know they can engage the audience with what the audience want to hear and you go okay for example young teenage girls I'm sure at some point certain singers and certain songs were the, catch of like different girl group or like different age group you know it's what keeps us going and it's a market money making business also so I know a lot of people make fun of pop music by it's actually a difficult form


in a certain extent that the whole ideology of planning it to cater and not just let it be a one hit wonder so it's not easy I think it's not easy to be simple to be honest it's really not easy to be simple and there's a lot of bad vibe out there that like simplicity is heart but pop songs kind of got its way


into the market for a reason because we cater to the masses of like maybe like eighty percent of teenagers


that's true


yeah I agree I say I think that they are but I think they have different reasons to it because most people listen to a wide range of musical genres right especially now that music has been so accessible cheap downloads free streaming easy sharing youtube so I think there's a wide spectrum of music at a point


the it is I feel it is, judged as frivolous or not because I think music in this day and age is type a lot to our social identity, so like oh what kind of music do you listen to if you think you're an intellectual


you probably going to say you listen to jazz or classical music or if you see it's yourself as a rebel you probably listen to rock or heavy metal or like you think of middle aged, intellectuals in the IT field it's got so it's at social identity I think


, yeah ya ya ya


, yeah


yeah for sure because I think the major function of music is pretty emotional but I I I read somewhere that psychologists have yet to understand the connection between different songs and different emotions and like, most of it is depending on the music that exists in these days but we all know that pop music naturally I mean new age pop retro pop it has that effect as much as it is frivolous like you said not denying that fact


it also have the capability of increasing like enlightening your mood also, so that's why I feel yeah it helps in that department, yeah yeah that's true


I think the I think it really depends on what kind of music you like at the end of the day but I choose not to judge or like assume but I know sometimes I enjoy pop music because I'm a I'm a moody listener so I despair my mood kinda dictates what I listen to


so, , of the singer yeah yeah for sure for sure


yeah definitely I'll do uh like a read up or like a research I'm like oh who is she where she from what's the story what's the background yeah


yeah yeah which is I'm mere instant judgement right but now I think pop or not I feel like as we grow we kinda know where the songs is coming from what's the story about where like who is this person I feel is a bit different now in terms of music assessment


yup, but other than that I don't really have anything else to say, uh yeah, I think the artist I live with has to agree that uh pop music today's very frivolous


so it puts me in a very difficult position this this topic , , yeah, yeah for sure


I think generally artists will not put down other artists but there is definitely a preference like okay I don't listen to pop music but this doesn't mean I can discriminate pop music you know I it's just


I don't enjoy it it's not my cup of tea I don't want to judge it but like it's just not my preference so frivolous will be a fuss yeah


for sure for sure if you're not looking, if unless you are in a niche market you don't you're not in need to make money you could just do your own kind of genre and whatever and have your following but if you in need to make money I think adds, some point or another pop music will come into play because pop music also kind of generated a lot of our memories and our childhood


so and nowadays you see fashion goes back into the eighties you know music is going back to the eighties the genre styles and everything's going back to the eighties uh there's a lot of pop retro music that kind of enhances a lot of our life memories I feel so


we cannot just shunned it off I think we just have to integrate and be okay there is pop music but whether you like it or not just don't hate on it I feel so, we definitely need them because they have the money making industry for sure and we I'm not going to lie I do listen


the pop music on a day when I just like not I do listen to pop music on a day where I just don't want to think or I just don't want to think too much I just want space and just like to break free and like yeah pop music works I'm not going to deny that


, yeah I think


yeah that's true like how's it gonna be right


definitely, and how it's gonna like pan out in terms of clubbing bars eh bars will be bars by like music entertainment like you how music festivals is something that I want to know lah how's going to be like


when it happens I don't know if I said life after COVID because I don't know just life after COVID what like yeah I don't know like music festivals will be something that, I wouldn't be very curious to find out how it's gonna work


there will be interesting like one million people on zoom with the artists I mean that's how musicians do it now right they have zoom stuff like, then this tiktok so not sure how it's gonna be I'm really curious to find out I have no idea how it's gonna be but yeah interesting topic though


it's like silent like silent party like you know how they do yeah silent discos probably the next wave


uh we are about them yeah like fifteen fourteen, so frivolous to a certain extent yup and done


!woohoo!


debate topic one, okay so to what extent has technology made our life more fulfilling, I think that technology has made our lives more fulfilling to a very large extent so firstly in terms of the entertainment that technology has brought us nowadays


so current technology allows us access to a large variety of entertainment so we can access these through like TV radio computer and our handphone so through this platform we can watch videos enjoy drama watch shows listen


to music and all this thing at the end of the day I think that they bring us great enjoyment and at the same time it helps to cure boredom so definitely it has made our life more fulfilling and uh especially during this period of time during the COVID pandemic period


the technology has definitely made our life more fulfilling in the sense that it helps in passing time so I believe that actually during this period of time many people especially my the friends around me people our age, in our generation they actually gain a lot of pleasure from watching videos online and


a lot of the younger generation they participated in trends like the making dalgona coffee watching tik tok and all these activities has definitely brought a lot of fun and amusement to singaporeans so at the same time because during the COVID period we can't go out and hang out with our friends and family so the


technology so our phones our all those video conferencing platform like zoom they allow us to stay connected with our friends and family which definitely makes our life fulfilling because we can stay connected with our loved ones despite not meeting up in real life face to face then also lastly because


technology allows us to engage in online shopping so we can engage in retail therapy and I believe that, engaging in online shopping actually helps a lot of people to destress so is a way of


how do I put it, entertaining ourselves ya so I think definitely technology has made our life more fulfilling because we can uh gain access to entertainment easily nowadays and we gain a lot of like fun and happiness from engaging in all these kind of activities yup


okay I feel that the part where you say about financial not uh youngsters not being financially independent they can't manage their own finances and then you talk about in the future I think that may a bit maybe a bit too far fetched, and also you mentioned something about social interaction in real life right okay so I agree that it's true we need to have interactions with people in real life and have the human touch but at the end of the day I believe that humans they also need their own personal time to recharge and


you know just spend time on their own so I believe that technology can come in handy and make it more make our life more fulfilling when we want when we just want to spend time on our own maybe just, to watch some videos to recharge rather than you know hanging out and because sometimes to some people it might if you hang out with your friends all the time it might be draining


so I think it's good that we have technologies that is there for us when we need some alone time to maybe spend some time listening to music listening to radio watching our favourite shows, so that's why I say that technology has definitely made our life more fulfilling because


while we need the social interaction in real life I believe that we also need some time on our own to do the things that we like and also recharge so maybe at the end of the day, I think we can just say that okay technology has made of life more fulfilling but we need to know how to use it in moderation


yup so maybe I think I move on to my next point on why I say technology has made our life more fulfilling I definitely think technology has made our life more fulfilling because , in terms of our standard of living so technology has definitely increase our


made our life more convenient and increased our ease of life so nowadays technology allows people to communicate with one another easily it has enhanced communication between our family or friends so when we want to uh


engage in communication with our friends online we can use we have things like gifs emoji, and to that which allows us to express ourselves and technology like DBS paylah paynow it allows us to transfer money easily so when we go out and hang out with our friends I when I hang out with my friends I usually will use all of us will actually usually use


the apps like paylah paynow to settle our meals for our settle our bills for meals and so on and I think it's actually very convenient compared to using cash and coins, so yup definitely it has made our life easier which has made our life more fulfilling because we don't need to go through a lot of trouble


and technology like GPS google maps allows all of us to travel from one place to another with ease so if you actually compare it to flipping the hardcopy maps and so on I think they have, I think most of us can agree that it's definitely easier to


use GPS and google maps and so on and my next point is that learning nowadays is definitely more efficient and easier with the use of technology so for example we have things like apple tablet which is light and easy to carry around in school and we can easily make notes on it


so it's a very compact device that, how do I put it it makes our life easier and, some of my friends even told me that actually having an ipad motivates them to study more so uh also one can easily retrieve their information from the


retrieve information from the internet with just a bit of typing and a few clicks of mouse away so definitely it is more fulfilling because, we can get the information that we want easily and with less trouble I believe that we can feel more


happy and satisfied that time is not wasted on, unnecessary things and we can complete our task more efficiently so lastly would be the ease of data storage so nowadays all we need to do is to press control and save uh control S as compared to in the past where we need to use files and binders


so back to my same point again a lot of time is saved and, we don't need to go through a lot of trouble and that's why it is more fulfilling


okay actually I can agree with that because, it's true that those things I mentioned the use of paylah paynow GPS all these are used by the younger generation and most of the people in the older generation, they don't really know how to use these uh devices all these applications so to say that technology has made life more fulfilling for those people I believe that it can't be applied to all these people so okay


let's just, uh I think we can agree that technology has made life more fulfilling in terms of the convenience and ease of life for people who can adapt to the use of these technology but it can't apply


okay so I can I continue with like wrapping up for this point, okay so ya I I think we can reach a consensus that it is definitely more fulfilling in the sense that it's more fulfilling for the younger generation perhaps but we can't generalize it to everyone


so my last point would be that it has improved our I mean it has technology has made our life fulfilling in terms of health so because nowadays, uh I read online that nowadays we have improved smoking technologies so we have things like E cigarettes E juices and I read that actually electronic cigarettes have been proposed as a healthier alternative


for people who uh they cannot or they choose not to quit smoking so, that's why I say that maybe technology has made our life more fulfilling because we have improved, improved technology such that uh for for the smokers so maybe with better health they will feel more fulfilled with life so they are at a lower risk as compared to smoking the traditional cigarettes then uh because


uh, I also read that uh twenty fourteen review they found that E cigarettes aerosol they contain far fewer carcinogens than tobacco smoke and it's conclude concluded that E cigarettes impart a lower potential disease burden than the traditional cigarettes so I guess I can


I would say that it has made life, more fulfilling for smokers because uh while, they still engage in smoking maybe they put their lives at a lower risk but for this I'm not too sure because it's just something that I read so they there might be other side effects so moving on to my other points is


technology like smart watches so now we have smart watch like the apple watch fitness tracker and all these technology helps one in checking fit their health and their fitness program, and then we also have things like gym equipments like the treadmill which allows one to customise and track their running speed and also allows them to exercise indoors so when let's say it's a rainy day they can still continue with their fitness routine and I think that's a good thing


and then we have also we also have health apps in phones which allows us to track what do we eat today we can track our calorie intake and then we can also track our heart rate the amount of water that we drank for the day and so on and I think all these comes in very useful


which makes our life definitely more fulfilling, and then lastly we have things like medical technology which has definitely improved our standard of living and our health so nowadays we have things like blood pressure monitor three d printing for artificial organs and then we have x ray prosthetics


and I believe all these are, has really increased our quality of life and definitely you can say that it has made life more fulfilling because, with all these health applications and all these medical technology our quality of life has increased and with a good quality of life humans are definitely happier and they can go on to enjoy their daily activities with good health


yup so that's why I believe that technology has definitely made our life more fulfilling


but it also depends on like who's the demographics using it and so on ah ya and how we use it whether we use it in moderation or not yeah


debate topic two, okay so the next question is should the advancement of artificial intelligence be a cause of concern and my stand is that yes the advancement of artificial intelligence is it definitely should be a cause of concern so because


I believe that advancement of AI will result in the loss of job so actually AI is known to be a job killer, I read an article by the straits times which said that a study found that up to twenty million manufacturing jobs will be lost globally


to robots by twenty thirty, and since year two thousand about one point seven million manufacturing jobs have already been lost to robots, including around four hundred thousand in europe two hundred and sixty thousand in the US. and so on and I read that lower skilled regions which tend to have weaker economies and already high uh employment unemployment rates are much more vulnerable to job losses


so I believe that with the advancement of AI the most hard hit countries or industry would be those blue collared workers because they do more hand on hands on jobs, like those in cleaning and manufacturing industry and all of these are which are repetitive tasks which can be taken over by AI easily and all these people all these blue collared workers they are already not earning much and are not well to do in the first place


so I believe it will be, hard for them to adapt to the AI revolution, and so all these people who lose their job to AI they will need to adapt and pick up new skills to meet evolving to meet the evolving demand


and I believe that actually not many of them they have the capacity to do that because of factors like their old age and their lack of education and the lack of finances to sign up for classes for courses to pick up new skills


so at the end of the day my question is like how much can the government actually support all these people who lose their job to AI but, so I believe that that's why it's a cause of concern because many people will end up losing their jobs and they won't be able to sustain themselves and provide for their families


okay so just now you mention that it's not a cause of concern in singapore because our government is very proactive in helping those people who might lost lose their job to automation and then we have things like skillsfuture and all these okay that is true I agree on


that and then you also mention about how inequality will always exist and then we can't ensure that you know we will get everyone we can it's like we can't ensure that everyone will still be able to keep up with the times and keep their job


that is true but the thing is that because I believe that most countries are not like singapore in the first place we are a small country so it's easy for the government to take care of, its people and to roll out schemes like skillsfuture to help us to adapt and pick up new skills but let's say what about other countries which is which I believe is


applies to most countries because other countries they are much bigger in size and then, how is the government going to ensure that you know, their people can keep up with times and pick up new skills like okay yes uh inequality will still exist but if so many countries don't have the capacity to you know uh provide for and look after their citizens who lose their jobs then at the end of the day the unemployment rate


due to AI will still be too high, yup so that's why I think like it is still it's still a cause of concern because I believe that most countries or most people won't be able to keep up with the advancement of AI


yup so actually I'm not too sure also but I think I guess we'll see in future but ya currently I believe that, okay currently I think the situation is still okay but AI shouldn't be advancing so quickly at such a high speed that people can't keep up


so, ya I guess we will see yup, okay then maybe I'll move on to my next point on ethical issues due to the advancement of AI so I believe that AI is imperfect and


robots are more rigid than humans, because AI can never adapt as well as humans do in different situation and context so there was this incident with the microsoft AI chat bob chat bot which was released on twitter in twenty sixteen


so actually in less than one day due to the information that these chat bot was receiving and learning from other twitter users the robot learn to spill like racist slurs and, talk about nazi propaganda and so on and microsoft had to shut down the chat bot immediately so I believe like errors like these are actually they can lead to


many unintended consequences that are, that can be very negative so I believe that it's not good that we allow AI to advance so much and we put too much trust in it because it can always lead to unintended consequences


and there's also if there's a chance that intelligent machines can make mistakes like this then it is also possible that AI can go rouge or create unintended consequences as I mentioned earlier, so for example there are people who are saying that AI might become self aware and end up going rouge


and okay some of you might think that this is a bit far fetched lah how can AI develop their own mind and do their own things act like humans and so on right but, I don't think it's something that is impossible at all I believe that it's something that we should be considering and be concerned about when we are developing AI so okay because it might seem impossible but you have


to, realize in the past things like wireless ear bud or smartphone or like let's say nowadays we have uh we have, this like, lights where you can just clap your hands then it will turn off automatically on its own so actually it might seem impossible back in the days but actually we have all these devices right now and we are still coming up with more technology that may seem impossible back then so it's not I don't think it's far fetched or impossible to say that


you know AI might develop their own mind and become a dangerous thing, so I believe that it's something that we definitely should be concerned about, uh now even though it might seem far fetched but it's something that we should always keep in our mind when we are developing AI and allowing it to advance so then there's also this thing about the AI bias


where you know because AI is created by humans who can be judgmental and bias so uh how AI is actually created is by this thing called the machine learning technology or something like that so uh how this works is that humans they actually


they fit the AI data examples and get them to recognize, similar patterns and algorithms such that it can automate on its own in future, so I read that there is this software which was created with the purpose of predicting future criminals and this AI software actually showed a bias against black people and then there was also this google image recognition system which wrongly classified the


images of the minorities so how this even take this in the first place is because those humans who created these machines right they had a bias of how criminals might look like which ended up in the machine being bias so I think this is a, this is a it will be a very bad thing if we actually fully trust AI and allow AI to you know run and


uh make decisions for us because it can end up in a lot of bias biases and so on, and then this leads to the question of how how can we actually create transparency in the machine learning algorithm such that you know AI is not biased and so on so


uh, the the issue that AI can be biased is definitely a cause of concern, and then we also have the security issue which is how to keep AI safe from malicious uh malicious users


so as much as AI can be used for a good reason right the more advanced and powerful it becomes the more that it can be used for evil intentions, so what if we allow to what we what if we allow AI to advance so much such that it becomes so powerful and destructive


so uh I don't know if this is a good analogy but we have things like we have humans have developed things like nuclear technology, and I believe it's something that is feared and, because due to its disrupt its large amount of disruptive forces so I think the same thing can apply to AI if AI in future it become so powerful I believe that


it will cost a lot more concern than you know than being used for good intention because of this like destructive powers and so on so allowing AI to advance so much I believe is a cause of concern


yup then, if we allow AI to become so advanced how are we going to stay in control of like such a complex and intelligent system


okay so you say that it's not good to nit pick so much because then we will never be able to progress but I don't think it is nit picking because if AI really advance and become so powerful


then it it is definitely a cause of concern what so like okay like you said AI will be used for good things right but at the, same, time it can be used for bad things also so it's something that we should always be concerned with if we just keep thinking positively like okay AI will always will the good will exceed the the best the the worst the bad thing


but the thing is if we don't consider it now and we are not concerned over it now then what happen if next time all this trouble and unintended consequences come into play, I think it's always good that we are concerned and we think ahead we plan ahead and keep all these issues in mind while developing AI so that we don't go there eventually


like okay you said that some things can be used for good things but what about things like for example bombs nuclear technology what good can they use like, I, I think everyone agreed that it's it's it's existing just as a destructive weapon there is no good to it so I'm saying that what if we allow AI to advance right and then we end up creating things like things similar to bombs and nuclear technology with


like no good with no good intention like, like you can't put it to good use okay so there will be things there will be robots and technology with good use but then what if we are not concerned what if we're not how to say ah we are not


we don't plan ahead and then we come up with things like things that are destructive and can't be used for any good uses so, we definitely should be concerned now and keep all these issues in mind such that we don't ever go there in the first place it's not like you know we create already okay then we train human to use it for good use what if we come up with things that can only be used for bad reasons


debate topic three, okay so the question is does modern technology satisfy our wants rather than our needs and my stand is no modern technology satisfy satisfies our needs rather than our wants


so I believe that modern tech is something that is needed rather than a luxury, so I would like to illustrate my point in terms of modern medical technology so I mentioned earlier that we have modern medical tech like which helps in development of things like vaccines and vaccines are definitely a need nowadays


as you can see we have evolving viruses like COVID nineteen and so on so definitely vaccine is a need and to develop vaccine we need modern medical technology and then at the same time we also have things like uh


uh, prosthetics three d printing to create like three d organs and then all these things are brought about by our modern technology, and all these things like prosthetics three D organs they are definitely a need to patients who are deprived of their life functions you can't say that it is a want for them because then you will be saying that it's a luxury for them to wish to go back to their normal life function so I believe is definitely a need


so that people who are deprived of normal life functions they can go on with their usual life and then we also have things like x ray CT scans and all this is definitely a need when our doctor wants to identify illnesses


and so on and then uh next, point, if we deviate away from the modern medical tech point then we have things like communication and technology is definitely a need where we want to communicate with a friend or or a loved one who is like


far away in another country and so on because you can't possibly expect us to communicate using things like letters and so on so for us to communicate with someone who is far away modern tech is definitely a need we need platform like skype zoom


through the laptop to keep in touch with someone who is far away, so definitely it's a need and then in this age I would like to say that modern tech is a need for education so this is especially true for uni students where all lessons materials are online so


I don't think that anyone can say that it is a want or it is a luxury because what if for example now I tell my friends to okay you don't get a laptop you just you know go through your four four or three years of uni using pen and paper, that will be impossible because every uni student would own a laptop or at least a tablet or some sort


cause it is definitely needed for them to get through their education, so definitely it's a need and then last, point is that uh, I believe that modern tech is a need in the working world today because we will need to communicate with clients and then we also need modern tech for the storage of data so yup


I conclude that modern tech is it definitely satisfy our needs rather than wants because a lot of our daily life functions nowadays it depends on modern tech so it's in this age and time it is no longer a want but a need


okay wait wait wait wait so you you you are saying that modern tech is not it's satisfies our okay you are saying that modern tech is not really a need for people like need so I think our cause and effect is different here so what I'm saying that


okay you are saying that more uh, okay your cause and effect is for need for people like nick modern tech is more of a want rather than a need since nick can adapt but my point and my cause and effect is different from you so my point is that


modern tech is a need because it should always be there to allow people who are deprived of normal life functions to it should always be there to allow these people a chance to go back to their normal life, regardless of whether you are born with it regardless of whether you can adapt to it or not it is a need to be there it it needs to be there so that for anyone who wants to regain their normal life functions they can they can do it they have the hope they have the opportunity to do it so


I think our how do I put it our cause and effect is different here so you're starting point is that uh people like nick for people like nick it is a want is not need, but my point is that it is a need because it must be there for anyone who wants to lead a healthy lifestyle to lead a normal lifestyle so


ya okay never mind I don't know I don't know if like, we are on the same page but ya that that's my point it's it is a need because it is important it's as important as our I would say as important as our life


given the amount of things that modern medical tech can do nowadays so it's not just the thing about you know normal life function it also concerns our life so I mentioned earlier we have things like three d organs and I think I read somewhere that


okay I'm not sure but three d organs basically what we're talking here is not our limbs but our organs which is definitely needed for us to continue living you know and not dead so definitely it's a need for me, so and back to the point about you mentioned the limbs whether you can adapt or not I don't think the point here is whether you can adapt or not


it should whether you adapt or not it should be there, to allow anyone who wants to go back to their life functions to have the opportunity to do so


okay you mentioned the thing about plastic surgery and people wanting to look uh prettier and and things like that right but okay if we look if you look at it from a different point of view, maybe we can say that I'm saying maybe ah maybe you can say that is a need because it allows them to live their life confidently and they feel fulfilled with their life so then if you look at it this way if if the person is happy with it then


can it can't it be seen as a need a need for them if, they want to you know go on with their life confidently if they want to feel even more fulfilled, or even for their job because you mentioned the thing about idols and things like that right so for them their looks is definitely they definitely need to look good looking good is a necessity to them so maybe to them uh perhaps we can say that


plastics modern tech like plastic surgery, can possibly possibly be a need to them because their jobs actually depends, on how how good they look so at the end of the day it can become a need you know if they want to get in the high salaries and stuff like this if they want to become more popular and things like that because uh


I think we have to agree that in the entertainment industry looks is one of the most important things along with your along with your talent so, actually there's okay this might be a bias but there okay if you are let's say if you are they are saying that looks is the most important thing in the whole industry but this might


be a bias so maybe I just say a few example so we can have idols who are very talented or let's say they work very hard but then if you are not good looking when you go up to the stage no one is going to turn their attention to you so


at the end of the day your looks is still the most important it's what people notice first when they see you, it forms a false impression of whether like you want to support this person or not whether you want to continue watching the t v programme or not so I would say that it is a need for people whose lives their livelihood depends on their


appearance so, uh maybe I guess it depends on the context so it is a need for maybe people who, become disfigured they in through accidents through like fire and so on and they want to go back to their normal life


and also a need possibly a need for celebrities whose livelihoods depends a lot on their appearance but this may be a bias but I feel I feel that nowadays looks is actually the most important thing we can have people who are super good at singing but they are not popular because


they're they don't they don't have the charisma they don't have the appearance to draw people in to continue supporting them so I feel that looks is definitely important and definitely a necessity to them so but it might it might be a bias but that's what I that's what I feel the context is generally nowadays


okay so, , it depends on the context okay but uh okay so a lot of things like we mentioned earlier like the modern tech like plastic surgery computer all these depends a lot on context but


but do you agree that modern tech in terms of modern medical technology it is a need or does it still depend on the context


debate topic one debate topic one, okay so to what extent has technology made our life more fulfilling I think that


technology has made our lives more fulfilling


okay so uh earlier you mentioned that uh, uh, uh technology allows us to have greater access to uh entertainment facilities and yes I do agree that


uh we have movies we have dramas and abundance of news and gossips to help us pass the time uh and entertain us especially during this period of time, and uh but I also think that we should consider what's being sacrificed where we enjoy digitalised entertainment


uh firstly I think that it takes away time for family bonding and outings with friends because a lot of us will rather spend time scrolling through pictures of our idols than actually interacting with family and friends


uh and also because of the uh influx of social networking platforms like for example we have facebook which is probably more common among uh the middle age group, and also instagram which is more popular for uh people in the younger age group and we also have dating websites uh which means that we don't actually have to


uh step out of our house in order to talk to someone we can stay in the comforts of our home instead, but uh this also means that uh we are lacking in kinship which is like uh, I see it as a lack of uh shaking hands uh not holding eye contact and uh not hugging which is detrimental because personally uh I feel that humans we are social creatures we need to feel loved we need to be touched


and uh I also think that loneliness has been proven to cause serious repercussions, and uh this is backed up by scientific research it can uh lead to a fifty percent risk of early death


and I personally think that technology uh, is very distracting to both adults and children, because uh adults can probably have like a zoom meeting while eating dinner with their children or uh I think that there are many instances where children or even teenagers they like to use their phones at the dinner table so instead of having like


uh lively conversations where families talk about their day and uh you know like just in general uh have time for family bonding we are all on our phones on our tablets on our PCs instead and uh


I feel like it's actually uh, uh in the long run it may not be very fulfilling because uh we are like interacting with technology instead of with people who we see every day and who are most important in our lives


and earlier you mentioned about uh retail therapy uh I think that it's a short term fulfillment just like how I feel that uh, technology nowadays it may be good for uh, uh this period of time where there is a pandemic going on yes it's good but uh


it is also short term fulfillment like how I feel it is for retail therapy because I feel like uh for online shopping young people we have poor financial management in general uh we don't track or regulate our finances


and more importantly uh we are easily influenced because uh there's a lot of targeted advertisements on our devices and also there is a lot of peer pressure, and I think that the younger generation we are more immature and we tend to make uh quick and poor decisions and we will also over indulge in materialistic goods uh for example makeup


uh clothes and accessories uh not to say that they are not needed but I think we tend to over buy, and we might regret not saving up for the future we can be unprepared for financial challenges uh we may not see it now but when we uh get older we might come to realize that our decisions were too hasty


uh because in future we will need to uh repay student loans we might need to move out and rent a room and then we'll realize that uh our decisions to uh buy a lot of things hastily and without thought uh we might actually regret it


so uh I think that in general retail therapy is like a short term fulfillment uh we should plan ahead for the future so I don't really think that technology has made our lives more fulfilling I think it's very short term and we should consider the impacts for long run


okay so uh just to confirm you mention about the ease of convenience like uh the usage of credit cards uh paywave paylah and data storage as well as uh the ease of convenience in education


okay uh I do agree that uh things like credit cards uh paywave paylah it does help to make our life more convenient uh because uh it is much faster, but I would also like to point out that uh


uh all these technology may not be suitable for all ages uh because the younger generation tend to uh be the ones who are more used to uh technology however a uh I think that the older generation might have a hard time adjusting


uh uh transitioning from uh for example using cash to uh into, uh using credit cards and debit cards paywave paylah for all sorts of payment uh especially for singapore uh even though we are generally considered a smart nation


uh there is still a divide within our communities uh right now I know that we are trying to go cashless but I feel that it is uh only a good thing for the younger generation because uh most of us own uh a card


uh we can we are we are highly adaptable to the, uh various payment modes but however I think that the elderly they are more used to using cash uh because uh the credit card doesn't like just appear out of nowhere they need to apply for it and the uh application process even though it may seem like very easy to the younger generation


to them it is very tedious, and also the point about uh education uh making use of technology in our education uh I feel like this is only uh helping uh more privileged students like students in singapore


uh it only makes uh our lives more fulfilling because we have the privilege of living in singapore uh where we utilise technology in our everyday lives uh however it cannot be uh said the same for, uh students in other countries who do not have the privilege of living living amongst technology


and also uh uh therefore I do not think that uh technology has made our lives more fulfilling uh like I do not feel that technology uh making our lives more fulfilling is not a statement that can represent uh everyone's views


it's only for people who know how to adapt and people who know how to utilise technology to their advantage


uh hold on uh I had a whatsapp call from my


uh no I rejected, okay uh the do I press play, yes


uh yes still running, uh ya I turn on already


okay then for my phone recording do I press play or


I think we can come to the consensus that uh modern technology does help to make our lives more fulfilling, ya


debate topic two


okay so your uh point is that uh AI is considered a job killer uh however I think that this statement might be a bit of exaggeration uh because I think that people are highly adaptable to changes


they can always learn a new skill to adapt to a new environment, and personally I think that we have gone through uh, uh many eras of changes we have gone through the time period where technology was totally non existent and we have learnt to revolutionize according


uh along with the times and we also have governments which are actively helping workers to transit so it will lower the structural unemployment rate, uh but I do acknowledge that singapore is an exception because we have the resources to help our citizens adapt


uh but at the end of the day we I feel like uh, there will always be some sort of inequality like we cannot expect everyone to be the same because you mentioned about the uh lower wage workers being unable to catch up but uh there is always some form of inequality we cannot make everything equal


and I also think that uh people are saying that AI should be a cause of concern because they will lose their jobs because they are uncertain of how exactly AI is going to change their lives and they are not used to it, yet uh


I think that some things are hard to replace and uh I don't think we should be expecting AI to take over every single job that we have now uh I think that is too far stretched uh for example uh we cannot expect a robot to build trust with a human


uh there are issues with empathy uh for example jobs that require a lot of understanding would be uh nurses uh, I don't think we can expect a robot to uh listen to understand to pay attention to the needs of patients and express the feelings of compassion and responding such that patients feel that they are being understood


uh I don't think we can expect this from robots anytime soon uh we are still in the process of uh developing robots and uh I don't think it is uh, a cause for concern because there is still like a time period in which we will need to uh develop robots


and I think it's still and uh adequate amount of time for people to learn new skills and to adapt and also I don't think that uh AI will fully take over our jobs I believe that AI will work alongside humans to improve work productivity


uh what I mean by this is that I feel like uh AI can actually help to assist humans for example uh robots assisting doctors in surgery uh this technology is already well underway uh doctors they are trained to uh


to operate the machinery and I think this actually helps to lower uh the risk of human error, and also I feel like uh AI can actually take over repetitive task, for example uh sorting through documents which would


uh if a human were to take over a task like uh sorting through documents and uh reading through thousands of resumes I think it's a very tedious job and very time consuming so we should also consider how uh artificial intelligence can help to


uh speed up and help to assist us in uh taking over repetitive task


okay so uh basically you think that there are some ethical issues associated with uh artificial intelligence


uh, uh yes I do agree that in future uh AI might, uh we might not be able to control AI like uh it might develop its own mind given that technology has advanced so quickly uh but I would like to point out that this change will not occur overnight we'll still be able to


uh detect some changes and since humans we are the ones who develop such powerful technology we'll be able to fight it so uh I guess my point is that we should have faith in human intelligence as well since we are


the uh, people who develop such powerful technology we'll be able to detect changes, in uh uh in the things that we create like whether or not uh, they suddenly develop a mind of their own I think the creators will be able to detect such changes


and uh for your point on AI bias like how machines uh, they're fed biased information by their creators like they will uh tend to identify black people as perpetrators yes I do uh agree that machines can be biased however I think that uh


we should not be blaming the technology itself we should be blaming humans for feeding such information, uh in the first place uh machines they they operate based on how uh we program them so humans are the ones feeding such information to the machines that's why the machines operate in such a way


so I don't think the technology itself is at fault we should be more concerned about uh, how creators are utilizing the machine and what kind of information they're feeding the machine the fault lies with people who feed such information and not the technology itself


and as for the security issue uh you are concerned that people might abuse the technology then I think for this point it is up for us to protect what we have developed, and I think that if we are like nitpicking over every single fault uh of technology then uh if we think until so far stretched and negatively then humans can never progress if we have so much concerns


and also I think we should acknowledge that most of the time uh technology is uh, uh things are created for good causes uh the minority gets called out like some people they abused technology and this are the minority they get called out so people think that it's bad in general but we should acknowledge that everything has a flip side to it so if we


uh nit pick at the negative side of things then uh humans will never progress like uh, I feel that if humans have pointed out the, uh negative side of AI then we will never have progressed to what we are today and the same for the future if we need pick at everything now then we might never know uh what humans are capable of creating and the good that it might bring I feel like in general


uh uh the good will overshadow the bad, and also you mentioned uh that you are afraid that uh what if we are unable to control something that uh is so complex uh I feel that people like einstein and stephen hawking they do exist


and I dare say that in future, we might have people like that who are able to control uh what we create and I also think that in future we might even be able to uh alleviate human intelligence we might be able to uh increase our IQ to such a level that will uh overtake


uh artificial intelligence right now ya because you mentioned that anything is possible I also think that it is possible that we will be able to like increase our own IQ and we might not even need uh artificial intelligence anymore


okay so the conclusion is that uh in conclusion we can come to the consensus that there should always uh we should always be on our guard, right


debate topic three


okay so you mentioned that uh firstly it's a need because of modern medical technology uh, I do agree that uh we do need things like CT and X ray and uh medical prosthetics but I would like to point out that it may not be a need for everyone uh because I do I would like to cite an example


uh I believe you know this person uh his name is uh nick vujicic he was born without limbs and has fully adapted to living a life without limbs uh, I think everyone like practically everyone knows that he has published a book and he's very successful he has his own family he has children and he has shown that uh he does not need to uh


have limbs like a fully abled person but uh I do acknowledge that for people who suddenly lose their limbs overnight in an accident they cannot adapt and therefore needs prosthetics to regain normal life functions


uh but I think that the example for nick vujicic he's uh an exception, and you also mention that, for education it's a need,


okay so ya I think we do have a difference in the cause and effect, and I also uh want to acknowledge that uh for nick I don't uh I don't know his inner voice uh


he's it's just based on his life story I think that uh he does not need it but I will never know whether he wants it uh actually wants to live, like a normal life with all his limbs intact uh for that I will never know but I am just citing him as an example because I have seen him live a fulfilling life even without his limbs so I'm just making my point that based on what I see


uh I will uh just say that he does not seem to need it he has proven to a lot of people that he does not need to have limbs in order to live a fulfilling life, but again I'll never know his inner voice I am just citing this example based on what I see but I I also acknowledge that your argument does make sense uh it should be there for those who need it uh not it's not a want because uh


it should be there for people to regain their normal life functions and with that I will move on to the point on education, uh you mentioned that it's a need for students uh because nowadays in university if someone were to ask me uh to use paper and pen for everything I think I would say uh that's impossible


because we are highly adapted to uh modern technology already we need things like tablets we need things like mobile phones PCs to help us with our work but I would like to, uh point out that this is actually, uh only applicable for students who are studying in well developed countries for example singapore uh the united kingdom USA and


uh because I think that uh people in well developed countries we have already we're already living amongst technology we need the technology because uh we see it as a necessity, but I think it is a privilege, uh for people in not so well developed countries for example uh


uh I will not say uh india in general I will just like to point out the rural areas they uh I think even for them textbooks and paper and a pen to write on it's already uh a privilege for them to imagine uh education


uh with things like technology or uh tablet PC I think for them is a privilege, it's a luxury actually for uh students in well developed countries for people like you and me we are heavily dependent on uh modern technology in order to uh function


for education but for people who are not so privileged that is actually a luxury so I uh think that modern technology uh is considered a want for, uh people who are not so privileged but a necessity for


uh people living in uh well developed countries, and I would also like to uh point out that modern technology also includes uh plastic surgery I think that this is a want because people want to look prettier uh they want to model after their favourite idols they want to


uh have a higher nose bridge I don't know uh I just what I I would just like to point out that uh in korea I think it is generally known that, uh if you want to have plastic surgery just go to korea uh I also read that uh a lot of idols they actually have uh plastic surgery I wouldn't say all but uh I would say about maybe


forty fifty per cent a lot of them they actually have something done on their faces and I would like to ask is that a need, uh I don't think it's a need because it's not like they are victims of fire or uh they have been through a horrible car accident where they have some parts of their face disfigured and in order to live a normal life they will need uh


uh plastic surgery in order to regain their normal life functions uh these people they're just they just want to have surgery because they want to look better, and that is not a want it is a need and also I think that uh we should also


consider modern tech like uh air con and wireless earpiece uh for air conditioning I don't think like the weather is hot enough to warrant a need for air conditioning uh I think it's a, waste of electricity especially for people in well developed countries we tend to abuse it even uh


even in rainy days on rainy days uh we tend to just on the air con because we are already used to it we are already used to this uh way of life we are already adapted to it so we see it as a necessity, and for the part about wireless earpiece uh I think it's a want because uh everyone knows that it's much more expensive than uh wired earpieces so it's a want uh I feel like


uh wireless earpiece and uh normal earpieces they fulfill the same function which is to uh not uh which is to uh transmit music through uh so that so that the person can hear it like other people cannot hear uh


they satisfy the same function so uh wanting something that will cost much more is actually is is it's just a want is not a need we don't need uh wireless earpiece to function we we can just use like, uh ear pieces with wires it fulfils the same thing there is like no need for us to spend much more on uh wireless earbuds


okay, okay so your argument is that uh uh because the celebrities that are pointed out they uh they are in this particular industry so they have to look good because it's like a it's like a requirement for them to uh to succeed


okay I can see okay it does make sense but I think this all comes down to what kind of uh day and age that we are living in right now in the past I think I would say that uh looks don't really matter as much but nowadays because we have modern tech


uh every like practically everyone owns uh at least a smart phone I would say uh for those living in developed very well developed nations I would say that everyone uh we are all very connected we are living in a globalised world we're all very connected so


like I would say that uh there is some form of pressure where the uh which the celebrities they had they're under like they're expected to look certain ways because people are very well connected like they can just go online and, comment uh things about their looks and you know it kind of affects their their image in the industry since like everyone can comment then uh there's a lot of cases where uh celebrities they have to sue like comment uh comment


commenters for like uh harassment, like because they are being criticised for being not talented for looking ugly or for being compared to uh another celebrity who is uh better looking and I also agree that uh for the korean industry uh particularly uh people place a lot of emphasis on looks


like if you are not good looking than uh like get out of the industry uh and, I also think that for the korean entertainment industry I think like ya okay generally it could be seen as a need but I think this is like uh


uh your own your personal opinion because uh I don't think all celebrities feel the need, to change their appearance or touch up on their appearance in order to be famous uh some celebrities I think uh they are okay with


uh how they look they just want to put their talent out there to entertain people so I don't think we can say that uh looks are a need for everyone in general I think that some people uh they have their own opinion that talent is more important than looks but


this is subjective to personal opinion, like I don't think we should generalize the uh entire industry, so in conclusion uh I think we can say that uh whether or not, ya it depends on the context


uh no that one would be a need because, we need modern medical technology to uh regain our normal life functions


debate topic one


for me I think that recycling is only a short term answer, because, it doesn't really helps, it helps to a small extent, but, like what you mentioned it results in less pollution


which I think is contradicting, because, set recycling actually results in pollutant , when, people donate items they recycle items, when waste materials breakdown pollutant such as like chemical it will actually harm the


environment, so it actually leads to, more pollutions, like for , spray canes spray cans lead paint, when he passed through recycling and carried through the recycled product


it could take years before we realized that the items we have been using is contaminated, and also when recycling, it take waste to be transported sorted clean and process in separate factories all of which will need energy and result


in pollution of air water and soil, so actually it results in more pollution energy consumption


okay and also not everything is recyclable, what is recyclable is like paper cans, but not everything can be recycled and breakdown and also,


if you see outside there's a lot of recycling bins but not everybody use recycling bins, to them, they just throw their trash inside the recycling bins, and for the new HDB, the rubbish bin is usually placed outside which there is also recycle bins


but for the older people they might not know is recycling bins so they might actually just throw their trash inside also, so recycle also doesn't really, answer to the problem of waste because people may not know what is really recyclable


and what is actually not, and, when they recycle plastic bottle they actually have to wash it twice and peel off the cover and, stuff, but they just throw it inside the recycle bin


for recycling, , it increase processing cost and low quality jobs, it can, cost thrice as much as the cost of putting garbage in landfills, so is often considered cost inefficient even if it is actually eco friendly


and the process is also labor intensive, and also recycling when people recycle it actually require stricter and more stringent implementation on recycling because it can actually have an adverse effect on health and the environment when it is not done properly


like such as, toxic waste that is improperly handled can actually contaminate land air and the environment, there's one more stringent implementation must be followed, but some, recycling companies actually abandon their dump site


and waste are left lying around it can actually have environmental effect, and also like when you mentioned, of recycle, paper like trees, that are actually made of paper


good products actually not guaranteed also, because not all recycled items are of good quality or even actually safe to use, for example to recycle paper which is used which is a harsh chemical there's actually harmful to health and the environment


and also as previously I mentioned recycled products may actually contain toxic chemicals that were actually presented with the original material, like


uh okay for example, recycled steel actually used in buildings in taiwan it has actually caused radiation poisoning for the past twelve years, so recycle, doesn't mean is the answer to all the problem of waste because not everything can be recycled and recycling items also doesn't mean there's a lot of advantages there's a lot of disadvantages as well


well but for plastic bottles like what you mentioned, , there is a warning to show that it can only be used for less than a year, but not everybody follow instructions, so actually if they use


it might also cause them actually more harm


well but not everybody actually pay attention to the instructions


as spoken just now recycling actual results in more pollution higher energy consumption and cost inefficiency, making less effective than what everybody actually believe, and also the number of


and also the number of, soda cans that need to be recycled is also many times more than, facilities can process for example in america alone the average individual drinks two point five can per day amounting to around seven hundred and seventy eight million cans that need to be recycled


so there's also increase in manpower


debate topic two


okay so what are oil actually used for they are used for many things from vehicle to machine, they actually all need oil to operate yes in the past people are dependent on oil


but now as technology advanced there are actually many examples of oil free way such as the BlueSG car that we have in singapore it doesn't require petrol and they are actually coming out with more cars like these that doesn't require part petrol but just to charge it


and also there's like solar solar power, a lot of like countries are actually using solar, panel right now I think there's also one shopping mall in singapore that actually use solar panel


to operate so actually if you say , the world is very dependent on oil I actually doesn't think that way as technology advanced now there are actually many other ways that they they can actually like use less oil like the BlueSG just now I mentioned solar power


and also there's hydro power which actually used water, and in other countries there's also like nuclear power plant which can also be used to replace oil


norway actually has the world, largest solar plant, canada actually use hydro electricity as their source of electricity, so actually a lot of countries they are actually using other methods instead of oil


it it's actually time for change because, we just need to recognize the place in which oil is present in our daily life and we can then identify the alternative and make better choices so we that we can get off oil and also prevent future spills and drilling in the arctic


the options are just out there we just need to start choosing them like just now when you mentioned that, the about the cost, if petrol use gas consumption there are actually a lot of cost also because they actually have to


top up the fueler once, every few days, depending on the usage but if they drive uh electric energy, it actually uses less, of their cost


and also like the daily house household products like the cleaning products, you can actually make your own with just basic ingredients which you have at home, like vinegar baking soda


so actually it doesn't really requires oil as well


well you mentioned just now that, we can actually get oil from other country, but if there is a import on oil, maybe there's a disruption in the supply


and there's also short there are also be shortage, so it actually if you actually reduce the oil you can actually reduced import export of oil


debate topic three


well but regulation is just a short term solution


for example if someone throw rubbish and he gets, fine, but perhaps one day when money is not an issue to the person, he will continue his bad habit of throwing rubbish


therefore this is not an issue on regulation it will be education, like, what you mentioned just now primary socialization actually it is the most important as what children, can learn and pick up


habits at home by their parents grandparents, they can also like learn more, from TV shows, and then followed by secondary socialization whereby toward attend school to learn more


so if one can actually be educated from young it would actually be a more viable solution to all environmental solution instead of regulation, as, they were actually know what is right, and what is wrong and how to actually protect


the environment , and also regulations is good but however education is more important as regulation is not, full proof, even people often can tell you that rules are actually meant to be broken


even regulations, so is not an exception, first thing not all regulation can be held in place all the time, secondly human have, these internal stage whereby if you are not allowed to do something


then you are more likely to do, something, like if I tell you don't laugh then you are more likely to laugh, but if I tell you a joke and ask you to laugh you might not even laugh, so basically any regulation would fail so obviously it is not the best thing


actually yes I actually agree with what you say that regulation should be put in place but however


I believe regulation is not enough, just like law and rule is not enough without education coming in, if people are well educated they won't even break the law because they know what is going on, they will know what is going on in the world like


, if there's any crisis so when they actually know more they will they are less likely to do thing that will actually harm the environment, environment, for example if you give a child a glass cup and say don't drop it he might actually drop it but if you teach him that this glass is something important and if you drop it it will break and shattered


when you use this kind of education or theory, factor he's actually less likely to drop because, he will so called care for the glass, so actually education is more important


well it like what you would say regulation is good, but, people are actually not following the regulations like they still break the rules they still break the laws


that's why, criminal rates actually increase like, , they they they goes steal things, they throw rubbish, they are still not following the regulations


but not everyone learn from it like some people can go to jail come out go back in again come out again and go back in again, so they are actually still not following regulations


well but I believe if they have proper educations then they will actually, they are they will actually know what is right from and what is wrong, so it will actually decrease the crime rates


ya ya


okay okay, can I go out and uh get a drink


okay (ppc) (ppc), uh I will agree that


uh recycling is the problem of waste to is the answer to the problem of waste, as , there's a rise in population in the world and so does the problem of waste


(ppc) so to, uh counter this kind of uh issue, the world is using, uh incinerator, educational campaigns and uh regulations to


have also widely adopted, I would have say that uh compared to other ways much more uh, uh compared to other ways recycling is a much more


friendlier and least objectionable, uh methods, it is expensive but uh the most effective way


recycling also create less pollution and more sustainable, over a long period of time


and uh for example there are uh for every ton of paper that is uh recycle, seventeen small trees are being safe, and air pollution is greatly reduced


so in in uh twenty zero four (ppc) USA have uh save one point three million tons of uh iron ores and uh, eight point two million trees and successfully reduce the greenhouse gas emission


due to the nationwide recycling programs that the country, implemented (ppc) so we are saying that, country are taking a lot of, steps a lot of uh measurement to


err to prevent to, to prevent to to solve the problem of waste, and the answer I think is


this is the not only that uh, it it is it is a more, friendlier choice but it is also a more uh, !oops!, it is also a way to reduce, wastage


to recycle products to use it again, so not only it save our world but it also save economy


, recycling actually take up less space than landfills so it is very suitable for a small country like uh singapore


, because land has been a very big issue for, uh, small countries, where in singapore we have uh the the island for us to to


for us to dispose our waste which is in uh, Pulau Semakau and uh because of our scarcity in, land resource uh we have to build, an island, for us to dispose our waste and then it is not going to last us forever


I believe that uh in twenty thirty the year twenty thirty uh, we might be if we might not able to use, the island anymore as uh the the, the the space has all been used up


(ppc) so, so you can imagine that a world living with people and then their houses their buildings and then we have to uh set aside some spaces for, landfills


which is not a, a viable solution in the long run, so I believe, although it's expensive, and uh yes it will cause some uh like like the opposition said it will cost some uh air uh pollution


to the environment but yes I think, it is a, it is a inevitable solution that we have to consider, like for example uh, if you if you cut trees


for to do if you cut trees to uh generate new papers there will be pollution, there will also be pollution where the the the trees are being cut and then there are the dust and all that flying everywhere


so on the other hand if you do paper recycling, so fewer trees will need, fewer trees will need to be cut, and more trees can be save


so it also contributes to the mitigation of uh, uh of uh environment, degradation, so in other words I believe that


uh recycling also must be implement, with uh educational campaigns and regulation for it to be most effective


like what the opposition have said uh, uh the, recycling products too, uh yes it do contain, uh, like like what she said ya it do contain uh chemicals and harmful substances


but uh, I I I remember I saw some uh this kind of uh, recycle bottles where you can uh drink from it and then you wash and then drink again, but it, uh warns the consumer that uh you you can only use it for


a year and then you have to dispose away, so I believe that measurement has been uh taken to warn the public to teach the public uh the awareness of uh the


our environment, the awareness of uh the the the problem of waste and then also recycling, so as compare to plastic bottles, which , is quite harmful and then plus for plastic bottles you can't use it for a year


there there will be substances inside the the material and then uh it's very harmful for use it for you to use it uh for a long period of time, so usually for plastic bottle you just use and dispose


so compared to this, example I think uh, disposing of a, plastic bottle is still consider uh, uh, to increase the problem of waste


that is not plastic bottles that is uh specially make, bio, biodegradable uh material, then it also can it can only be used in uh like I


cafes are actually selling it, so I think then it has instruction on it to say that uh it can be used for, uh maximum one year, so I think the publics the consumer has to play their own role to uh


actually follow the instruction, yeah we cannot uh control we cannot uh


we can only hope, we cannot uh have the outcome with one but we can only hope it, uh, taking the measurements, provide providing the answer, uh the the most viable solution


that we can think of to the public and in hope that they will listen, because uh, this I I think I really think that this is the answer to solve the problem of waste


if not I don't see, if recycling is taken off the picture, uh the problem of waste will be will will be going to cause a, great impact


a great impact in the uh environment in the years to come


(ppc) okay , but err


every country has been already, taken out, a nationwide recycling program, to implement, to uh implement to share with other countries, to share the goods about recycling


debate topic two


ah okay yes I would agree that uh the world is very dependent on oil


in many aspect of humans interaction today depends on the adequate sourcing supplying and distribution of oil, to the point that uh minor distribution at any stage paralyze or greatly reduce our capacity to function effectively


most of our most of our supply comes from the use of oil like uh generate electricity even the most minor disruption in oil in oil supply causes harmful changes in the price of oil


energy market and also uh global finance so all these, even uh so all these minor factor will cause a dramatical


effect in uh many different uh human interaction and uh many humans activities, and also environmental hazard associated with uh accidents involving oil such as


tanker spillage are often are often underestimated and ignore by international community as everyone falsely assumes that such accidents only happen to other countries


and can be easily contain to their immediate locality


okay , just now the opposition mentioned that the use of solar panels use of uh those kind, of a, oil replacement uh machines to


to enable humans to uh, to to to to, able to function their daily lives but do you ever think that this kind of uh oil replacement machines are actually requires a lot of


money so for people for people in the third world country might not be able to to, to have that kind of uh financial resource, to being to (ppc)


have it all over their countries so oil they still have to depend on oil for the for their daily needs okay, and uh despite the depletion of oil many company many many countries continue to uh utilize oil as their main energy rather than invest in research


of our of other viable option ya like what I mentioned because of the cost you need you need money and you need a lot of uh resources to in and time to to research in other viable options


by solar panel and all that , the majority of our economy and industrial uh activity remains powered by oil generated electricity


okay the majority of our economy and industrial activity remained power by oil , because you need to generate electricity and emphasis emphasize on sustaining economic


growth that all costs, pressurize many countries to continue their dependence on oil, so bottom down uh every every it will it will always lead to costs as oil is already been there so


for country that has a rich resource of oil we we just need to buy from them and then, ah we we just need to use it so you know the the problems always goes down to the costs to to find out uh


to get other replacement, ya there is cases that uh the rapid development of uh BRICS nation brazil russia india china and south africa have make oil extraction rate to the sky rocket of thousand barrels per second


so countries that big countries like them, are uh, not are are still heavily dependent on oil so, I believe that it's still


it's still not uh able to easily being replaced, apart from that


conflicts arise when two or more parties fight over control on certain goods land and other resources so uh for iraq, it's a very oil rich region was invaded by US in uh twenty


twenty and three in order to find weapons but however there are a lot of uh conspiracy theory to say that uh the mission is is actually to conduct continued import of oil to the USA


if oil is not if oil is not so important then why countries are fighting over it and then people are losing their life and wars and all that to to fight for resources


okay


on a side note ah uh actually according to many prediction and expert uh world war three there will be a world war three in in the future there might be, to be fought over control of a limited oil, and then so uh


oil is actually driving everyone crazy, ah it is it's not a it's not to be taken lightly, because it's a primary resource, for, all countries to meet, to meet their demands


and just now the opposition mentioned that the to use to replace, uh with electric, generated car, uh yes it's it is a option and then I believe that uh many many uh


country are actually planning to, launch it to the to a fully to to a, widely skill one day uh but yes, you have to go back to the same question again, the cost


would you think that uh, buying a, electrical generated car, is cheap or, compared to a normal car, for the for the issue of uh refuelling petrol and all that this this uh various


uh according to independent according to uh each, uh individual country so, to imagine that everyone has has to change their car to buy to buy the


electrical generated car I think this is a very big step, and then uh, not all cars are expensive like, uh, for us because our our land is small and then the


the, population is relatively a lot as compared to our land size that's why, the car in singapore is expensive is expensive but as compared to other country uh your car may might not might not really costs a lot


but if people were to switch to electrical generated car then uh it might, actually cost them a lot and this might not be a viable solution


yes there is a shortage, but the question now is not whether that is or there is not a shortage the question now is whether the world is too dependent on oil, believe that


we are facing the scarcity of oil, people are still dependent on it, , somethings it can be replace, can be replaced but not everything


there is uh the oil prices and also, it it really the the, changes in oil prices it will, affect the market and also global finance


so to change to other option, it will, I believe it can, but, it cannot fully replace oil


okay can can I can I add hello, , uh we are actually very dependent on oil


in our daily daily needs, to from cooking, to driving to working , if one day the world can, uh


taken a step back, and then to change it to other replacement uh I believe that everyone will be very, happy, very satisfactory to do so, but


I'm not seeing it uh in the near future to come that oil can be totally being replaced


okay , solution to all environmental problem is more regulate to is more regulation, uh than education because


uh, uh, education for education people will have to learn, from young they can they they they have to get uh they have, to receive a good upbringing from uh primary socialization


all the way before they began, uh learning in school the parents have to teach them the the right moral values, and then in school the the the teacher will have to uh supplement on that for them to learn okay and this is


uh actually depends on each individual whether you want to learn or not and whether the children whether the children are up upbringing is actually good, because this does not uh happens to


everyone everyone lives their own life and then very different life we cannot expect everyone to have the same kind of uh uh standard of living and then same kind of uh teaching methods at home


so, so I believe the answer is not education is not the love of the education is more of a deterrence, then uh yes to to the the the the most effective way to promote


deterrence for harming our environment is I believe it's high in punishment, for offenders of course because uh if if if someone were to litter to to to damage the environment, we offer them fine and punishment so if they were to pay the fine


if they were to pay the fine and then subsequently they committed the the the same offence again the fine will be increased


and then go to court to jail and sentence and all that , the the punishment will uh the punishment will gradually increase harsher and harsher than the one before


so I believe they will learn from their mistake if not the next time they do it they will, uh suffer uh even more consequences even more harsh consequences


and also for uh ah international law international environmental law there are uh quite a number of them air quality law water quality law waste management law environmental cleanup law and all these


uh uh uh, regulation all these regulation has been very useful uh for people to to learn to educate to understand that the importance of a


the importance to protect our environment instead of harming them to instead of harming it so, I would think that it is better to have a set of guideline like for example air quality there is the standard uh like like like you see uh every year in our country will have the haze issue and then there's this the the haze


uh meter, PSI yes PSI that we see everyday so for air quality there is a healthy range of uh, air quality for every human being to live healthy in the world so once it reached a certain amount of extent the the the rangers


they become unhealthy so what we need to do, for, err regulation the government, urged the public to wear mask outside and stay at home don't go out unnecessarily


this is regulation, and then uh


there is a water quality blog which also uh tell us what is the, what is the standard of uh the the standard quality for for a healthy water for people to drink it brings it tell it actually tell people what kind of uh


a healthy standard of water people should have so this kind of uh, this kind of a regulation it set up a straightforward guidelines for people to abide to it to follow to understand to continue to learn


okay uh


okay uh the opposition mentioned that oh uh education is very important is more important than regulation, yes I would love, to uh believe it I will love to want it to be true but it is


but it is, it is it is important but uh it, cannot supersede regulation, education is is uh people would want people would want uh their children to have the right moral value like what uh the opposition mentioned that


uh if someone want to tow the person to, do not do something the person will in uh to to the person will purposely do it


and then if you actually teach them they shouldn't do it and then the consequences they will follow it, , but you you have to think , uh how many of the students actually behave this way is up to them whether they want to listen or not


so we cannot always depend on education, education is good, but we need to we need to uh supplement a lot a lot of regulation into it


because if education is is really that uh successful today, that, there there there will be uh, there will be a great great reduce in crime today but no the crime in a lot of country are rapidly increasing


so, it it will always go down to regulation, and uh regulation also makes international agreement for country to


uh bind together, so there are numerous uh legal binding international agreement between country so that they have to uh what they should do to protect the environment what they should not do to harm the environment


so, uh you you can imagine that there is no regulation, there is no legal binding uh paperwork, between countries, then just merely on the sake of education okay this is good and uh that is good please don't do this to our earth


uh, what what what would you think would happen would would the country actually listen to it, if there is no legal paperwork


and also there are a lot of issues in uh africa, like droughts and flooding air pollution deforestation loss of biodiversity fresh water the the issue of fresh water availability degradation of soil vegetation and widespread of poverty


so to counter these the US environmental protection agency the EPA hopes to provide enough aid, on concerns regarding pollution before their impacts contaminate uh the african environment as well as the global environment so by doing so they intend to protect human health


particularly vulnerable populations such as the children and the poor, in order to accomplish this goal in africa the EPA programmes are focused on strengthening the ability to enforce environmental law as well as the public complaints to them


so we can see that the government agency is actually taking taking steps to uh to to to help the third world country, by by education people will not know what to do


okay so is is only with uh a small part of education but with a big part of a regulation and then we can implement measures we can uh we can uh enforce laws and uh compliance to to teach


the the the people in the those third world country what to do and what to not do, and then if they don't do and then uh, they they will not be they they did not complies to the law


that's why there is harsher punishment for, each uh offence, with uh, the second offence will always be harsher than first offence and so on


so people will people will learn from it, then ultimately they face uh jail sentence who would want jail sentence so ultimately they were still learn from it


yes I, yes uh such kind of uh cases I believe they are they only wrapped it they are not able to represent as a whole because


they they they they are the minority


the uh, I I don't think I don't think is all on the education provided by the school uh


upbringing, a primary socialisation is very important even before it is is the process of uh the the children before going to school , okay then how do you uh you if you say this


school provide us a good education to children then how do you ensure that other parents can do the same for their children because we have a lot of parents in the world uh all from different uh income range and then all from different educational background


alright so , going back to the topic of weather humidity is still desirable today, , I personally do feel that, as how society has shaped the current generation, upcoming generations of


of of the of you know peoples students workers everybody in singapore right I do feel that society is rather judgemental, as the as the days and the years go by, in the way that it shaped the way then new generation starts to see things and how they start to adapt to the culture so for example being humble in there are many examples of which


there are cases in which being humble actually is a bad thing so for example, if I was to be in school right now and and say I I'm I've achieved certain things in my life, there are actually going to be naysayers would be or people like who judge asked on based on achievements you have like for example I can be the most humble person but


at the end of the day there's no point being humble when you, you you you do you do not dare to share your achievements and that actually causes you to lose the confidence you have within yourself, so for example personally I am, the current uh captain for basketball in republic polytechnic and


when I was when I achieve that that role in the team there were actually many people who who started to have extra comment saying !wah! he's not he's not he's not being humble man is he's just showing off whatever he has, so in my opinion no matter how humble you are there's always going to be people who actually


find the thing find things to pick out from your achievements actually show that you are not humble so by being humble you actually tend to keep your achievements and the things that you have supposed to be confident about to yourself and I personally feel that this is actually something that


holds the newer generation into like a box like within a box that they're stuck and they are not able to be as confident as they want, so I do feel that, personally are being humble in the current societies actually not very necessary cause no matter how humble you are there's definitely going to be people who


try, try and pick up points in which to bring out the negative things in you, so therefore I do feel that to conclude everything I just say is basically saying that no I do not feel that being (hmm) is humility is not desirable today as I feel that, there are many people right now who


do judge you on based on whatever you do so no matter how humble you try and be or no matter how humble you try and portray yourself there's still going to be people that, try and pick out the negative things in you so as I do feel that you should just, be who you are if you have achieve certain things in life and you want to showcase it just showcase it they're still going people who judge it so it doesn't really matter yup


so uh ah so thanks for the your points that you are just, shared so I'm just going to go back to the points that I said, earlier on based on regarding the fact that, how society has basically , you know shipped, the way the current generations are coming up so


so back to the point which I said there's no matter how humble you are there's always going to be, certain naysayers and certain you know people judgmental people who are always trying to put you down so back to the point you made yes I do agree that, as I like being a leader the captain of the team I do have to showcase to the my fellow teammates my fellow players and how a certain leader should be acting


but, yes as the captain and as the leader of the team it's also my job to tell them that you know being too humble with, with your character and being too humble to showing peoples can actually be a bad thing and they can actually lead to certain, misunderstanding so for example


not knowing your value is one of the biggest things that many people start to experience when they become too humble, and this actually can actually showcase is when, humility can actually sometimes leave you passing through the live in contentment and never actually truly experiencing the skills and qualities


that made you yourself unique, so if now I was to be the captain of the team and I'm trying to be humble and showcasing to my teammates that they , being humble is very important you know I'd I'd I when I'm in a meeting or or in a talk with other leaders of the school and I don't and I'm too humble and I do not share my my attributes my achievements with them it just shows my teammates that at the end of the day being a leader it just shows that you don't really have that qualities


if you are being too humble you're not going to be able to showcase and and be confident of the achievements that you achieved, so what I feel that at the end of the day is, no matter how humble you are there are definitely going to people who try and put your down try and showcase the things that you have done negatively so in my opinion, I do feel that I have to showcase


how it's important it is to also, show the value that humanity is something that many people judge wrongly so being confident within yourself being able to know that your achievements your qualities and your attributes that you have achieved personally and showcasing them whenever you want is very important


as there is no point trying to hide everything within yourself within a bubble that you have created within yourself just to make sure that, the only person that knows what achievement is yourself is not really something that is going to help us in the society that is being built right now as we all know that


the society as the days go by is becoming more more judgmental more and more negative in a sense so therefore I do feel that humility is something that, at the end of the day can really spoil or even really breakdown someone's confidence, and as a leader I do feel that I have to continue showing my team that


humility is something that is, you should never really take, to a consideration that you starting to bring you down, so, to complete everything I still do feel that humility is honestly not desirable today and yup that's I and with that I end my


my my part of the debate


yup uh so to basically backup from the points that you have just said so basically let me just named several athletes and several leaders in the world popular people the world that, seem to know that