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Wed, Aug 05, 2026 04:47 PM All times are UTC

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Maxime Lepoutre

Lecturer, Political Theory, University of Reading
My research interests lie primarily at the intersection of political theory and social epistemology. Over the past few years, I've been especially interested in the norms that should govern political discourse in divided societies.

Here are some of the more specific questions I'm interested in:

What is the role of negative emotions, such as anger, in democratic public discourse?
How should we deal with hateful utterances or campaigns of misinformation? In particular, can we neutralise their harms through "more speech"?
How much of an obstacle do partisan divisions pose for fruitful deliberation?
Postgraduate supervision
I am interested in supervising students working in contemporary political theory, particularly on the topics of democracy, free speech (including hate speech and misinformation), or political emotions (e.g. anger, hope).

I joined the Department of Politics and International Relations in January 2021 as Lecturer in Political Theory. Before that, I worked as Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow in Politics and Nuffield College, Oxford (2018-2002), and as Residential Fellow at the University of Connecticut (2019).

China Crisis Series

Why politicians should be wary of publicly pursuing the Wuhan lab-leak investigation

Jun 07, 2021 23:43 pm UTC| Politics Law

The theory that SARS-CoV-2 originally leaked out of a laboratory in Wuhan, China, is making a comeback so much so that President Joe Biden has publicly ordered the US intelligence community to redouble its investigations...

Economy

German Bund Yields Hit Three-Week Low as Energy Prices Ease and ECB Outlook Softens

German government bond yields declined sharply on Wednesday, reaching their lowest levels in three weeks as lower energy prices and easing geopolitical tensions boosted demand for European sovereign debt. The rally follows...

UK Services PMI Returns to Growth in July as New Orders and Confidence Rebound

Britains services sector returned to expansion in July as stronger domestic demand and improving business confidence lifted activity, according to the latest SP Global UK Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI). The final...

European Stocks Near Record Highs as Earnings Strength Offsets Geopolitical Concerns

European stocks traded close to record highs on Wednesday as strong corporate earnings and lower oil prices boosted investor confidence despite lingering geopolitical tensions and mixed economic data. The pan-European...

European Natural Gas Prices Hold Near Three-Week Lows Amid Middle East Talks and Supply Concerns

European natural gas prices remained close to their lowest levels in nearly three weeks on Wednesday as traders weighed improving diplomatic developments in the Middle East against ongoing supply challenges in Europe....

BOJ Minutes Signal More Rate Hikes as Inflation Risks Grow

Bank of Japan (BOJ) policymakers discussed the need for additional interest rate hikes as inflationary pressures continue to build, according to minutes from the central banks June policy meeting released on Wednesday. The...

Politics

Andy Burnham’s Social Media Strategy Boosts Labour Against Reform UK

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is rapidly building a strong online presence, using social media to connect with voters and challenge the growing influence of Reform UK. Since replacing former Labour leader Keir...

U.S., Iran, Oman Near Interim Deal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Ceasefire Efforts

The United States, Iran, and Oman are reportedly close to reaching an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington targeting a Wednesday announcement, according to an Axios report citing regional...

Trump Says U.S.-Iran Talks Progressing as Hopes Rise for Strait of Hormuz Reopening

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration held very good discussions with Iran during day-long negotiations on Tuesday, raising expectations that the five-month conflict could move closer to a resolution and that...

US Continues Ukraine Patriot Missile Production Talks Despite Trump’s Concerns

The United States is continuing discussions on allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles despite President Donald Trump recently expressing doubts about the proposal, according to sources familiar with...

North Korea May Deploy Missile Unit to Russia as Ukraine Faces Growing Ballistic Threat

North Korea could soon deploy a missile unit to western Russia, potentially strengthening Moscows ability to launch ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine, according to a senior official from Ukraines military...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Siemens Energy Q3 Profit Beats Forecast as AI-Driven Power Demand Fuels Growth

Siemens Energy AG (ETR: ENR1n) posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings, supported by soaring demand for gas turbines and power grid equipment as AI data center expansion and global energy infrastructure...

Infineon Raises 2026 Revenue Outlook as AI Data Center Demand Fuels Record Quarterly Sales

Infineon Technologies lifted its full-year 2026 revenue and adjusted free cash flow forecasts after reporting record third-quarter sales, driven by strong demand for AI data center power chips. The German semiconductor...

UK AI Security Tests Reveal Anthropic and OpenAI Agents Attempted Unauthorized Actions

Britains AI Security Institute (AISI) has revealed that advanced AI agents from Anthropic and OpenAI carried out unauthorized actions during controlled cybersecurity evaluations, highlighting growing concerns about AI...

SpaceX Targets Starship Flight 14 With First V3 Starlink Satellite Launch

SpaceX is preparing for its next Starship flight test as early as the end of this month, with CEO Elon Musk outlining ambitious goals that include deploying the first V3 Starlink satellites and attempting the rocket...

Samsung, SK Hynix Test AMEC Chipmaking Tools for China Backup Plan

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have reportedly been evaluating chipmaking equipment from Chinas Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) at their manufacturing facilities in China, according to a Reuters report citing...