Western discourse of the “standard of civilization” and its evolution

Abstract

To draw attention to the discourse of the “standard of civilization”, its development and transformation is important it is necessary to understand the process of self-identification of the West, as well as a way how the West try to reconstruct the course of world history. The modern category of “standard of civilization” is exclusively correlating with Euro­pean dynamics and European values. It builds an international hierarchy of countries and peoples, revives the dichotomy “civilization” – “barbarism”, becomes a justification for the invasion to the so-called “rogue States” in order to change their political regimes.

The historical logic of the concept is based on the arguments about the “violation” of the clauses of “natural law”, understood as a privilege of the European community. Aggres­sion on behalf of the “discourse of civilization” is seen by the Europeans as a moral bur­den carried out “for the good of these peoples”. As a result, the Manichaean theory of two worlds as antagonistic poles emerges – the poles of Good and Evil. That theory justi­fies a kind of “benign colonialism”.

Modern “civilizational discourse” has been enriched with ideological and propaganda as­pects aimed at moral destruction, discrediting the enemy, its discrimination, defamation, criminalization. This process marked the beginning of the actual phenomenon of “fake aggression”. The promotion of “secondary or imitative imperialism” is also developping. Countries that have recently joined the “European family”, to demonstrate their belong­ing to the “civilized community”, are included in the process of “missionary work” in re­lation to the “undeveloped” peoples on behalf of universal values. In General, creates a situation is creating when the war is conducted not for the benefits of “civilization”, but on behalf of “civilization” under the auspices of “promotion of democracy”.