ALEXANDRE LEFEBVRE

I’m Professor of Politics and Philosophy at the University of Sydney, where I explore how political ideas shape our lives.

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, I earned my PhD at Johns Hopkins University in 2007 and now call Sydney home.

For more than a decade, my work has explored one central idea: political theories and institutions can inspire rich, meaningful ways of life. Read about my research or browse my books.

Latest book

Liberalism as a Way of Life (Princeton University Press, 2024) argues that liberalism shapes not just our politics but our values, humour, morality, and everyday sense of what makes life worthwhile. Named a Best Book of 2024 by The New Yorker, Australian Book Review, Persuasion, and The Ministry of Pop Culture, it was praised as “stirring and clarifying” by David Brooks and “daring and engrossing” by Becca Rothfeld. Explore the book, reviews, and buying options.

Current project

The Good Life State: Politics After Liberalism examines a global turn toward governments that seek not only to regulate behaviour but to shape citizens’ character, values, and ideas of a good life. Read a short introduction in Noema.