Doctrine

A doctrine is a global body of theories or knowledge taught as true by one or more authors. It may be the result of some organized method of knowledge production , some kind of agreement on the subject, or it is transmitted in a dogmatic way, that is, as an absolute and indisputable truth .

The content of a specific doctrine can be very diverse and can have to do with different subjects. The term, in fact, is related to the word indoctrinate , of pejorative use to mean “re-education” or “brainwashing”, although its etymological roots point rather to the Latin docere , “to teach”, from where the word “ teacher ” comes from. .

Finally, it is customary to speak of doctrine when there exists in a State or in a society some type of protocol , guideline or series of mandates established around a specific issue, so that they are executed without questioning, or with very little questioning .

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Types

The word doctrine is used in very different contexts, such as:

• Religious. That set of knowledge, rites, procedures and others that a church promotes among its faithful. In the case, for example, of Christian doctrine, the catechism is usually taught by the Catholic Church to its faithful.
• Legal . The set of laws and regulations that make up a legal structure operates as a doctrine, which tells judges and officials how to act to resolve some type of conflict in society and how justice should be administered .
• Military . It is applied to the set of knowledge (or specific doctrines) of the martial or military field, which are transmitted to members of the Armed Forces of a State to guarantee their coordinated and disciplined procedure before enemy forces, or in another set of situations.
• Common . What constitutes the set of knowledge defended by its authors within a community of specialists or militants: the doctrine of a political party, the doctrine of a social movement, etc.

Difference between Doctrine and dogma

The concept of doctrine is related to the word dogma . Dogma is a sum of principles that cannot be refuted. These are concepts that do not give rise to discussion or questioning, in addition to the fact that they cannot be changed.

In this way, imparting a doctrine based on a specific dogma can imply negative consequences for humanity in general. Learning must always be something voluntary and satisfying. A persistent obligation to certain beliefs can lead to the creation of large-scale confrontations.

A common example in the history of Europe is the case of Adolf Hitler. His attempt to impose Nazism led him to commit extremely violent acts that forever affected many people and marked a before and after in history.