"Western values" are a set of values strongly associated with the West which generally posit the importance of an individualistic culture. [1] They are often seen as stemming from Judeo-Christian values and the Age of Enlightenment, [2] [3] although since the 20th century they have become marked by other sociopolitical aspects of the West, such as free-market capitalism, feminism, liberal democracy, the scientific method, and the legacy of the sexual revolution. [4]
Western values were historically adopted around the world in large part due to colonialism and post-colonial dominance by the West, and are influential in the discourse around and justification of these phenomena. [5] [6] This has induced some opposition to Western values and spurred a search for alternative values in some countries, though Western values are argued by some to have underpinned non-Western peoples' quest for human rights, [7] [8] [9] and to be more global in character than often assumed. [10] The World wars forced the West to introspect on its application of its values to itself, as internal warfare and the rise of the Nazis within Europe, who openly opposed Western values, had greatly weakened it; [11] after World War II and the start of the post-colonial era, global institutions such as the United Nations were founded with a basis in Western values. [12]
Western values have been used to explain a variety of phenomena relating to the global dominance and success of the West, such as the emergence of modern science and technology. [13] [14] They have been disseminated around the world through several mediums, such as through the spread of Western sports. [15] [16] The global esteem which Western values are held in has been considered by some to be leading to a harmful decline of non-Western cultures and values. [17]
A constant theme of debate around Western values has been around their universal applicability or lack thereof; in modern times, as various non-Western nations have risen, they have sought to oppose certain Western values, with even Western countries also backing down to some extent from championing its own values in what some see as a contested transition to a post-Western era of the world. [18] [19] [20] Western values is also often contrasted with Asian values of the East, which among other factors highly posits communitarianism and a deference to authority instead. [21]
The adoption of Western values among immigrants to the West has also been scrutinised, with some Westerners opposing immigration from the Muslim world or other parts of the non-West due to a perceived incompatibility of values; [22] [23] others support immigration on the basis of multiculturalism. [24] [25]