[SydPhil] 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture – 24 September, ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney

[Australasian Association of Philosophy AAP]

Alexandre Lefebvre will deliver the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture on
the topic:
The Return of the Moral State: Philosophy and the Good Life.

Across the world, politics is returning to an old and dangerous question:
should the state help decide what makes a life worth living? Liberal
democracies have long tried to hold back from that question, leaving
individuals, families, and communities to pursue their own visions of the
good life. But from Hungary and the United States to China, India, and
Israel, powerful movements and regimes are again using law, education,
welfare, culture, and public power to promote particular ideals of family,
order, harmony, pride, sacrifice, and belonging.

In this lecture, Alexandre Lefebvre argues that liberalism’s rivals cannot
be understood only through corruption, resentment, or authoritarianism.
They are also offering moral visions — often attractive, sometimes noble,
and frequently dangerous once backed by the state. The challenge for
liberals is to answer these rival “good life states” without becoming one
themselves.

Thursday 24 September, 6.30 - 8pm AEST
Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney

More info and register here:
aap.org.au/AlanSaundersLecture
NB Registrations Cut Off 17 September

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Australasian Association of Philosophy
aap.org.au
ABN 29 152 892 272