This seminar explores the transition from “statecraft”—the administrative management of political life—to “soulcraft”—the active shaping of individual character and moral identity. While modern liberalism is often presented as a neutral political framework, Alexandre Lefebvre argues that it is in fact a comprehensive moral doctrine and a “thick” way of life that already shapes everyday practices, dispositions, and ideals in Western liberal democratic societies. Drawing on his recent work, Lefebvre examines how various global powers explicitly deploy perfectionist forms of “soulcraft” to define the moral identities of their subjects.

Against this backdrop, he argues that liberalism’s vulnerability today stems less from an absence of moral content than from liberals’ reluctance to acknowledge and inhabit their own moral commitments. Without endorsing the idea that a liberal state should promote a liberal comprehensive doctrine, Lefebvre contends that liberals themselves must move beyond “liberaldom”—a lazy and selective adherence to their own norms—and take greater responsibility for living out the ethical demands implicit in liberal life. Ultimately, the talk challenges the myth of liberal neutrality, proposing instead that liberalism offers a demanding, serious, and potentially rewarding vision of human flourishing—one that can stand alongside, and contend with, contemporary perfectionist alternatives.

 

Guest speaker: Alexandre Lefebvre is Professor of Politics and Philosophy at The University of Sydney and a scholar of political theory and the history of political thought, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary French philosophy and human rights. He received his PhD from the Humanities Center at Johns Hopkins University.

Date: 12 February 2026, 5:30 pm

Venue: Budapest, 1113 Tas vezér utca 3-7., Hunyadi János Room

 

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MCC students can earn credit for actively participating in the event, provided they read the required chapters and paper(s) and prepare three questions for the Q&A session of the research seminar.

Questions related to the required reading must be submitted to Kálmán Pócza at pocza.kalman@mcc.hu by 11:00 PM on 10 February 2026

Required Reading: Please contact Kálmán Pócza to obtain the electronic version of the paper.

Submission Deadline: 10 February 2026, 11:00 PM

 

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