A DUTY TO SERVE? THEORIES OF NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The institution of National Service occupies a unique place in the Singaporean consciousness. Generations of young men have passed through the ranks of the Singapore Armed Forces, believing their service to be an obligation that they owe to their country. This thesis will seek to determine whether there is indeed a philosophically coherent theory that is consistent with our general moral intuitions, which can provide an account of National Service obligations as they are understood in Singapore. To this end, it will consider theories of patriotism, association, democracy, and contractarianism, each corresponding to ideas that recur in public discourse surrounding National Service. Ultimately, it finds that each of these theories is either implausible, or cannot be understood to apply to Singapore, and hence concludes that we have no good reason to think there is any genuine moral obligation to serve National Service.