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26Jan

Are revolutions justified?

Hosted by LSE Law School and the School of Public Policy
In-person and online public event (Old Theatre, Old Building)
Monday 26 January 2026 6.30pm - 8pm

Ralph Miliband has written poignantly on the limits of parliamentary democracy. But are revolutions justified?

Moralists think that if the ends of revolution are right, revolution cannot be wrong. Legalists think that since the means of revolution are wrong, revolution cannot be right. In this lecture Lea Ypi revisits their arguments and offers an alternative that cuts across the divide. She examines revolution not in relation to the justice demanded by specific agents but grounded on a philosophical theory of history that focuses on collective progress.

Meet our speaker, chair and moderator

Lea Ypi (@lea_ypi) is the Ralph Miliband Professor in Politics and Philosophy at LSE, a fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, and Honorary Professor at ANU. Author of Free and Indignity (Penguin), her work has won major prizes, including the RSL Ondaatje Prize and Leverhulme Prize, and been translated into 35+ languages. She coedits Political Philosophy and writes for the FT and Guardian.

Andrew Murray is Dean of LSE Law School and Professor of Law specialising in new media and technology law. A fellow of the RSA, he has advised the UK House of Lords and the Saudi government, and previously held visiting posts at Sciences Po and the Amsterdam Law and Technology Institute. He delivered the 2020 TMC Asser Lecture and is a reviewer for major international research awards.

Andrés Velasco (@AndresVelasco) is Professor of Public Policy and Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. In 2017-19 he was a member of the G20 Eminent Persons Group. During 2015-16 he co-chaired the Global Panel on the Future of the Multilateral Lending Institutions. In 2013-16 he was a member of the Global Oceans Commission.

More about this event

LSE Law School (@LSELaw) is one of the world’s best schools. In the UK, it was ranked third by The Complete University Guide in 2025. In the QS World University rankings for 2025, the law school was ranked sixth (out of 200 worldwide). We strive to accomplish excellence in all of our endeavours, helping students, alumni and staff to achieve their full potential in everything they do.

The LSE School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.

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