Western civilisation is worth defending
Easter is an event of great importance to Western culture - and a good time to reflect on the gains we've made across society.
While the work of the Academy of Ideas is generally secular, it would be foolish not to recognise the importance of Easter for many millions of people and the centrality of Christianity to the history of Western civilisation. And the central idea of Easter - that of renewal - is something everyone can appreciate as valuable both for individuals and society.
‘Western civilisation’ has become an idea subject to mockery and disdain in certain circles in recent years. But we would be very wrong to dismiss the enormous gains made in the West over the centuries in science, the arts and material well-being.
This Easter, I recommend you use the extra time to think a little bit about how we can in our own ways contribute to the renewal of the values, art and philosophy of Western civilisation. Luckily, we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips to help us start thinking this question through.
First, I recommend the New Culture Forum’s new, six-part series, The West: the genius of Western civilisation. Inspired by legendary TV programmes such as Civilisation, Kenneth Clark's 1969 masterpiece, The West is a bold reminder of who we are and why our culture is worth defending. You can view the trailer below. I was recently interviewed by New Culture Forum’s Peter Whittle, which you can watch here:
Second, you’ll find below the introductory essay for and the full audio from a session we produced on this topic at the Battle of Ideas festival in 2021. We asked our panellists, Professor Aaqil Ahmed, Dr Stephen Blackwood, Professor Frank Furedi, Jodie Ginsberg and Tim Stanley a basic, fundamental question: What are Western values - and should we defend them? You can listen to the whole debate below.
Finally, the Ideas Matter charity hosts its annual intellectual getaway, The Academy, on the weekend of 29-30 July. The very first thing you should do is get your tickets. But I asked the event’s convenor, Jacob Reynolds, for a few recommended pieces to start thinking about the event topic ‘What happened to the Future?’. Aside from his article (!) he recommended:
This article from Brendan O’Neill, looking at why both the cultural mainstream and cultural critics seem so captured by pessimism.
This short book by Russell Jacoby, The End of Utopia: Politics and culture in an age of apathy. It’s not just a fantastic and inspiring read, but reflects on how we got into this situation.
(and) This film, the recent and controversial Babylon starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. What seems like a standard Hollywood tale of debauchery actually has a lot to tell us about the evolution of the culture industry into the censorious place we find it today.
Have a wonderful break, and check out the video and audio below.
THE WEST: TRIUMPH OF CIVILISATION
WHAT ARE WESTERN VALUES – AND SHOULD WE DEFEND THEM?
This year’s Battle of Ideas festivals take place in London (28-29 October) and Buxton (25 November). Early-bird tickets for London are on sale here and for Buxton here.
As a taster, I chaired a great discussion on Western values at the Battle of Ideas festival in 2021. We had a lively debate, with an outstanding panel of Professor Aaqil Ahmed, Dr Stephen Blackwood, Professor Frank Furedi, Jodie Ginsberg and Tim Stanley. Read the blurb and listen to the discussion below.
The recent abandonment of Afghanistan by the UK and the US is widely seen as a humiliating defeat for the West. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the hurried exit and its consequences have led to a soul-searching discussion about what the West really means today. Are we prepared to fight for Western values, and do we even agree on what Western values are?
The failure in Afghanistan is not just seen as a blow to foreign policy – many describe a more profound sense of the decline, arguing that an existential crisis threatens the universal influence of Western values like freedom, democracy, civil liberties. The enemy seems less likely to be the Taliban and more a combination of internal self-doubt and domestic hostility. Any time a politician talks about the importance of citizenship classes or socialising a young generation into a particular cultural or social outlook, all hell breaks loose. For many, we seem to have lost not only the ideas about what we stand for, but the confidence to believe in them.
Indeed, within Western societies many seem increasingly uncomfortable with the traditions and ideals of Western civilisation. According to journalist and author Tim Stanley, ‘the West feels lost. Brexit, Trump, the coronavirus: we hurtle from one crisis to another, lacking definition, terrified that our best days are behind us’. Stanley argues that ‘we can only face the future with hope if we have a proper sense of tradition – political, social and religious’. But the notion of tradition itself is contested by some, as elitist, Eurocentric, and a coda for white privilege.
The norms and customs of modern democratic societies, based on the gains of the Enlightenment period, have also been called into question. Populist uprisings and controversial elections have led to a disenchantment with democracy – can voters really be trusted, or does majoritarian rule deny minority rights? Unimpeded individual liberty is castigated as leading to selfish individualism, at odds with social equality or economic fairness. Long before the pandemic, a defence of freedom gave way to concerns around safety, with a focus on the need to protect citizens from terrorism, crime or even dangerous ideas. Unlimited free speech is increasingly portrayed as a breeding ground for hate speech, portrayed as a threat to the wellbeing of minority groups and in need of limitations if deemed offensive. Even the idea of universalism is seen as a cover for power relations. Instead, relativism and identity politics exert increasing influence.
Stanley’s injunction that we ‘ignore our past at our peril’ immediately clashes with the reality of how history has become one of the major battlegrounds in the culture wars. Some have argued that we seem to be embroiled in a war on the past. But what is wrong with creating new norms based on social justice, or new values forged around ‘inclusion’ and ‘diversity’? After all, tradition previously dictated that marriage was confined to people from the opposite sex. This has all changed – and public sentiment more broadly has become more openly welcoming of sexual minorities. We’ve moved on to reject traditional views of women as the weaker sex, no longer confining them to the home, and we’ve also sought to come to terms with history’s dark side – from slavery or militarist colonisation to removing taboos and ‘stigmas’ about everything from mental health to our biology. Surely this is a new enlightenment?
How does all of this help us understand the demoralisation of Western values? Without historic traditions and agreed cultural values, how can individuals become part of a shared community? How can society nurture a bond between generations and a sense of common purpose and solidarity if we’re constantly calling into question our fundamental values? Can we defend crucial principles such as free speech and democracy against nihilistic destruction or well-meaning challenges? Or is it time to consign the West – and Western civilisation – to the dustbin of history, and start again?