14: Roots of European Values

Does the foundation of the present European value system lie in the occidental tradition of ancient Greece and Rome, in the Christian middle age, in the rise of natural sciences since the Renaissance or in the human rights tradition of the Enlightenment era? The seminar will ask whether cultural values are overrated while economic progress and peaceful commerce are in fact important factors for the continued existence of the European project. A special focus will be placed on the three factors economy, politics and culture based on carefully selected texts by different authors. The course will try to develop a view on the European value system from the perspective of transcultural political theory. Are there specific European values or have they become part of a universal cluster of overlapping, sometimes even common, ideas? The issue of Eurocentrism is a frequent objection against the claim of universality. Currently, one of the most relevant problems is the hiatus between the project of an ever closer union and the tradition of competitive pluralism, which has been historically seen as the main reason for the success of the European economy and European ideas in the world. More integration could mean less progress and less dynamics.