Criticism of Western culture

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Criticism of Western culture is any and all criticism directed toward the modern Western way of life. It can be seen as a part of the larger clash of civilizations,^[1] as that revealed by Joseph Conrad in his novel, Heart of Darkness.^[2] Modern criticism tends to focus on the increasingly secular^[3][4] and democratic nature of Western society. The lack of cultural traditionalism,^[5] the decline of morality,^[6] and the prevalence of materialism are also commonly cited.^{[7][8][9][10]} In the popular mind, criticism of Western culture is commonly associated with the War on Terror and the West's ongoing conflict with Islamic fundamentalism.^[11][12][13] Within the Western world, criticism can emanate from intellectuals,^[14][15]or within groups who have political disagreements.^[16][17][18]

References

1. ^ Official copy (free preview): The Clash of Civilizations?, Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993
2. ^ Naik, Srinivas. "Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Search, Read, Study, Discuss." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 18 Aug. 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/conrad/heart_of_darkness/>.
3. ^ Poddar, Prem and Srinivasan Jain. ‘Secularism as an Idea Will Change: Interview with Homi Bhabha’,The Book Review, January 1995. Republished in The Hindu1995.
4. ^ Kosmin, Barry A. "Contemporary Secularity and Secularism." Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives. Ed. Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar. Hartford, CT: Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC), 2007.
5. ^ The Secularization Debate Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular. Religion and Politics Worldwide, Cambridge University Press, 2004. Chapter 1.
6. ^ Oxford Dictionary of philosophy, 2008, p240
7. ^ However, critics of materialism are equally guilty of prognosticating that it will never be able to explain certain phenomena " Over a hundred years ago William James saw clearly that science would never resolve the mind-body problem".Dembski, W. Are We Spiritual Machines
8. ^ Interview with John Polkinghorne
9. ^ Compact Oxford English dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2007. "humanism n. 1 a rationalistic system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. 2 a Renaissance cultural movement that turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought."  Sometimes abridgments of this definition omit all senses except #1, such as in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Collins Essential English Dictionary, and Webster's Concise Dictionary. New York: RHR Press. 2001. pp. 177. 
10. ^ "Definitions of humanism (subsection)". Institute for Humanist Studies. http://humaniststudies.org/humphil.html. Retrieved 16 January 2007. 
11. ^ Berger, Julian (2009-01-15). "'War on Terror' was a mistake, says Milliband". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/15/war-on-terror-miliband. Retrieved 15 January 2009. "democracies must respond to terrorism by championing the rule of law, not subordinating it" 
12. ^ Milliband, David (2009-01-15). "'War on Terror' was wrong". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/15/david-miliband-war-terror. Retrieved 15 January 2009. "The call for a "war on terror" was a call to arms, an attempt to build solidarity for a fight against a single shared enemy. But the foundation for solidarity between peoples and nations should be based not on who we are against, but on the idea of who we are and the values we share. Terrorists succeed when they render countries fearful and vindictive; when they sow division and animosity; when they force countries to respond with violence and repression. The best response is to refuse to be cowed." 
13. ^ "BBC NEWS". news.bbc.co.uk. January 15, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7829946.stm. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 
14. ^ Chomsky, Noam (2002-07-02). "Terror and Just Response". ZNet. http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/11934. 
15. ^ Schivone, Gabriel Matthew (2007-08-03). "On Responsibility, War Guilt and Intellectuals". CounterPunch. http://www.counterpunch.org/schivone08032007.html.  Interview.
16. ^ Haidt, Jonathan and Graham, Jesse (2006). When morality opposes justice: Conservatives have moral intuitions that liberals may not recognize (DOC) Social Justice Research.
17. ^ Morality: 2012: Online Only Video: The New Yorker
18. ^ Why conservatives and liberals talk past each other on moral issues. | Dangerous Intersection

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