Monday, June 16, 2025

Trying to Define Western Culture

I have heard people argue that there is no such thing as Western or White culture, as whatever you list has been copied all over the world. I say that is backwards, as it is copied because it is a distinctive culture that is widely emulated and admired. I asked an AI LLM to draft a list.

Core Systems and Values:

Democracy, rule of law, constitutionalism, balanced power.
Individualism, personal freedom, human rights, universalism.
Contract-based legal systems, civic associations.
Intellectual and Scientific Traditions:
Math, logic, scientific method, medicine, philosophy (e.g., rationalism, empiricism).
Exploration and discovery (e.g., maritime voyages, space exploration).
Universities, libraries, research labs.
Cultural Expressions and Institutions:
Codified competitive sports (e.g., soccer, cricket, basketball).
Art, literature, tonal music, film, comedy, digital entertainment.
Western culinary traditions (e.g., fast food, European cuisines).
Monumental architecture (e.g., cathedrals, civic statues).
Fashion, work ethic, hobbies, moral responsibility.
Economic and Technological Innovations:
Market economy, capitalism, corporations.
Transportation innovations (e.g., automobiles, aviation, infrastructure).
Machines, electricity, semiconductors, key inventions (e.g., printing press, internet).
Social Norms:
Romantic love, nuclear family.
Pet ownership and companionship, hobbies.
Probably a lot of people would say that these are not uniquely Western, or White. For example, people play soccer all over the world.

Yes, they play soccer, but they are copying White culture when they do. Nobody ever played sports like that until White people invented them. Likewise with other stuff on the list.

Tacos are still Mexican when Whites eat them. So yea, everyone copies White culture, and it is still White culture.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The problem is the white culture is so ubiquitous and successful that no one recognises it as distinct; it is just the normal way it is.