What are Western values and are they universal in principle?

- Written by A. J. Reibel, MIR 2008, New Zealand

“We have to show that our values are not Western, still less American or Anglo-Saxon, but values in the common ownership of humanity, universal values that should be the right of the global citizen.”[1]

There is an un-deniable conflict of ideas between the West, typically represented by the leading developed nations, and the rest of the world. Politicians, academics, and lay-people have all discussed the imposition of Western culture, along with its ideas and values, throughout the world. Despite resistance to adopt Western values, those same values are found in the founding principles of many international organisations. Some Western values are universal in principle, but are not universally applied.

What are Western values? Western values are values championed in the Magna Carta, Rousseau’s Social Contract, the U.S. Bill of Rights, and United Nations’ conventions[2]. They are freedom of religion[3], respect for private property[4], equal right before the law and due process[5], the right to vote regardless of gender or creed[6], freedom of speech[7], respect for human rights[8], democratic governance, and the separation of church and state. Western values are different from Asian or African values in that they champion the interests of the individual within society. Asian values subordinate the interest of the individual to the interests of the wider group.

Tony Blair points out that, despite their inclusion in various international agreements, Western values have not been applied across the globe. When he speaks of upholding democracy and modernity by “…standing up for our values, not just in our own countries but the world over,”[9] he really speaks of forcing nations to apply Western values. To Blair, there is still much work to accomplish in spreading the practice of universally agreed-to Western values.

Huntington may bemoan the retreat of Western culture, but Western values are not likely to disappear anytime soon. Huntington simply looks at language and religion as indicators of the decline of Western culture, but he neglects to examine the frameworks of international organisations and agreements, in which Western values are embedded. As long as nations continue to work within the U.N. framework and continue to sign international agreements based on the UN Charter, they will be agreeing to abide by Western values.

Although the set of values espoused by European and American political leaders is reflected in the frameworks of international organisations, many Western values are not applied by signatories of international agreements. The notion of universal human rights is a contentious issue as it is open to various interpretations of what they constitute. Do people have an inherent right to support themselves? Most nations would agree that they do. Do people have a fundamental right to practice any form of spiritual expression, however they may define it? The Chinese assert that Falun-Gong adherents are simply subversives and their devotions constitute subversion and insurrection.

Although Western values are based on Judeo-Christian beliefs, the latter are not widely accepted throughout the world. In many Middle Eastern nations, the idea of turning the other cheek is wholly rejected in practice. Instead, Sharia law calls for offences to be punished in kind – more in keeping with the Old Testament ‘eye for an eye’ approach to retribution. Even though Judeo-Christian beliefs are not universal, neither in application nor in principle, the Western values espoused in UN conventions are widely agreed to.

Accordingly, to say that all Western values are universally accepted in principle is to go too far. Freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression are all very well in theory, but many developing nations feel threatened by these intrusive Western values and are hesitant to employ them. In Asia, the tentative implementation of Western values is indicative of the fact that Asian values subordinate the interest of the individual to the interests of the wider group. As a result, Western values are generally accepted but not universally applied.


[1] Tony Blair, “A Battle for Global Values,” Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb 2007, 6.
[2] Western values are expressed in many UN conventions. Examples of such conventions are, as follows: Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights; Convention on Civil and Political Rights; and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
[3] Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract of Principles of Political Right: Book IV (1762) translated by G.D.H. Cole and rendered into HTML by Jon Roland of the Constituent Society, Book IV: 8 Civil Religion, http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon_04.htm#008. [viewed on 14/03/2008]
[4] “Articles 28, 30, and 31: Magna Carta – Britannia History,” Magna Carta, 1215, http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/magna2.html. [viewed on 14/03/2008]
[5] Taken from: “Bill of Rights: United States Constitution,” Legal Information Institute: Cornell University Law School, http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html. [viewed on 13/03/2008]
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Taken from: “Article 1: Chapter 1,” Charter of the United Nations: About the UN, http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/index.html. [viewed on 13/03/2008]
[9] Blair, “A Battle for Global Values,” 5.