What is Moral Socialism?

What is moral socialism? "If we seek an answer to the waverer who asks us whether he should be a socialist or not," wrote the Austro-Marxist Otto Bauer more than a century ago "we do need Kant’s ethics." In this lecture, Lea Ypi reflects on the failures of state socialism and global capitalism in the twentieth century and suggests a new way forward. Her account seeks to revive the Enlightenment critique of technocratic reason and is grounded on a universal conception of freedom as moral agency.

This event is taking place in the Humanities Lecture Theatre within the Gilbert Scott Building. It is also available to view online.

About Professor Lea Ypi

Professor Lea Ypi FBA, FAE is Ralph Miliband Professor in Politics and Philosophy at the LSE, a fellow of the Wissenschaftkolleg zu Berlin, and Honorary Professor in Philosophy at the Australian National University. She is the author of many books and articles, including Free: Coming of Age at the end of History (2021) and Indignity: A Life Reimagined (2025), both published by Penguin.