A Recipe for Singapore: A Dash of Religion and Concern for the Planet

Most faiths teach us to care for the environment. We can bring these religious traditions together in a common cause that will also strengthen Singapore.

- Harvey Whitehouse

On June 24, 2025, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam delivered the opening address to delegates at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) in Singapore. During his presentation—subsequently published in The Straits Times—he argued that multicultural societies have traditionally been conceived as a quilt composed of many individually distinctive patches that create a beautiful effect when stitched together. However, when factors such as polarization or economic inequalities put pressure on the quilt, the stitches can come apart.

The President argued that Singapore should strive to create a stronger fabric—for example, something more like a tapestry in which many threads of different colors are woven together to create a single integrated textile that cannot so easily be torn apart at the seams. What would it take to create such a material?

I have spent most of my professional life as an anthropologist trying to answer that question. In my new book, Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins Of The Modern World, I argue that the answer lies in our universal psychology and shared history. One of the most potent ways to achieve this is through the bringing together of the world religions, drawing on common roots in morality, spirituality, and family to address global problems, such as stewardship of the environment.

This ties in with what President Tharman said and, in Singapore, we can tap the common refrain among different faiths to care for Mother Earth. This will only knit Singaporeans closer together.

UNIVERSAL MORAL DOGMA