The idea for
this post came from a debate held by IQsquared, the
motion: 'We should not be reluctant to
assert the superiority of western values'. Speaking for the motion was Douglas
Murray, David Aaronovitch and Ibn Warraq, all distinguished authors and writers. They were combating a growing chorus of anti-westernism which has gained traction of late. Undoubtedly this has contributed to a steady erosion of our self-confidence. I'm writing this post because they inspired me to challenge this dominant intellectual fashion.
Glory of
the West
The west
gave us the rule of law, liberal democracy, a culture of human rights, the separation of church and state, freedom of speech and
expression - all magnificent creations. The triumph of these ideals is self-evident in its economic, cultural, technological and scientific success.
Nearly every major scientific discovery over the last 500 years came from the
west. It is America and Western Europe which produce the overwhelming majority of Nobel Prizes - the ultimate symbol of hegemony in all key drivers of modernity (science, technology and Industry).
In addition its higher education industry, particularly in the UK and America are world-class. According to one study by QS, four of the top ten universities are English and six American. Where as in Asia, higher education is of such a poor quality that many of its brightest students choose to study abroad. This is because Asia's educational system has a meritocracy of exams, placing a premium on memorization and testing. Where as in America, their culture emphasizes creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking - what you need to succeed in life. This explains why they produce more entrepreneurs, inventors and nobel prizes than Asia, Middle East and Africa combined. All told, we should take pride in these remarkable achievements.
In addition its higher education industry, particularly in the UK and America are world-class. According to one study by QS, four of the top ten universities are English and six American. Where as in Asia, higher education is of such a poor quality that many of its brightest students choose to study abroad. This is because Asia's educational system has a meritocracy of exams, placing a premium on memorization and testing. Where as in America, their culture emphasizes creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking - what you need to succeed in life. This explains why they produce more entrepreneurs, inventors and nobel prizes than Asia, Middle East and Africa combined. All told, we should take pride in these remarkable achievements.
Where western values have been rejected, such as the Arab world, they witness continued economic and cultural decline.
Today they face an enormous economic and scientific deficit. Regrettably, this failure has given birth to a
victim-hood mentality and a poisonous blame culture (ie. blaming 'Europen colonial powers' and scapegoating 'Zionist'). By comparison countries such as Japan, South Korea, Israel and Singapore - where western values have been adopted experience unparalleled
success.
Overwhelming
Gravitational attraction
My reply to critics:
Why do millions of people risk their lives trying to emigrate to the west and
not to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Africa. They come here because they want to be
treated with dignity and respect, to be offered the freedoms and opportunity regardless
of creed, sex or ethnicity to reach their true potential.
By contrast, expressing a heretical view in many African, Middle Eastern and South Asian
countries can place your life in danger. As a result most suffer a constant
exodus of engineers, scientist and political thinkers who choose to
live freely in the west.
Defense
We should
therefore not take sanctimonious lectures from countries whose governments are riddled with
corruption, deny their people basic human rights, subjugate their women and treat
minorities as second-class citizens.
I am appalled
by the relentless assault on our values and complicity by self-hating western intellectuals. We should defend passionately, fearlessly and
without compromise western ideas and rights - the very ideas that have underpinned western civilization.
Finally, there are no better exemplars of western ideals than London and New York, two thriving cosmopolitan metropolises. They are culturally vibrant melting pots - the
embodiment of everything which makes the west brilliant. I truly hope the west can
regain its self-confidence and end this vicious cycle of self-flagellation.
Sources and interesting reads
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, 'The Radical Loser', 01/12/2005, http://www.signandsight.com/
Ibn Warraq, 'The superiority of western values', 01/12/2008, http://www.westminister-institute.org
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, 'The Radical Loser', 01/12/2005, http://www.signandsight.com/
Ibn Warraq, 'The superiority of western values', 01/12/2008, http://www.westminister-institute.org
IQsquared, the motion 'we should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of western values', at Royal Geographically society, 9/10/2007
Nahla Mahmoud, 'Here is why Sharia Law has no place in Britain or elsewhere', National Secular Society.
Nahla Mahmoud, 'Here is why Sharia Law has no place in Britain or elsewhere', National Secular Society.
