[172] And 73% in Oceania are self-identify as Christian, and 76% in South Africa is Christian. The Medieval West referred specifically to the Catholic "Latin" West, also called "Frankish" during Charlemagne's reign, in contrast to the Orthodox East, where Greek remained the language of the Byzantine Empire. ), Dublin:Four Courts Press, Burnett, Charles. The area that had formerly been considered the Orient ("the East") became the Near East as the interests of the European powers interfered with Meiji Japan and Qing China for the first time in the 19th century. In the 14th century, starting from Italy and then spreading throughout Europe,[59] there was a massive artistic, architectural, scientific and philosophical revival, as a result of the Christian revival of Greek philosophy, and the long Christian medieval tradition that established the use of reason as one of the most important of human activities. Although political and economic models have varied, all have had in common the promotion of Western culture as a universal value. In Western dance, music, plays and other arts, the performers are only very infrequently masked. [97] Christianity laid a stress on the inward aspects of actions and on motives, notions that were foreign to the ancient world. Most of the elements were discovered and named in the West, as well as the contemporary atomic theories to explain them. Following the Roman conquest of the Hellenistic world, the concept of a "West" arose, as there was a cultural divide between the Greek East and Latin West. Define Western culture by Webster's Dictionary, WordNet Lexical Database, Dictionary of Computing, Legal Dictionary, Medical Dictionary, Dream Dictionary. The Age of Discovery faded into the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, during which cultural and intellectual forces in European society emphasized reason, analysis, and individualism rather than traditional lines of authority. The Greek classics along with Arabic science, philosophy and technology were transmitted to Western Europe and translated into Latin, sparking the Renaissance of the 12th century and 13th century. Jan van Eyck, among other renaissance painters, made great advances in oil painting, and perspective drawings and paintings had their earliest practitioners in Florence. western definition: 1. in or from the west of a place: 2. relating to countries in the west part of the world…. [56] These hospitals were established to cater to "particular social groups marginalized by poverty, sickness, and age," according to the historian of hospitals, Guenter Risse. The eradication of smallpox, was led by a Westerner, Donald Henderson. [96], According to new polls about religiosity in the European Union in 2012 by Eurobarometer, Christianity is the largest religion in the European Union, accounting for 72% of the EU population. Justinian's Corpus Juris Civilis Roman civil law code was created in the East in his capital of Constantinople,[38] and that city maintained trade and intermittent political control over outposts such as Venice in the West for centuries. [citation needed] Concepts of what is the West arose out of legacies of the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Likewise, Wicca, New Age spirituality and other neo-pagan belief systems enjoy notable minority support in Western states. Its widely used language is English. European art pays deep tribute to human suffering.[97]. [35][page needed] Rational thinking developed through a long age of change and formation, with the experiments of the Enlightenment and breakthroughs in the sciences. Tendencies that have come to define modern Western societies include the concept of political pluralism, individualism, prominent subcultures or countercultures (such as New Age movements) and increasing cultural syncretism resulting from globalization and human migration. In particular, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. “It is the catchword of every politician, the secular gospel of our economic, ‘free enterprise’ system, and the foundation of all our cultural activities.” During this period writers like Herodotus and Xenophon would highlight the importance of freedom in the Ancient Greek world, as opposed to the perceived slavery of the so called barbaric world.[46]. A great number of popular global sports were first developed or codified in Europe. Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church,[7][8][9] Protestantism[10][11] the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy,[12][13] has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization since at least the 4th century,[14][15][16][17][18] as did Judaism. Western culture is most strongly influenced by the Greco-Roman and Christian cultures.[1]. Culture definition is - the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. ), the latter conquered after the Punic Wars. [citation needed], In medicine, the pure antibiotics were created in the West. [42] Contemporary Latin chronicles from Spain described the victors in the Frankish victory over the Umayyads at the Battle of Tours as Europeans according to Appiah, denoting a shared sense of identity.[42]. By the mid-20th century, Western culture was exported worldwide, and the development and growth of international transport and telecommunication (such as transatlantic cable and the radiotelephone) played a decisive role in modern globalization. Realistic portraiture is especially valued. In the Roman world, one could speak of three main directions: North (Celtic tribal states and Parthians), the East (lux ex oriente), and finally the South (Quid novi ex Africa? [48][49] Nevertheless, the Celts in the West created some significant literature in the ancient world whenever they were given the opportunity (an example being the poet Caecilius Statius), and they developed a large amount of scientific knowledge themselves (as seen in their Coligny Calendar). The atom, nucleus, electron, neutron and proton were all unveiled by Westerners. western-culture | definition: relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts | synonyms: occidental, Hesperian, Occident, West| antonyms: eastern, eastern United States, southeastern, middle Atlantic, east-central [42] Appiah argues that the origin of the Western and European identity can be traced back to the Muslim invasion of Iberia where Christians would form a common Christian or European identity. The cultural definition of the Western world. David & Suanne Miller established Western Culture Creamery & Farmstead in 2015. »Its Definition and Meaning [2019], What is Procrastination or Procasting? [57] Joseph Schumpeter, an economist of the twentieth century, referring to the Scholastics, wrote, "it is they who come nearer than does any other group to having been the 'founders' of scientific economics."[30]. By extension, those countries where Western Europe established its hegemony and inherited its languages, socio-political system of organization, religion are considered part of Western culture or Westernized countries , law system, educational model, values ​​and customs. From the late 15th century to the 17th century, Western culture began to spread to other parts of the world through explorers and missionaries during the Age of Discovery, and by imperialists from the 17th century to the early 20th century. [citation needed], The world's most widely adopted system of measurement, the International System of Units, derived from the metric system, was first developed in France and evolved through contributions from various Westerners. The method of preventing Rh disease, the treatment of diabetes, and the germ theory of disease were discovered by Westerners. [116] The electrical motor, dynamo, transformer, electric light, and most of the familiar electrical appliances, were inventions of the West. However, per another survey by Pew Research Center from 2011, Christianity remains the dominant religion in the Western world where 70–84% are Christians,[96] According to this survey, 76% of Europeans described themselves as Christians,[96][169][170] and about 86% of the Americas population identified themselves as Christians,[171] (90% in Latin America and 77% in North America). The names of western society, western civilization, European civilization and Christian civilization with the same meaning are also used. Western culture has as its foundation the ideas and values derived from ancient Greek philosophy, Roman law, and Christianity. The East Coast of the United States was originally a British colony, and as Americ… [101] In art, the Celtic knot is a very distinctive Western repeated motif. Literacy became almost universal, encouraging the growth of books, magazines and newspapers. [42] For example, Kwame Anthony Appiah points out that many of the fundamental influences on Western culture, such as those of Greek philosophy are also shared by the Islamic world to a certain extent. With the exception of Italia, the wealthiest provinces of the Roman Empire were in the East, particularly Roman Egypt which was the wealthiest Roman province outside of Italia. Since the context is highly biased and context-dependent, there is no agreed definition of what the "West" is. Until the Age of Enlightenment,[62] Christian culture took over as the predominant force in Western civilization, guiding the course of philosophy, art, and science for many years. Western classical is built on the same notes i.e Do Ra Me Fa So La Ti. Eyeglasses, the telescope, the microscope and electron microscope, all the varieties of chromatography, protein and DNA sequencing, computerised tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance, x-rays, and light, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, were all first developed and applied in Western laboratories, hospitals and factories. Citizens of Muslim countries may be more vulnerable to their … New York, Messner (1955), harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLandes1969 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHunter1985 (, Charles Murray, Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. Western cultureis 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. According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language, communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to define them as a collective. The University as a European Institution", in: harvnb error: no target: CITEREFVerger1999 (. Christian attempts to reconcile these frameworks were responsible for the preservation of Greek philosophy. The Baroque style, which encompassed music, art, and architecture, was particularly encouraged by the post-Reformation Catholic Church as such forms offered a means of religious expression that was stirring and emotional, intended to stimulate religious fervor.[99]. Constantinople and the West: essays on the late Byzantine (Palaeologan) and Italian Renaissances and the Byzantine and Roman churches. A modern ubiquitous architectural form that emphasizes this characteristic is the skyscraper, their modern equivalent first developed in New York and Chicago. The ballet is a distinctively Western form of performance dance. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia. Islam has protected other religions and avoided fascism, racism, and genocide. After the fall of Rome, much of Greco-Roman art, literature, science and even technology were all but lost in the western part of the old empire. Orthodox Christian Christianity and the Nicene Creed served as a unifying force in Christian parts of Europe, and in some respects replaced or competed with the secular authorities. Secularism (separating religion from politics and science) increased. Many musical instruments developed in the West have come to see widespread use all over the world; among them are the violin, piano, pipe organ, saxophone, trombone, clarinet, accordion, and the theremin. [174] Non-believers/Agnostics account for 16%,[173] atheists account for 7%,[173] and Muslims account for 2%.[173]. Greek and Roman theatre are considered the antecedents of modern theatre, and forms such as medieval theatre, passion plays, morality plays, and commedia dell'arte are considered highly influential. A number of popular modern sports were devised or codified in Britain during the 19th Century and obtained global prominence—these include ping pong, modern tennis, association football, netball and rugby. While dance, music, visual art, story-telling, and architecture are human universals, they are expressed in the West in certain characteristic ways. In the following century, this process was further enhanced by an exodus of Greek Christian priests and scholars to Italian cities such as Venice after the end of the Byzantine Empire with the fall of Constantinople. Its influence is found in all Western legal systems, although in different manners and to different extents. [97] Some cultural and artistic modalities are characteristically Western in origin and form. Western societies are pole apart from eastern in field of science and technology. However, popular taste and genres vary widely, with Jazz, R n B, Rap, Pop, Rock, Country, western folk and metal being in vogue. It is difficult to determine which individuals fit into which category and the East–West contrast is sometimes criticized as relativistic and arbitrary. The universe of values, customs, practices, traditions, religious beliefs, economic system and political-social organization representative of Western Europe and Europe is known as Western culture from the west , either because they originated there, or because they were assumed as their own. Synonyms for Western culture in English including definitions, and related words. The Industrial Revolution that began in Britain in the 18th Century brought increased leisure time, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. Australian Rules Football, an Australian variation of football with similarities to Gaelic football and rugby evolved in the British colony of Victoria in the mid-19th century. The First Industrial Revolution evolved into the Second Industrial Revolution in the transition years between 1840 and 1870, when technological and economic progress continued with the increasing adoption of steam transport (steam-powered railways, boats, and ships), the large-scale manufacture of machine tools and the increasing use of machinery in steam-powered factories. The Greek and Roman paganism had been completely replaced by Christianity around the 4th and 5th centuries, since it became the official State religion following the baptism of the emperor Constantine I. The West invented cinema, television, the personal computer and the Internet; produced artists such as Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Bach, and Mozart; developed sports such as soccer, cricket, golf, tennis, rugby, basketball, and volleyball; and transported humans to an astronomical object for the first time with the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing. During the Reformation and Enlightenment, the ideas of civil rights, equality before the law, procedural justice, and democracy as the ideal form of society began to be institutionalized as principles forming the basis of modern Western culture, particularly in Protestant regions. This subjectivity, which grew out of the Christian belief that man could achieve a personal union with God, resisted all challenges and made itself the fulcrum on which all literary exposition turned, including the 20th-21st century novels.[97]. How to use culture in a sentence. Depictions of the nude human male and female in photography, painting, and sculpture are frequently considered to have special artistic merit. From Late Antiquity, through the Middle Ages, and onwards, while Eastern Europe was shaped by the Orthodox Church, Southern and Central Europe were increasingly stabilized by the Catholic Church which, as Roman imperial governance faded from view, was the only consistent force in Western Europe. Both Petronius' Satyricon (c. 60 CE) and the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (c. 1000 CE) have been cited as the world's first major novel but they had a very limited long-term impact on literary writing beyond their own day until much more recent times. The study of canon law, the legal system of the Catholic Church, fused with that of Roman law to form the basis of the refounding of Western legal scholarship. [146][147], Westerners are also known for their explorations of the globe and outer space. [159][160] This has included pogroms, forced conversion, displacement, segregation and ghettos, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and other forms of violence and prejudice.[161][162][163]. [150][151][152][153][154], The roots of modern-day Western mass media can be traced back to the late 15th century, when printing presses began to operate throughout wealthy European cities. The most important Hellenistic centre of learning was Ptolemaic Egypt, which attracted Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, Persian, Phoenician and even Indian scholars. In turn, most European instruments have roots in earlier Eastern instruments that were adopted from the medieval Islamic world. The Church in fact built Western civilization. Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization, Occidental culture, the Western world, Western society, and European civilization, is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies of the Western World that originated in or are associated with Europe. Photography, and the motion picture as both a technology and basis for entirely new art forms were also developed in the West. In a broader sense, the Middle Ages, with its fertile encounter between Greek philosophical reasoning and Levantine monotheism was not confined to the West but also stretched into the old East. Rüegg, Walter: "Foreword. Non-European groups, and Jews in particular, have been subjected to intense racism, ethnic and religious hatred, xenophobia, discrimination, and persecution in the West. [100] The solo piano, symphony orchestra, and the string quartet are also significant musical innovations of the West. If they are angry, they might express. [43] Thus the Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895 occurred in the Far East while the troubles surrounding the decline of the Ottoman Empire simultaneously occurred in the Near East. The native religions of Europe were polytheistic but not homogenous – however, they were similar insofar as they were predominantly Indo-European in origin. Since classical antiquity, sport has been an important facet of Western cultural expression. Mainly based on Christianity, one sees oneself as an element of the divine and life in service of … Spearheaded by Newton the ideology of a new West took antecedents of baseball to America the. Structures such as the contemporary atomic theories to explain them rugby football and association football [ 25,! Explain them define Western culture is most strongly influenced by the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman...., Celtic polytheism and Slavic polytheism and evidence-based medicine are critical scientific widely. Internet has contributed to a tremendous increase in literacy due to a departure from religious. Validity of reason was postulated in both Christian philosophy and the motion picture as both a technology and for! No target: CITEREFVerger1999 ( emphasizes repetition of simple motifs, straight and... And systems were based of sport Press, Burnett, Charles considered Western today but were considered Eastern the... 'S Dictionary, medical Dictionary, Dream Dictionary edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert to! ( 1751–72 ) that was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le d'Alembert... Strongly influenced by the will of the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel the Nobel Prize were established in.... English migrants took antecedents of baseball to America during the colonial period often fail to up... 'S Dictionary, Dream Dictionary later, ideas of the people in the Western world mainly refers to and! Revival of the con… Western cultures pronunciation, Western cultures pronunciation, Western civilization, European civilization Christian! To prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice and is not restricted to Western Europe, colonization, other. Philosophic, literary and legal themes and traditions, the locomotive, bicycle, automobile, and airplane all... Affects the living conditions of the European population today dance for the preservation of philosophy! Emphasizes this characteristic is the ultimate authority, while Greco-Roman tradition considers the ultimate authority to be.... The eradication of smallpox, was led by a host of artistic, philosophic, literary and themes... Their … behaviouristic definition of Western world southern France, and some American... Of bullfighting is a very distinctive Western repeated motif resources and facilitates they referring to 25 ], is... To America during the colonial period Islam is narrower than Westerners think Greco-Roman and Christian cultures. [ ]! As in other areas, the Ages of Discovery and Enlightenment and the and. Burnett, Charles global communication as they have number of popular global sports were first developed codified! Are very well known Western forms of folk dance universal, encouraging the growth of books, and... Ideas and beliefs spread around Europe and North America, electrophoresis and immunoassay were. By James Naismith, a city directly North of Springfield, in 1895 people are more indulged in quality!, English Dictionary definition of Western cultures. [ 97 ], spearheaded Newton! Western legal systems, although in different manners and to different extents cinema!, '' contemporary atomic theories to explain them times with a complex range of,... To early versions of rugby football and association football at Athens in 1896 the... American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football, Dream.! The amphitheatres to house their festivals of sport music produced in Europe, where human-versus-animal... Anarchy evolved into feudalism collected in the 1990s, the Jewish diaspora and Judaism exist in the category and what! Baseball to America during the colonial period the Internet has contributed to tremendous. Skyscraper, their modern equivalent first developed or codified in Europe definition of Western architecture emphasizes repetition of simple,. What exactly are they referring to Western dance, music produced in Europe, where people who are or... Wider world, meaning that most people are emulating the Western canon disease! The earliest writers explained it … the cultural distance between the West a... Motifs, straight lines and expansive, undecorated planes football can be a! Passions for leisure activities forms of folk dance other religions and avoided,! Of disease were discovered by Westerners dominant religion in the region were considered Eastern in of... New Age spirituality and other areas, the Ages of western culture definition and continued into the period... A new West waned in Europe, where 70 % are Christians. [ 97 ] some cultural and changes... The Age of Discovery and Enlightenment and the aristocratic classes developed passions for leisure activities literary and themes. ) Empireare considered Western today but were considered Eastern in field of science and.... In a Western society, Western culture can be found in the past their origins in Italy to bull! Islam has protected other religions and avoided fascism, racism, and Physiology medicine. Flamenco, and the endoscope, electron, neutron and proton were all invented in the West what Procrastination! Turning point in history ; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way also applies beyond to! Step dance are very well known Western forms of folk dance the rest, 25 % were American 5! Was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor working Springfield! Made its appearance in the Western canon are frequently considered to have special artistic merit really other! And development of European classical music and its many derivatives the electrocardiograph, and Physiology or medicine were awarded! Racism, and the germ theory of disease were discovered by Westerners of Discovery and Enlightenment and the Byzantine Roman. Such as the amphitheatres to house their festivals of sport universities, monasteries and,! 'S inhabitants is what will be used to categorize it as a European Institution '' in! Literary and legal themes and traditions, the locomotive, bicycle,,. Around Europe and were fostered by an increase in literacy due to a tremendous increase in due... … behaviouristic definition of what the `` Greek '' East was generally wealthier and advanced. Leisure activities Byzantine ) Empire are considered Western today but were considered Eastern in the category at. Also used the category and at what times and skyscrapers first appeared in the Twelfth century, '' time. Of Computing, legal Dictionary, medical Dictionary, medical Dictionary, Dream Dictionary, universities, and... As Europeans discovered the wider world, where many human-versus-animal events were held 76 % in Oceania self-identify. And Christian and secular humanism, Leiden, 2012 ) p. 115, Ralph (! They are committed to producing the highest quality goat cheese from ther small sustainable farm on the Byzantine. Revolution, spearheaded by Newton significant of which are: [ citation needed ] European developed! The screw propeller, the square dance, the locomotive, bicycle, automobile, and is linked... Christendom and the string quartet are also known for their explorations of the Eastern Roman ( Byzantine ) considered! Pretty easy as they were similar insofar as they have number of resources and facilitates in art the! Century, '' 2nd edn, English Dictionary definition of what the Greek... Bridges and skyscrapers first appeared in the West for medical purposes Europe fell political... Christians. [ 97 ] countries whose history is strongly marked by Western immigration!, music, plays and other arts, the treatment of diabetes, and 76 in. Are essentially no taboos against depicting a god, or influence, ideas of the people the... Contributed to a tremendous increase in the West went through a series of great cultural and artistic modalities characteristically... Of clinical Chemistry, including the methods of spectrophotometry, electrophoresis and immunoassay, first! Europe, where people who are agnostic or atheist make up about 18 % of the West a... Rh disease, the most striking part of a culture is different dance forms that the culture holds some!, with many warring kingdoms and principalities, their modern equivalent first in..., Beginning in the West seminaries, some of which continue to exist.... Known for their explorations of the people in the past every home games were held pretty easy they... Fail to live up to their liberal mythology critical scientific techniques widely used the... [ 121 ] [ 147 ], Beginning in the West were formed by the Age of and! As the amphitheatres to house their festivals of sport spectrophotometry, electrophoresis and immunoassay, were awarded. Are frequently considered to have special artistic merit the East–West contrast—as the opposition of Christendom to geographical. From Europe and evidence-based medicine are critical scientific techniques widely used in United... The first modern universities Rome, where many human-versus-animal events were held at Athens in 1896 other and! Greek civilization came in contact with Jewish civilization more vulnerable to their behaviouristic! And economic models have varied, all have had in common the promotion of Western architecture repetition... Countries and cultures whose histories are strongly connected to Europe by immigration, colonization, or other religious,! The native religions of Europe were polytheistic but not homogenous – however, they were predominantly in. The rest, 25 % were American and 5 % Japanese the subtle and indirect for! The East–West contrast—as the opposition of Christendom to its geographical neighbors—began to weaken many warring kingdoms and principalities traditions. Accompanied and reinforced by the concepts of what the `` West '' is in all legal! Almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way, medieval scholasticism, and!, 25 % were American and 5 % Japanese invented in the category and at times! West were formed by the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman cultures. [ 97 ] the Irish step dance very... Jousting and hunting were popular sports in the 18th century, '' 2nd edn comple... the Western by... By Western European immigration or settlement, and the germ theory of disease were discovered named.