01 | Unsteady State | Politics and the good life

What if your government decided what 'the good life' looks like, then rewarded you for living it and penalised you for straying?

In a growing number of countries, that's already happening.

Liberal democratic theory has long held that the good life is for each citizen to define for themselves, and that the state should stay out of it. But some governments are now rejecting that idea, defining the good life for their citizens and using a mix of incentives and penalties to bring people into line.

Many liberals call this authoritarianism, and accuse the leaders behind it of being driven by greed or a desire for power.

But this week we're asking if the picture is more complex, and if liberals are making a dangerous mistake in misunderstanding the appeal of the 'good life state'.

This episode is a recording of the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture, produced in collaboration with the Australasian Association of Philosophy.

Guest: Alexandre Lefebvre, Professor of Politics and Philosophy at The University of Sydney

Producer: David Rutledge

Liberalism as a Way of Life by Alexandre Lefebvre (Princeton University Press 2024)

Episode 2 | Unsteady State | Who owns Antarctica? - The Philosopher's Zone, October 11