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Doxa (Ancient Greek:δόξα; from verbδοκεῖν,dokein,'to appear, to seem, to think, to accept')[1] is a common belief or popular opinion. Inclassical rhetoric,doxa is contrasted withepisteme ('knowledge').
The termdoxa is anancient Greek noun (δόξα) related to the verbdokein (δοκεῖν), meaning 'to appear, to seem, to think, to accept'.[1]
Between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, the term picked up an additional meaning when theSeptuagint useddoxa to translate theBiblical Hebrew word for "glory" (כבוד,kavod). This Greek translation of theHebrew scriptures, as used by theearly Church, led to frequent use of the term in theNew Testament. The word is also used in the worship services of theGreek Orthodox Church, where the glorification of God in true worship is also seen as true belief. In that context,doxa reflects behavior or practice in worship, and the belief of the whole church rather than personal opinion. The unification of these multiple meanings ofdoxa emerges in the modern termsorthodoxy[2] andheterodoxy.[3][4] This semantic merging in the worddoxa is also seen in theRussian wordslava (слава), which means 'glory', but is used with the meaning ofpraise orworship in words likepravoslavie (православие), meaning "orthodoxy" (or, literally, "true belief", "true way of worship") related to the verb 'славить' – "to praise" butcalqued from the Greek ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxia).
In his dialogueGorgias,Plato presents thesophists as wordsmiths who ensnared and used the malleable doxa of the multitude to their advantage without shame.[5] In this and other writings, Plato relegateddoxa as being a belief, unrelated to reason, that resided in the unreasoning, lower-parts of the soul.[6]
This viewpoint extended into the concept ofdoxasta in Plato'stheory of forms, which states that physical objects are manifestations of doxa and are thus not in their true form.[7] Plato's framing ofdoxa as the opponent ofknowledge led to the classical opposition oferror totruth, which has since become a major concern inWestern philosophy. (However, in theTheaetetus and in theMeno, Plato hasSocrates suggest that knowledge isorthos doxa for which one can provide alogos, thus initiating the traditionaldefinition of knowledge as "justified true belief.") Thus, error is considered in as pure negative, which can take various forms, among them the form ofillusion.
While doxa is used as a tool for the formation ofarguments, it is also formedby argument. The former can be understood as told byJames A. Herrick inThe History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction:[8]
The Sophists in Gorgias hold that rhetoric creates truth that is useful for the moment out of doxa, or the opinions of the people, through the process of argument and counterargument. Socrates will have no part of this sort of 'truth' which, nevertheless, is essential to a democracy.
Importantly noted,democracy, which by definition is the manifestation ofpublic opinion, is dependent upon (and therefore also constrained by) the same limits imposed upon the individuals responsible for its establishment. Due to compromised opinions within a society, as well as opinions not counted for due to inaccessibility andapathy, doxa is nothomogeneous, nor is it created agreeably. Rather, it is pliable and imperfect—the outcome of an ongoing power struggle between clashing "truths."
Aristotle, Plato's student, objected to Plato's theory of doxa. Aristotle perceived that doxa's value was in practicality and common usage, in contrast with Plato's philosophical purity relegating doxa to deception. Further, Aristotle held doxa as the first step in finding knowledge (episteme), as doxa had found applications in the physical world, whereby those who held it had a great number of tests done to prove it and thus reason to believe it.[9] Aristotle clarifies this by categorizing the accepted truths of the physical world that are passed down from generation to generation asendoxa.[10]Endoxa is a more stable belief thandoxa, because it has been "tested" in argumentative struggles in thePolis by prior interlocutors. The termendoxa is used in Aristotle'sOrganon,Topics andRhetoric.
Aristotle conceives ofdoxa as a type ofhupolêpsis. Knowledge also falls under this category.[11] Categorizingdoxa, or opinion, with knowledge suggests thatdoxa is rational.[12]
ThePrincipal Doctrines (Kyriai Doxai) are the main beliefs of the Epicurean school of Hellenistic philosophy, and constitute Epicurean orthodoxy. They are believed to be the authoritative conclusions arrived at by Epicurus, Metrodorus, and their close companions during the early years of the formation of the school, which were compiled into an epitome for the benefit of their disciples.
Pierre Bourdieu, in hisOutline of a Theory of Practice (1972), used the termdoxa to denote a society's taken-for-granted, unquestioned truths.[13] In comparison,opinion is the sphere of that which may be openly contested and discussed.[14] Bourdieu believes that doxa derives fromsocialization, as socialization also deals with beliefs that derive from society; as we grow up in the environment, we tend to believe what society tells us is correct. Adding on to his previous example, Bourdieu contends that it is a socially-accepted misconception that if you do not score as high as someone else, then you are obviously not as smart as they are. Scores do not prove that one is smarter, because there are many different factors that play into what you score on a test. People may excel within a certain topic and fail at another. However, even though it is a misconception, people tend to partake in common practices to make themselves feel better. In the case of common beliefs in school, the students who feel inferior due to popular belief that they are not as smart as the students who score higher than they, may use drugs to ease the insecurities they face. Bourdieu believes that doxa is more than common belief: it also has the potential to give rise to common action.[15][16] This calls to attention that the notion ofsocial order as naturally occurring is misperceived, disregarding its creation by political argumentation.Doxa, then, can be understood as created by argument as well as used in the formation of argument, essential for the establishment of democratic policies.
'what is regarded as true or correct [...]'
'not in accordance with established doctrines'
The word 'Orthodoxy' has the double meaning of 'right belief' and 'right glory' (or 'right worship').
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