ABSTRACT
Throughout the Western world, values have become a focus of conflict. Societies find it difficult to establish a consensus on moral norms. Indeed the passions that were once devoted to settling ideological differences are today directed towards engaging in a conflict over values. During the recent decades, all the major conflicts in society have in one way or another been linked to disputes over cultural values. These so-called Culture Wars first emerged in the United States in the 1960s. Acrimonious arguments about family life, the role of religion, sexuality, marriage, the end of life, and abortion indicate that there is little consensus on the fundamental values that guide human behaviour in American society. Conflicting attitudes towards cultural values escalated into a veritable war during the 2016 US presidential elections.
