We are living in the aftermath of a referendum. And whatever the rights and wrongs of the particular result, it’s worth asking why we aren’t usually governed by referendum. Democracy in the full meaning has an ethical component, which is in danger if we just go by majority votes: it assumes something about the liberty or dignity of every citizen, and so mandates a certain approach to minorities or dissidents. In this lecture, Dr Williams will look at how this has evolved and how it works - and why and where it may be at risk today.

Dr Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Williams was educated at Dynevor Secondary Grammar School in Swansea, he came up to Christ's College in 1968. He studied for his doctorate at Christ Church and Wadham College Oxford, working on the Russian Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky. His career began as a lecturer at Mirfield (1975-1977). He returned to Cambridge as Tutor and Director of Studies at Westcott House. After ordination in Ely Cathedral, and serving as Honorary Assistant Priest at St George's Chesterton, he was appointed to a University lectureship in Divinity. In 1984 he was elected a Fellow and Dean of Clare College. During his time at Clare he was arrested and fined for singing psalms as part of the CND protest at Lakenheath air-base. Then, still only 36, it was back to Oxford as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity for six years, before becoming Bishop of Monmouth, and, from 2000, Archbishop of Wales. In 2002, he became the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

He was awarded the Oxford higher degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1989, and an honorary DCL degree in 2005; Cambridge followed in 2006 with an honorary DD. He holds honorary doctorates from considerably more than a dozen other universities, from Durham to K U Leuven, Toronto to Bonn. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2003 and of the Learned Society of Wales in 2010. In 2013, he was made a life peer, becoming Lord Williams of Oystermouth, in the City and County of Swansea. He took up the mastership of Magdalene College on 1 January 2013.

Dr Williams is a noted poet and translator of poetry, and, apart from Welsh, speaks or reads nine other languages. He learnt Russian in-order to read the works of Dostoevsky in the original. This led to a book; he has also published studies of Arius, Teresa of Avila, and Sergii Bulgakov, together with writings on a wide range of theological, historical and political themes.

Refreshments will be available from 12.30pm onwards.

This lecture is free and all are welcome to attend.

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Book event