SOSS Seminar | Three Scientific Answers to Revolutionary Trauma: Ye Wenjie, Liu Cixin, and Chinese Cybernetics
How can revolutionary trauma contribute to political thinking? This paper examines three science-based responses to the trauma of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), situated at the intersection of fiction and historical experience. Each arises from a different source: Ye Wenjie, the fictional physicist in Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem; Liu himself across his writings; and Chinese cybernetic thinkers of the 1980s. Comparing these responses, I reconstruct a spectrum of post-traumatic rationalism in which science becomes a vehicle for rethinking—or evading—politics. This spectrum ranges from despair over political failure to hope in ostensibly neutral systems of governance, culminating in a tension between passionate politics, scientific optimism, and fatalism. Together, these responses illuminate the Cultural Revolution as not only a political rupture but also a generative moment for reimagining science as a substitute for political judgment and a site for reflecting on the limits of reason after…
Contact: socsc_seminar@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: SPEAKER, , Simon Sihang Luo
Nanyang Assistant Professor of Public Policy and
Global Affairs, NTU
Simon Sihang Luo is a Nanyang Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. He is a political theorist and intellectual historian broadly interested in revolutions and democratization, particularly in Chinese political thought. His previous work has appeared on American Political Science Review, European Journal of Political Theo… RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ynmKyZpakUeiQ_Bq_WdGTUGH9G9u-WtAl9UVUOJ8iDJUOEVaVzdPVFUyWEdLMTFVNjlROTM3MkpTMi4u&route=shorturl. Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Social Sciences & Humanities. Audience: Public. Academic Community. Alumni. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff.
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM.
SMU School of Economics & School of Computing and Information Systems 2
Seminar Room 3-3, Level 3
90 Stamford Rd Singapore 178903.
For more info visit forms.office.com. 25 Nov 2025 MST Sample Class: Community Based Social Marketing
Infosessions
Speaker, , Sonny Rosenthal
Associate Professor of Sustainability Communication
SMU
Sonny Rosenthal is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Communication at the College of Integrative Studies at Singapore Management University. He earned his Ph.D. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on environmental communication, media effects, and public understanding of science. He is particularly interested in how various media forms influence perceptions of climate change and promote sustainable behaviours. His recent work examines the role of audiovisual media in enhancing personal relevance of climate change, suggesting that immersive experiences can increase public engagement.
RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://smumst.smu.edu.sg/acton/ct/45772/e-015d-2510:0/Bct/l-tst/l-tst:8/ct15_0/1/pp?sid=TV2%3ApfzZ6FweM. Event Details: This lecture introduces community-based social marketing (CBSM) as a practical framework for promoting sustainable behavior. Unlike traditional communication approaches that emphasize information and persuasion, CBSM focuses on identifying specific target behaviors, uncovering barriers and benefits, and designing strategies that align with social and cultural contexts. Students will explore the CBSM process—behavior selection, barrier/benefit analysis, strategy design, pilot testing, and evaluation—alongsid… Contact: mst@smu.edu.sg. Type: Information Sessions. Lectures. Subject: Social Sciences & Humanities. Audience: Current Student. Incoming PG Students. Prospective Student. Professionals. Public. Alumni. SMU Faculty & Staff.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
In-person Session:
SMU Yong Pung How School of Law
Level 2, Seminar Room 2-2
55 Armenian Street Singapore 179943
Virtual Session:
The virtual session will be conducted on Zoom. For security reasons, the login details will be shared 2 days before the sa.
For more info visit smumst.smu.edu.sg.