Western values

The terms Western thought and Western values refer to the cultural tradition that traces its origins from the heritage of Greek, Roman, Jewish, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic and other ethnic and linguistic groups, as well as Middle Eastern Christianity including the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

Western society may be thought of as following an evolution that began with the philosophers of ancient Athens such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Ancient Greece is considered the birthplace of many elements of Western culture, with the world's first democratic system of government and major advances in philosophy, science and mathematics. Greece was followed by Rome, which made key contributions in law, government, engineering and political organization. Western culture influenced Christianity to add the values of the Enlightenment, particularly humanism and religious liberalism. During the colonial era, it became implanted in (for example) the Americas and Australasia.

The exact scope of the Western world is somewhat subjective in nature, depending on whether cultural, economic, spiritual or political criteria are employed. Many anthropologists, sociologists and historians oppose "the West and the Rest" in a categorical manner. Initially the term was used to distinguish between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires in Europe. As the eastern and western churches spread their influence, the line between "East" and "West" can be described as moving, but generally followed a cultural divide that was defined by the existence of the Byzantine empire and the fluctuating power and influence of the church in Rome. This cultural division was and is long lasting; it still existed during the Cold War as the approximate western boundary of those countries that were allied with the Soviet Union (with the exception of Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Albania). Since the countries in the "West" were generally those that explored and colonized outside of Europe and Siberia, the term Western became, to some people, associated with European colonialism. However, many non-European cultures have established colonial rules, so colonialism is not uniquely a Western phenomenon.

...
Wikipedia