What is the West? (Qu'est-ce que l'Occident ?)

With this essay, the author explores and gives his vision of the origins of the Western world. Nemo presents an interpretation of the foundations that have shaped the Western civilization over the centuries.

Philippe Nemo is a French philosopher specializing in political and social philosophy. He taught at ESCP Europe and HEC Paris, where he lectured on political, social, and economic philosophy, and founded a research center dedicated to economic philosophy. In 2016, he co-founded the École Professorale de Paris with several other scholars.

What Is the West? was published in 2004, which makes some contextualization necessary. At that time, the European Union had only fifteen member states, and the United Kingdom was still one of them. The Union was negotiating with Eastern and Southern countries about its enlargement. Meanwhile, the war in Iraq was a source of tension between the United States and several European nations, and economic globalization was also fueling debates among Western countries. In this climate, Nemo sought to redefine what "the West" truly means.

So, where the West is coming from? The author argues that Western civilization was formed through five major fundational moments:

• The Greek miracle - with the invention of the polis and the science. The polis became a place where the power was collective and « it had become everyone's business ». The rule of law was born

• The Roman miracle - which pushed further the development of the law. Civil law, inherited from Rome, is still the foundation of modern Western legal systems. The Romans also created humanism through private law.

• The Biblical heritage - which brought forth the ideas of individual conscience, the notion of the person, and the virtue of charity, along with a moral vision grounded in the inherent dignity of every human being.

• The Papal revolution - marked by the separation of the spiritual and the temporal spheres, laying the groundwork for political freedom.

• The advent of liberal democracies, defined by four key elements:

  • Intellectual liberalism: pluralism of ideas, freedom of thought

  • Democracy: political freedom and pluralism in the appointment of governments

  • Economic liberalism: the market economy

  • The order and its opponents: liberal democracy against fascism and communism

That being said, Nemo intended to set boundaries of the West. From the Western Europe Nations to the United States and Canada, as well as countries beyond this region, such as Australia and New Zealand.

With this book, the West is best presented as a long evolution. The term "construction" might not be entirely accurate. The West is a result of successive events described above, which defined a shared culture, a shared identity. We can talk about the "construction" for the recent history, with the common legal heritage, the creation of international organizations, and enduring cultural proximity.

Nemo offers a powerful work for understanding what still unites Europe and North America: a belief in freedom, rational inquiry, and moral progress.

It would be interesting to hear the author's opinion on today's situation. The European Union enlargment - which he considered as a misguided idea - has become a reality, while cooperation between the two shores of the Atlantic is challenged daily. At the end of his book, Nemo presents what would be the ultimate goal, the Western Union. Today, this idea seems unattainable.

Yet, despite the challenges facing the West and the doubts surrounding the transatlantic alliance, I remain convinced that the nations which form it are still bound by deep, enduring ties — of history, of values, and of destiny.

I will finish this reading review with a sentence from the book that struck me and that accurately represents my idea of the West: « (...) citizens of any of the countries in this group feel at home in any other country; they immediately find their bearings there and can not only start and do business there, but also stay or settle there without any major difficulties. »

Reference

Nemo, P. (2004). Qu’est-ce que l’Occident ?. Presses Universitaires de France (PUF).

Nemo, P. (2006). What Is the West?. Duquesne University Press.