As I have expressed many times, the power and impact of Enlightenment ideals and rational principles extend far beyond any specific scientific domain into virtually all aspects of society, including how that society itself should be structured.

Societies can, of course, be extremely complex beasts, but they can certainly be studied, analyzed and improved upon nonetheless.

One of the more exciting aspects of travelling to different lands is not only being exposed to different customs and approaches, but also finding oneself jolted out of simplistic assumptions and inappropriate stereotypes that had been unwittingly formed.

Last week I was in Singapore. In so far as I had thought about Singapore at all, it was, I now realize, a typical sort of knee-jerk Western perception: an overly regimented society where gum-chewing was outlawed, caning prevalent, free speech muzzled and creativity stifled. As a card-carrying member of the anti-conformist league and a passionate celebrant of individual expression, I was expecting to find Singapore an uncomfortable and even somewhat creepy environment - quietly efficient in an Orwellian and insidious sort of way.

Wrong.

What I saw was a vibrant, ethnically diverse and flagrantly successful city. Yes, the streets are clean, the trains run on time and the people are friendly and hospitable - guilty as charged - but I also couldn't deny the fact that, by and large, the people seemed reasonably content, justifiably proud of what they had accomplished in the past 40 years. Everywhere I went, I was struck by one simple, over-arching thought: here was a place that was clearly and deliberately modelled on rational principles. Here was a place where calm, deliberate foresight seemed to replace rampaging political agendas, short-term thinking and fragmented selfish interests. Here was a city that was designed, built and run in a rational, reasonable, scientific way. And here was a city that clearly worked.

Bereft of natural resources, surrounded by countries with varying amounts of economic success and influence, Singapore is a fascinating case study in urban planning and thoughtful design with little less than specactular results. The downtown core is extremely attractive, replete with gleaming bank buildings, pedestrian walkways, green spaces and waterfront cafes as far as the eye can see. Taxes are low. Unemployment is low. The standard of living is high. The cost of living is reasonable. There is high-level, modern universal medicare and unemployment insurance. There is gun control. The subway is fast, clean, comprehensive and affordable. There are virtually no homeless people. The universities (there are two, in addition to distinct research institutes) are solid, while there is a variety of state supported museums and cultural institutions - an accomplished symphony orchestra - presently on tour in North America - theatres, cinemas and galleries. In my short time there, I saw interesting displays of both photography and artistic representations of Thai Buddhism at the Singapore Art Museum and visited the extensive Singapore Science Centre, which was nothing less than outstanding.

Despite the fact that the country sits right on the equator and correspondingly benefits from a beautifully lush climate and vegetation, there are none of the signs of indolence, corruption and inefficiency that typically seem to plague tropical countries.

What on earth have these guys figured out and why aren't the rest of us paying any attention?

And they keep moving forward. In a recent visit to London to meet with Tony Blair, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke about how Singapore needed to expand further in social and cultural matters by way of revamping the education system to "promote more enquiring minds". Arts funding will be significantly increased and the link between economic dynamism and artistic creativity will be explicitly recognized and promoted: "It is art for art's sake", Goh explained, "but also art for Singapore's sake".

Contrast this clear and inspirational message with the state of affairs back home: trendy recitations of Richard Florida's conclusions that economic productivity and cultural diversity are directly related through the attraction of top talent, while the theatre, music and arts scene remain largely unchanged. Meanwhile, it's still impossible to take a train to Pearson Airport from Waterloo Region - or, for that matter, downtown Toronto.

In rational Singapore, just like in science, it seems that mere rhetoric is given short shrift, while emphasis is instead appropriately placed on developing a clear understanding of the goals and a deliberate, concise strategy for achieving them.

Of course, there are issues. My brief experience with Singaporean taxi drivers has convinced me that an alarming number of them simply do not know the city at all. It must be admitted that, as a tourist, it is rather disconcerting to have the cabbie regularly ask you for directions.

More significantly, the political landscape is effectively a one party state, while the press report the local news with all of the investigative fervour of a press release (although it should be noted that, mercifully, I heard no news whatsoever of the latest bargaining positions in the NHL lockout).

Perhaps I should be ashamed to admit this, but I can't help feeling that a one party state of rational, forward-thinking people is definitely superior to a multi-party democracy of narrow self-interests and self-serving agendas strictly tailored to winning the next election.

No place is perfect, but if I had to choose I'd far rather live in an otherwise rational and progressive society where the cab drivers didn't know where they were going, rather than the policy makers. I could always take a bus.