In a well-written speech last week delivered against the magnificent backdrop of the Acropolis in Athens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the West to rediscover what makes it exceptional. He described the qualities that define Western civilization as “the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride,” and he celebrated its ambition, nationalism, and relentless pursuit of excellence. He warned that the West has become ashamed of the very things that made it great.

Rubio is right that the West has sometimes lost confidence in its own traditions and ideals—and that it shouldn’t. But Rubio himself seems deeply confused about what makes the West exceptional.

In a well-written speech last week delivered against the magnificent backdrop of the Acropolis in Athens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the West to rediscover what makes it exceptional. He described the qualities that define Western civilization as “the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride,” and he celebrated its ambition, nationalism, and relentless pursuit of excellence. He warned that the West has become ashamed of the very things that made it great.

Rubio is right that the West has sometimes lost confidence in its own traditions and ideals—and that it shouldn’t. But Rubio himself seems deeply confused about what makes the West exceptional.

Consider the qualities he celebrates: courage, strength, ambition, and pride. Genghis Khan had all of these in abundance. So did Persian emperors, Russian czars and rulers of imperial China. Every great civilization has celebrated its warriors, glorified its conquests, and believed in its own superiority.

What truly distinguishes Western civilization is not its military power or national pride, but its intellectual and political traditions. From Greek philosophy and Roman law through Christianity to the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, the West developed a set of ideas that challenged the arbitrary exercise of........

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