The unity of Western civilization is certainly not a simple thing.

In contrast to the monolithic

simplicity of the great oriental cultures, the civilization of the West is like a Gothic cathedral, a
complex mechanism of conflicting pressures which achieves its unity by the dynamic balance
of thrust and counterthrust.

The two great traditions that have contributed most to the development of Western
civilization the inheritance of classical culture and the Christian religion have always produced
an internal tension in the spirit of our culture which shows itself in the conflict between the
extreme ideals of other-worldly asceticism and secular humanism. Yet the coexistence of both
of these elements has been an essential condition of the Western development, one which has
inspired all the great achievements of our culture.

the history of Western culture has been the story of the progressive civilization of the barbaric
energy of Western man and the progressive subordination of nature to human purpose under
the twofold influence of Christian ethics and scientific reason. Above all, no other culture in
the world has devoted so much attention to the problem of political power and the moral
principles of political action as that of the West. It has been debated down the centuries by
Dante and St. Thomas, by Machiavelli and Bodin, Hobbes and Harrington, Locke and Burke,
Montesquieu and Rousseau, Hegel and Mill, de Maistre and Proudhon.

2004 Christopher Dawson

Western culture is an incredibly broad term used to describe the social norms, belief systems,
traditions, customs, values, and so forth that have their origin in Europe or are based on
European culture. America, for example, is firmly Western in culture. The East Coast of the
United States was originally a British colony, and as America developed into its own
independent nation, it carried with it many elements of European culture.

Western culture is a pretty fluid and loose term because it encompasses so much. Some of the
central characteristics of Western culture include:

Democracy

Rational thinking

Individualism

Christianity

Capitalism

Modern technology

Human rights

Scientific thinking

So, we've already briefly identified some of the key features of Western culture, but now let's
explore them in a little more detail. Western culture is ruggedly individualistic. Westerners
pride themselves in having their own unique identities. They like to think for themselves, and
they value individualism. Eastern culture, by contrast, tends to be much more collectivist. This
is where democracy and individual rights come in; Westerners champion the concept that each
person should be free: free to have a political voice, free to express oneself, free to live as he
or she chooses.

The Christian religion is a huge component of Western culture. Think about how many great
works of Western art are based on Christianity, such as Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling or
Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. While not everyone today practices Christianity, the influence
of Christianity flows through many fibers of Western culture and social life.

Nate Sullivan 2016.