THE DIALECTIC OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND CULTURAL WEST: Between European Heritage, Norm, and Reality

The purpose of this article is to reflect on democracy and the values ​​of the European Union and Neolatin Nations, especially the development of the Rechtsstaat, in contrast to the values ​​of the Rule of Law, of anglo-saxon origin. We intend to discuss the culture and history of the West, in its cultural configuration, through the continental values ​​of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity, and the anglo-saxon values ​​of Freedom, Prosperity and Property, considering the peculiarities of European, Latin-Western and Anglo-Saxon history and culture, inclusive of the manifestation of their wills in the objective world, which the philosopher Hegel mentions. The European legacy gave the world the Rechtsstaat, and the possibility of, through politics, especially democratic, the self-construction of a collective will, expressed in norms, either in the European Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, or the National Constitutions, and their transposition into reality, normatively regulating their culture and value as a determined people. In this sense, we seek to reflect on the current difficulty of the West to transpose its political will into reality, in addition to the geopolitical and ideological conflicts that contribute to this setting. To fulfill the objectives presented, developed through this research, we rely on debates interconnected by various research, documents and speeches, to provide a transdisciplinary reflection, considering studies in history, culture, politics, law and international relations.