Lea Ypi

Lea Ypi, philosopher and author reflecting on Rousseau and cosmopolitanism. Margaret MacMillan, historian of diplomacy and international order. Hugo Drochon, political historian of elites and democracy. Angie Hobbs, classical philosopher on Plato and justice. They debate Thucydides, Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau and Kant, trace international law and institutions, and consider modern power, legitimacy and resistance.

Lea Ypi, Albanian philosopher and memoirist, digs into a wartime photo that ignited accusations about her grandmother. She mixes archival sleuthing, literary reconstruction and family memory. The conversation probes how dignity, identity and political surveillance shape personal histories. It follows choices, exile and the costs of integrity across shifting regimes.

Lea Ypi, LSE professor of political theory and award-winning author, reflects on dignity, history and political ideas. She mixes family memoir and archival research to trace humiliation and moral agency across 20th-century Europe. Conversations probe parallels between past totalitarianism and today’s polarised politics. The discussion considers how Enlightenment critique might counter rising nationalism and erosion of shared truth.