Lea Ypi: Benjamin Lecture 2 - What Should I Do?

In the framework of the Benjamin Lectures - and the associated Benjamin Chair at the Centre for Social Critique in Berlin - a distinguished philosopher is invited each year, to present the broader public with current debates on key social and political issues. In 2024, Lea Ypi served as Benjamin Chair. The lectures took place on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of June 2024 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin.
June 20th - What Should I Do?
In this second Benjamin lecture, Lea Ypi suggests that a critique of capitalism in the 21st century cannot be limited to showing its contradictions but needs to return to the fundamental question of its moral justification. Going back to a conception of practical reason focused on freedom, she argues that moral action is linked to the notion of a moral world where human beings relate to each other as ends in themselves. Far from being formalistic or solipsistic, this conception is crucial to diagnose the moral wrong of domination and exploitation entrenched in current capitalist practices.
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In this video:
00:00 Intro Trailer
00:15 Welcome by Rahel Jaeggi
03:55 Second Benjamin Lecture by Lea Ypi
1:08:40 Q&A