Kwame Anthony Appiah sets up too many straw men in seeking to prove there is “no such thing as western civilisation” (9 November). Of course no aspect of Chaucer’s England was identical to today’s, demonstrating “essence” of England, but even then there were aspects of England, and much of Europe, that were to contribute to the slow (and reversible) development of democracy and liberty. These included the rule of law, representative institutions capable of restraining kings, self-governing towns, numerous groups and individuals claiming rights and liberties, and relatively weak family and kin structures, all of which, even in Chaucer’s time, made much of Europe different from the rest of the world. Cultural legacies which affect political and economic structures are not as easily “lost or exchanged” as Appiah seems to think (ask a Syrian), and these are the ones that most distinguish western civilisation, not high culture or everyday habits. It was not a historical accident that representative democracy, political freedom and economies capable of providing reasonable prosperity for all were pioneered in western countries rather than elsewhere, and that is what entitles us to refer to western civilisation, even if some of its aspects can be successfully transferred to some other countries.
Dr Dorian Gerhold
London
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