Western world

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The '''Western world''' (or '''Western civilization''') is a loose [[geopolitical]] or geocultural concept relating (ultimately) to western Eurasia (or [[Europe]]), and sometimes includes [[South Africa]], [[Oceania]] ([[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]), [[Russia]], [[Latin America]] and [[North America]].

==Definition==
The definition of "Western" depends on the context. In [[geopolitical]] terms a Western nation usually implies a reasonably stable and prosperous [[capitalist]] [[liberal]] [[democracy]]. In [[cultural]] and [[art]]istic terms, being Western implies adherence to forms developed in Europe and nations settled by European emigrants. In neither of these cases does the descriptor have anything to do with geographical location. For example, [[Australia]] is regarded a Western nation in both respects. [[China]], at the same longitude, is Western in neither geopolitical nor cultural terms. [[Japan]], in turn, is within the Western sphere in geopolitical terms but its [[social]] structure and cultural outlook are non-Western. [[Russia]], on the contrary, is a Western country in cultural terms, but has yet to become a liberal democracy.

In yet another sense the Western world can be defined as the [[nation]]s that have traditionally been either [[Protestant]] or [[Catholic]], with a wider definition that includes all [[Christians]] (though some Christian traditions are Eurasian in origin such as the {{wpl|Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church}}).

{{cquote|Yes, praise for “Western Civilization” is often a [[Code word|coded]] way of asserting the racial superiority of white people, both among avowed [[white nationalist]] activists and in mainstream contexts. But not all white nationalists praise it. In fact, those who criticize it tend to consider the same qualities that many people think are the best parts of Western Civilization to be its fatal flaws. And these white nationalist critics of Western Civ cite [[Classical antiquity|Greco-Roman antiquity]] as the source for these flaws with as much conviction as those who who cite the ancient world as proof of Western Civilization’s grandeur.|||Curtis Dozier<ref>[https://pharos.vassarspaces.net/2025/04/25/elon-musk-joe-rogan-empathy-western-civilization/ Who Needs Empathy? Why Some White Nationalists Condemn Western Civilization] by Curtis Dozier (April 25, 2025) ''Pharos''.</ref>}}

[[White supremacy|Some people]] erroneously use the term synonymously with [[white people]] or [[Christians]]. [[Meme]]y scumbag extraordinaire [[Richard Spencer]] has a laughably misguided "understanding" on what exactly Western Civilization is. To him, Western Culture refers to anything from [Western] Europe that he happens to find cool. In his mind, in order to be a [[No true Scotsman|true Westerner]], you have to be white, preferably the descendant of a [[Viking]] or something. He doesn't even consider Hispanic people Westerners, even though Latin American culture is just as derivative of European tradition as countries like the [[United States]] or [[Canada]], perhaps even more so. Spencer's stupidity is even further evident by the fact that he envisions a white [[Ethnocracy|ethnostate]] that will resemble, in his own words, a "reconstituted [[Roman Empire]]." While metaphorically restoring the Roman Empire sounds neat and all (after all, who doesn't love the Romans?), Spencer's words make no sense. One of the niches of the Roman Empire was ''literally'' the fact that identity had absolutely nothing to do with race, with people of many ethnicities holding citizenship; a number of [[Roman emperor|emperors]] were neither from Rome even from Europea, instead hailing from places like modern-day [[Turkey]], [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], and Northern [[Africa]]. The sad part is that Spencer was a [[history]] major, making his knowledge (or lack thereof) even sadder.

==The good and the bad==
Over the past two-thousand years, various Western cultures have been responsible for producing a lot of things that we take for granted today in the realms of [[philosophy]], [[government]], and [[technology]] specifically. Liberal democracy is one such invention, along with most modern [[economic]] models, the concept of the [[nation-state]], and the modern foundation of law (although many elements of such can also be traced back as far as the {{wpl|Code of Hammurabi}}).
[[Enlightenment]] philosophy paved the way for advances in [[civil rights]], [[gender equality]], [[secularism]], [[humanist]] thought, industrialization, and the world's modern political framework.

Modern Western identity is also interesting in how it differs greatly from that of other non-Western cultures. However, the Western notion of identity is unique in the sense that it is determined simply by cultural traditions and democracy. That being said, the ethos of [[liberalism]] has made it so that ethnicity is, more or less, not generally a variable in determining identity. For instance, men and women of various races and different ethnicities have contributed to helping shape Western cultural traditions in many respects, such as [[science]], [[music]], [[literature]], and philosophy. Western countries also see the largest influx of immigrants as opposed to nations in other regions around the world, primarily due to the appeal of liberalism and the opportunities that it allows.

This level of diversity and cultural integration is a phenomenon not often seen in other non-Western societies that have specific criteria as it relates to cultural membership. For instance, if a Hispanic (descended from Western Europe) person moves to China, somehow obtains citizenship, and starts observing the country's traditions, society would most likely never consider him or her as being truly Chinese due to ethnicity being a key component of identity. However, if somebody from China immigrates to the U.S., integrates into the society of his or her new home, and obtains citizenship, he or she would be, as per modern ethos, as much an American or a Westerner as someone born in a Western country, since society has since been shaped in such a way where assimilation is encouraged, and, by extension, an easier process. This is how it is in many (but not all) Western nations.

[[File:BBC poll, Most important defining criteria of self-identity, 2016.png|thumb|rights|250px|Most important defining criteria of self-identity, 2016]]
However, despite diversity being an integral part of Western liberalism's ethos, that does not mean that there are not elements of society that oppose diversity, immigration, and integration due to their erroneous beliefs that race is still a factor that determines cultural identity, which has simply proven not to be the case on a greater scale. Though some foreign traditions may be incompatible with Western liberalism due to the vast amount of cultures that exist, that does not, by any means whatsoever, make it impossible for one of a different cultural background to adjust as many [[bigot]]ed people would have others believe. Unfortunately, these [[racist]] elements of society often make it more difficult for immigrants to acculturate due to such discouragement. Despite that, multi-ethnic populations throughout the citizenry of Western countries have come to redefine society's very understanding of both national and cultural identity. To that end, the West is wholly unique because, as a definitive cultural characteristic on its own, Western society is currently the only civilization whose identity more or less transcends race, instead determined by common culture, secularism, liberalism, and the existence of diversity itself. However, that does not, by any means imaginable, mean that the West is absent of racism or [[xenophobia]], as that is most certainly not the case; the ethos of liberalism is simply one that promotes freedom and equality as a core principle.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Western society is that its nations were the first ever in history to legally [[Abolition|abolish]] the institution of [[slavery]], due to its incompatibility with liberalism and its impracticality due to the advent of industry. Although Western European countries spearheaded worldwide abolition, those very same countries, ironically, built one of the most brutal slave trades in world history (along with the Barbary slave trade and {{wpl|History of slavery in the Muslim world|Islamic Slave trade}}).
For all of the technological, philosophical, and humanitarian advancements through which the West has helped make the world a better place, its cultural institutions have also had many negative effects as well, such as [[climate change]], [[weapons of mass destruction]], [[imperialism]], [[colonialism]], and arguably the worst [[genocide]]s in human history (as long as you ignore Mongolians, Imperial Japan and Tsarist Russia). Today, however, by comparison to pretty much everywhere else, nations governed by the principles of western democracy are pretty much the closest thing there is to a prosperous and free society, due to the common ethos of liberalism that has embedded itself into the culture.

==Preserving western culture==
"Preserving western culture" is a [[dogwhistle]] used in right wing circles to refer to either [[white nationalism]] or fighting angrily against whatever cultural artifacts western countries are currently making.

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[Americentrism]]
*[[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]
*[[Conservapedia]]
*[[Democracy]]
*[[Enlightenment]]
*[[Eurocentrism]]
*[[Orientalism]]
*[[Progressivism]]
*[[Roman Empire]]
*[[Western medicine]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Geography]] [[Category:Culture]]

Categories: Geography, Culture