SOSS Research Seminar Series | Committed Beliefs and Brute Beliefs
Some say that only certain beliefs are constitutively tied to our natures as rational beings who weigh reasons for taking things to be true or false. For there are other beliefs, they say, that lack the “judgement-sensitive” nature of the former kind, thus falling outside the scope of rational self-control. I interrogate this division among beliefs and defend it by way of three conclusions. First, it is argued that there are plausible cases of belief on each side of the division. Second, it is argued that many beliefs which do not seem to fit the division can nevertheless be made to fit it. Third, and finally, it is argued that we have reason to regard both kinds of belief as species of a shared genus. Accordingly, the division has a claim to explanatory fecundity and withstands a good deal of scrutiny.
Contact: socsc_seminar@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: SPEAKER, , Benjamin Winokur , Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Macau
Benjamin Winokur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau. He researches self-knowledge as well as topics in social epistemology and philosophy of mind, including first-person authority, epistemic manipulation, and norms of inquiry. He is the author of Knowing Where You Stand: On the Value of Reflective Commitment (Routledge 2026)… RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/3AX6veMQaE. Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Social Sciences & Humanities. Audience: Public. Academic Community. Alumni. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff.
Friday, November 6, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
SMU School of Social Sciences &
College of Integrative Studies
Seminar Room 1-1, Level 1
10 Canning Rise, Singapore 179873.
For more info visit forms.cloud.microsoft. SMU: Bangkok Coffee Session
Infosessions
RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://calendly.com/danielpang-smu/smu-bkk-nov2026. Event Details: Join us for an insightful session to discover how our post-graduate programmes can support your personal and professional aspirations.
Our Admissions Advisors will speak with you directly to provide detailed guidance on the application process and to discuss the financial aid and scholarship opportunities that may be available to you.
For a pre-application assessment, please bring along a copy of your resume for a personalised review. Kindly note that sessions may be conducted in a group se… Type: Information Sessions. Subject: Accounting. Business. Law. Social Sciences & Humanities. Economics. Audience: Public.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Terminal 21 Asok, Bangkok.
SOSS-SEA Seminar Series |The self-deceptive state? Torture and bureaucracy in modern Thailand
Bureaucracies monitor and coordinate the actions of state agents, including their violent engagements. This monitoring is supposed to prevent or mitigate ‘evil’ state violence like torture. Yet, as a growing body of literature has shown, even where torture is unauthorised, it need not be the case that bureaucratic monitoring has this effect. How does bureaucracy make torture possible even though it is not permitted? What does the answer to that question reveal about state violence in modernity? This talk addresses these questions by following trails of paper left by 109 cases of torture in Thailand between 2003 and 2021, to argue that in Thailand bureaucratic monitoring, instead of triggering action to prevent torture, produces self-deception about the practice. It does this because the problem that looms before Thai officials tasked with monitoring and addressing state violence is not what to do about the fact of torture but what to do about the fact that torture is on the record.
Contact: socsc_seminar@smu.edu.sg. Speaker Details: SPEAKER, , Nick Cheesman, Associate Professor of Political and Social Change, Australian National University
Nick Cheesman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political and Social Change, Australian National University, where he directs the ANU Myanmar Research Centre; and currently, Visiting Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. He researches state violence and the politics of law in mainland Southeast Asia.
Moderator, , Christianna Parr, … RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GEvAAnYdU6. Type: Seminars & Workshops. Subject: Social Sciences & Humanities. Audience: Public. Academic Community. Alumni. Current Student. SMU Faculty & Staff.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM.
SMU Yong Pung How School of Law
Seminar Room 2-03, Level 2
55 Armenian St, Singapore 179943.
For more info visit forms.cloud.microsoft. SMU: Jakarta Coffee Session
Infosessions
RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://calendly.com/ivysim-smu/20261113jktcs. Event Details: Join us for an insightful session to discover how our post-graduate programmes can support your personal and professional aspirations.
Our Admissions Advisors will speak with you directly to provide detailed guidance on the application process and to discuss the financial aid and scholarship opportunities that may be available to you.
For a pre-application assessment, please bring along a copy of your resume for a personalised review. Kindly note that sessions may be conducted in a group se… Type: Information Sessions. Subject: Accounting. Business. Law. Social Sciences & Humanities. Economics. Audience: Public.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
Location will be sent to confirmed attendees.
SMU: Surabaya Coffee Session
Infosessions
RSVP: . Reserve a seat: https://calendly.com/chrisng-fstn/smuccsurabayanov26. Event Details: Join us for an insightful session to discover how our post-graduate programmes can support your personal and professional aspirations.
Our Admissions Advisors will speak with you directly to provide detailed guidance on the application process and to discuss the financial aid and scholarship opportunities that may be available to you.
For a pre-application assessment, please bring along a copy of your resume for a personalised review. Kindly note that sessions may be conducted in a group se… Type: Information Sessions. Subject: Accounting. Business. Law. Social Sciences & Humanities. Economics. Audience: Public.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Location will be sent to confirmed attendees.