586. Living Liberalism: Ethics, Society, and Personal Virtue feat. Alexandre Lefebvre

Sep 23, 2025

Alexandre Lefebvre, a politics and philosophy professor at the University of Sydney and author of Liberalism as a Way of Life, challenges the notion that liberalism lacks a vision of ‘the good life.’ He argues that it's deeply woven into modern society, affecting our beliefs and institutions. The discussion includes John Rawls's philosophical insights as tools for personal development and ethical living. Lefebvre also emphasizes the importance of embodying liberal principles and addresses the evolving challenges faced by liberalism in today's diverse world.

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INSIGHT

Liberalism As A Lived Hegemony

Lefebvre argues liberalism is not merely a thin procedural framework but a thick social hegemony shaping everyday life.
He says liberal values now permeate media, education, workplaces and family life, making liberalism a lived culture.

INSIGHT

Ethical Roots And Retreat

Liberalism originally tied liberty to liberality (generosity) and ethical aspiration in the 19th century.
Lefebvre contends liberalism retreated from ethical claims mid-20th century but now must reclaim a pluralistic good-life vision.

INSIGHT

Right Before The Good

Lefebvre frames liberalism as putting 'the right before the good' to manage pluralism.
He argues this reversal is deliberate: procedural politics protects coexistence amid diverse comprehensive visions.

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There is a misconception that liberalism lacks a vision of ‘the good life,’ but liberalism is more ingrained in society than often recognized. It affects media, education, and personal beliefs of those in society both directly and indirectly.

Alexandre Lefebvre is a professor of politics and philosophy at the University of Sydney in Australia, and the author and editor of several books. His latest work is Liberalism as a Way of Life.

Greg and Alex discuss the historical and philosophical critiques of liberalism, discussing whether liberalism needs a theory of ‘the good life’ to remain relevant and compelling. Alexandre argues that liberalism has permeated various aspects of modern life, contradicting the common view that it is merely a procedural framework. They also explore John Rawls's philosophy, particularly his concepts of the original position and reflective equilibrium, and examine how these ideas can serve as spiritual exercises for cultivating a liberal ethos. Alexandre highlights the need for liberals to live up to their principles and examines the future challenges and opportunities for liberalism in a pluralistic society.

*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

Episode Quotes:

What are the goods of the liberal way of life?

36:14: What are the goods of the liberal way of life? I do think that they are real goods and, at the heart of it, I would say. I mean, I think any conception of the good life kind of parks two or three virtues, kind of limit at four, I know, at the heart of what it means to live well. And then they have kind of derivative qualities and virtues flowing out from that. So, I take liberals at their word that the two major commitments they have are, let's say, to liberty and liberality, or to freedom and fairness as a kind of interpretation of what it means to be generous. And out of that comes a whole personality structure. That's what I believe. A whole psychology emanates from that. And it behooves us as liberals to cultivate that, not just because it makes us not jerks and not hypocrites, but because living according to those values and those virtues is intrinsically rewarding and joyful. [37:09] So, that's the first thing I want to say: that the liberal personality isn't just a political thing. I want to say that it disseminates into all aspects of our life, from how we deal with our wife or our husband, our romantic partners, how we raise our kids, to the kind of jokes we laugh at, the kind of stuff that makes us upset, et cetera, et cetera.

Why liberalism needs more than rules

09:14: If liberalism can't compel ethical assent and robust commitment, then what are we talking about? We’re done for, we can't campaign forever on just a set of rules, however noble they are. There has to be a there, there.

Why do people reject liberalism?

34:27: I think that a lot of people saying no to liberalism, it's not because they can't live up to its demands, but because they look at the ideals and say, no, not for me, that this is not the kind of life I want. And that the vision of the good life and the good quality is in a different direction. And I think that those are principled rejections of liberalism that make, for me, a lot of sense. And that if we want to understand the attraction of illiberalism, postliberal, all that stuff, we can't just think that these people are either cowards or afraid, or that their leaders are just motivated by the goods of tyranny—kind of sex, power, money, all that stuff. That is part of the picture, no doubt, but they're motivated by genuine ideals that liberalism crowds out.

Liberalism as a way of life

27:16: Philosophy is a way of life. And what I try to do in my book [Liberalism as a Way of Life] is suggest that liberalism could be seen, sort of, in the same vein.

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