Publication of Professor Lea Ypi’s opening lecture

Lea Ypi

The Idea of Moral Socialism

In light of the failures of state socialism and capitalism in the 20^th century, the idea of moral socialism offers a new path forward, rooted in the legacy of the Enlightenment and grounded in a universalist conception of freedom.

“What am I seeking with moral socialism? There is both a political and a philosophical answer to this question. The philosophical answer revolves around the notion of freedom. On the political front, I propose a critique of capitalism that could convince even those who are not in favor of socialism as it is traditionally understood […]. Moral socialism pushes the ideas of freedom at the heart of the liberal project to their most demanding conclusions. It links individual freedom and social freedom, thereby advancing the Enlightenment project. In a nutshell: socialism is liberalism without capitalism.”

Lea Ypi, The Idea of Moral Socialism , Paris, Collège de France, “ Opening Lectures ” series, n^o. 342, 2026, 48 pp.

ISBN: 978-2-7226-0885-6
Price: €12
Publication date: June 18, 2026

Originally from Albania, Lea Ypi is a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Author of the autobiographical novels Free: Coming of Age at the End of History (Penguin, 2021), translated into French as Enfin libre. Grandir quand tout s’écroule (Seuil, 2022) and into more than thirty-five languages, and Indignité (Calmann-Lévy, 2026), she is a visiting professor at the Collège de France holding the Annual Chair “The Invention of Europe through languages and cultures,” created in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, for the 2025–2026 academic year.