Western values refer to the set of social, political, and philosophical principles that have developed in theWestern world, particularly in Europe and North America, and have influenced global culture, governance, and ethics. These values, while diverse and evolving, are rooted in traditions fromGreco-Roman antiquity,Judeo-Christian ethics, theEnlightenment, and modern liberal democracy. They generally posit the importance of anindividualistic culture,^[1] and since the 20th century they have become marked by othersociopolitical aspects of the West, such asfree-market capitalism,feminism,liberal democracy, thescientific method, and the legacy of thesexual revolution.^[2]

Western values have been shaped by a variety of historical influences:

• Ancient Greece andRome: The foundations ofdemocracy,republican governance, andphilosophy were laid by thinkers such asSocrates,Plato,Aristotle and institutions like theRoman Republic.^[3] Ideas such ascitizenship,civic duty, andrational inquiry emerged from these civilizations.
• Judeo-Christian Tradition: The moral and ethical framework of the Western world has been deeply influenced byJudaism andChristianity, emphasizing concepts such asindividual dignity,moral responsibility, and thesanctity of life.^[4]
• The Renaissance andReformation: These movements emphasizedhumanism,individualism, and critical thinking,challenging traditional authorities andpromoting education andscientific inquiry.^[5]
• The Enlightenment: The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise ofreason,secularism, and ideas aboutnatural rights andpolitical liberty. Thinkers such asJohn Locke,Voltaire, andImmanuel Kant argued forfreedom,democracy, andhuman equality.^[6]
• Modern Liberal Democracy: TheAmerican andFrench Revolutions helped establish principles such asconstitutional government,separation of powers, anduniversal human rights, which remain central to Western political thought today.^[7]

While Western values are not monolithic, several key principles are commonly associated with them:

• Individual liberty: Emphasizing personalfreedom in thought,speech, andaction, withlimitations only to prevent harm to others (as articulated by thinkers likeJohn Stuart Mill).^[8]
• Democracy andrule of law: Advocating forrepresentative governance,accountability, andlegal frameworks which applyequally to all citizens.^[9]
• Human rights andequality: Upholdinginherent rights such asfreedom of speech,religion, andequal treatment under the law.^[10]
• Secularism andreligious freedom: Supporting theseparation of church and state, allowing for bothreligious expression andnon-religious perspectives.^[11]
• Rationalism andscientific inquiry: Encouragingcritical thinking,empirical evidence, andtechnological progress.^[12]
• Capitalism andmarket economies: Promotingeconomic freedom,private property, andinnovation throughcompetitive markets.^[13]

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 andjustification of these phenomena.^[14][15] This has induced someopposition 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,^[16][17][18] and to be more global in character than often assumed.^[19] TheWorld wars forced the West to introspect on its application of its values to itself, as internal warfare and the rise of theNazis within Europe, who openly opposed Western values, had greatly weakened it;^[20] afterWorld 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.^[21][22]

Western values have been used to explain avariety of phenomena relating to the global dominance andsuccess of the West, such as the emergence of modern science and technology.^[23][24] They have beendisseminated around the world through several mediums, such as through the spread ofWestern sports.^[25][26] The global esteem which Western values are held in has led to them being adopted by many countries,^[27] which some consider to be leading to a harmful decline of non-Western cultures and values.^[28]

Aconstant theme of debate around Western values has been around theiruniversal 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 these values in what some see as a contested transition to apost-Western era of the world.^[29][30][31] Western values are also often contrasted withAsian values of theEast, which among other factors highly positcommunitarianism and a deference to authority instead.^[32] Within the West,Peter Harrison has argued that Western morality has historically been centered more around virtue than values, and that it has been in constant dialogue with standards of morality from both the past and other civilizations.^[33]

The adoption of Western values amongimmigrants to the West has also been scrutinized, with some Westernersopposing immigration from theMuslim world or other parts of the non-West due to aperceived incompatibility of values;^[34][35] others support immigration on the basis ofmulticulturalism.^[36][37]

• Natural law
• European values
• Western education
• Westphalian system – Concept of the sovereignty of nation-states

• Western culture
• Sociology

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