I recently saw a rather interesting take on the meaning of Western Civilization. It went something like this:
Although we often speak of "Western Civilization" as if it were a single concept, there are really two different meanings to the term. They are as follows: (1) "Western Civilization" may mean the Judeo-Christian tradition that has been handed down to us.
(2) "Western Civilization" may also refer to the post-Enlightenment era. (The Enlightenment, of course, featured such philosophers as Descartes; Voltaire; Rousseau; Hagel; Hobbes; Kant; and Mill--just to name a few.)
Comments?