“It is the West that has liberated women, racial minorities, religious minorities, and gays and lesbians, recognizing and defending their rights. The notions of freedom and human rights were present at the dawn of Western civilization, as ideals at least, but have gradually come to fruition through supreme acts of self-criticism.” HumansSelfReligiousRightsCivilizationGayIdealsCriticismWestWesternNotionHuman RightsSupremeDawnMinoritiesRecognizingLiberatedWestern CivilizationFruitionSelf CriticismLiberated Woman Author:Ibn Warraq
“Because of its exceptional capacity for self-criticism, the West took the initiative in abolishing slavery; the calls for abolition did not resonate even in black Africa, where rival African tribes took black prisoners to be sold as slaves in the West.” SelfBlackCapacityCriticismSlaverySlaveWestPrisonerInitiativeTribesExceptionalRivalsAbolitionSelf CriticismAfrican TribesAbolishing Slavery Author:Ibn Warraq
“The great ideas of the West - rationalism, self-criticism, the disinterested search for truth, the separation of church and state, the rule of law, equality before the law, freedom of conscience, thought, and expression, human rights, and liberal democracy- quite an achievement, surely, for any civilization- - remain the best, and perhaps the only, means for all people, no matter of what race or creed, to reach their full potential and live in freedom.” PeopleHumansMeanIdeasSelfMatterStatesLawChurchRaceDemocracyRightsExpressionCivilizationAchievementConscienceCriticismWestHuman RightsSeparationCreedsChurch And StateGreat IdeaRule Of LawSeparation Of Church And StateRationalismFull PotentialSearch For TruthDisinterestedSelf CriticismLiberal Democracy Book:Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays Source: Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays
“Western society is a society of ever richer, more varied, more productive, more self-defined, and more satisfying lives; it is a society of boundless private charity; it is a society that broke, on behalf of merit, the seemingly eternal chains of station by birth.” SelfBirthEternalCharityWesternChainsDefinedBrokeMeritProductiveStationsSatisfyingBehalfBoundlessWestern Society Author:Ibn Warraq