Of course the West is flawed. Isn’t it also the case that any direction you pick is also flawed? But the study of the West, which absolutely should address its flaws, is also the civilization that did so much to preserve the cultural artifacts of the ancient world. Many central ideas of the West – freedom, emancipation, democracy, human rights, etc. – are to be celebrated. So you can’t have it all one way. Becoming overly fixated on flaws will only lead to a hopeless enterprise. Similarly, I don’t know that anyone would suggest that Western Civ should be studied to the exclusion of other cultures. But if one has grown up in Europe or America, then of course one ought to study it with both appreciation as well as critical examination.

Today, the “West” is equated with Europe, although Western civilization dates back all the way to the ancient world of the Middle East.

“Why should Western Civilization be studied in the 21st century?”

Western Civilization is flawed and needs to be understood with its flaws, uniqueness, and all of the meaningful stories and history that it provided for us to use in the future, as well as understanding the flaws, so we don’t rehash the flaws of the past in the future.