The Dutch Republic in the 16th century was the birthplace of European religious tolerance - Britain was well behind. The centrality of the Magna Carta was (for the most part) a 19th century retcon, like the "Norman Yoke".
That aside, as an Australian I'm underwhelmed by the idea of "the West", particularly when it's counterposed to "Asian values" (a term used by autocrats in our region to legitimise their rule).
I started reading this piece thinking I would vehemently disagree and I ended up agreeing. Shay does a great job giving an overview of the history of the term. When I think about "Western Civilization" I think of it's origins in the Agrarian civilizations and empires in the Mediterranean area, and especially Greek Civilization and Greek Philosophy which made a huge contribution to Christianity via Plato. Now I find out that the term really comes from the split in the Roman Empire and the subsequent split between Eastern and Western Christianity. The real split nowadays is exactly between liberalism and illiberalism or autocracy, as I like to call it. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are all autocracies with an absence of democracy, free press, or freedom of worship. That is the important distinction: freedom versus tyranny. I still think of Philosophy as Western though, because it originates from the Mediterranean and it contrasts with Indian and Chinese philosophy.
Thanks for the article. Many accurate and historical points regarding history of ideas. I also have similar experiences and have written about problems with mixing liberalism and civilisationism. Basically, as a modern liberal one should not divide humans into non-existing civilisations but instead see all individuals as free and members of the human global civilisation/world. https://glibe.substack.com/p/global-history-shows-that-liberalism
The US committed a crime against humanity by waging a war against Iraq under false pretenses. There were no WMD to be found.
The US committed a war against the Serbian people, citing "democracy" for Kosovo when in fact Clinton was building an oil pipeline from the Caspian sea that had to go through Kosovo.
Now news is coming out that the US may very well be responsible for international terrorism by bombing the Nord Stream pipeline.
And yet you're more worried about using the word "West"?
The Dutch Republic in the 16th century was the birthplace of European religious tolerance - Britain was well behind. The centrality of the Magna Carta was (for the most part) a 19th century retcon, like the "Norman Yoke".
That aside, as an Australian I'm underwhelmed by the idea of "the West", particularly when it's counterposed to "Asian values" (a term used by autocrats in our region to legitimise their rule).
It's a trivial point, but the earth is round. From where I sit, in Los Angeles, Japan and China are in the West, and Europe is in the East.
I started reading this piece thinking I would vehemently disagree and I ended up agreeing. Shay does a great job giving an overview of the history of the term. When I think about "Western Civilization" I think of it's origins in the Agrarian civilizations and empires in the Mediterranean area, and especially Greek Civilization and Greek Philosophy which made a huge contribution to Christianity via Plato. Now I find out that the term really comes from the split in the Roman Empire and the subsequent split between Eastern and Western Christianity. The real split nowadays is exactly between liberalism and illiberalism or autocracy, as I like to call it. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are all autocracies with an absence of democracy, free press, or freedom of worship. That is the important distinction: freedom versus tyranny. I still think of Philosophy as Western though, because it originates from the Mediterranean and it contrasts with Indian and Chinese philosophy.
Thanks for the article. Many accurate and historical points regarding history of ideas. I also have similar experiences and have written about problems with mixing liberalism and civilisationism. Basically, as a modern liberal one should not divide humans into non-existing civilisations but instead see all individuals as free and members of the human global civilisation/world. https://glibe.substack.com/p/global-history-shows-that-liberalism
The US committed a crime against humanity by waging a war against Iraq under false pretenses. There were no WMD to be found.
The US committed a war against the Serbian people, citing "democracy" for Kosovo when in fact Clinton was building an oil pipeline from the Caspian sea that had to go through Kosovo.
Now news is coming out that the US may very well be responsible for international terrorism by bombing the Nord Stream pipeline.
And yet you're more worried about using the word "West"?
Wow.