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Doctrine (from la,
doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a
codification of beliefs or a body of
teachings
A school of thought, or intellectual tradition, is the perspective of a group of people who share common characteristics of opinion or outlook of a philosophy, discipline, belief, social movement, economics, cultural movement, or art movement ...
or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a
belief system. The
etymological Greek analogue is "
catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
".
Often the word ''doctrine'' specifically suggests a body of
religious principles as
promulgated by a church. ''Doctrine'' may also refer to a principle of law, in the
common-law traditions, established through a history of past decisions.
Religious usage
Examples of religious doctrines include:
*
Christian theology
Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...
:
** Doctrines such as the
Trinity, the
virgin birth and
atonement
** The
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
''Handbook of Doctrine''
**
Transubstantiation and
Marian teachings in
Roman Catholic theology. The department of the
Roman Curia which deals with questions of doctrine is called the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
** The distinctive
Calvinist doctrine of
"double" predestination
**The
Methodist Church of Great Britain refers to the "doctrines to which the preachers of the Methodist Church are pledged" as ''doctrinal standards''
**Other
Christian Doctrine
* ''
Yuga'' in
Hinduism
* Postulation or ''
Syādvāda'' in
Jainism
* The
in
Buddhism">Four Noble Truths: BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Encycl ...
in Buddhism
Roman Catholic and
Orthodox doctrine generally comes from the writings of the
Eastern Orthodox Church">Orthodox doctrine generally comes from the writings of the
Church Fathers">Eastern Orthodox Church">Orthodox doctrine generally comes from the writings of the Church Fathers, which has been clarified in various Ecumenical councils. Short versions can be found in s:Blessed be God/Brief Statement Of Christian Doctrine">brief statements of Christian doctrine, in prayer books. Longer versions take the form of catechisms. Protestants generally reject Christian tradition and instead derive their doctrine Sola scriptura, solely from the Bible.
Philosophical usage
*
Epicurus
Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...
' 40 Principal Doctrines, the first four of which make up the
Tetrapharmakos
The Principal Doctrines are forty authoritative conclusions set up as official doctrines by the founders of Epicureanism: Epicurus of Samos, Metrodorus of Lampsacus, Hermarchus of Mitilene and Polyaenus of Lampsacus. The first four doctrines make ...
Measure of religiosity
According to sociologist
Mervin Verbit, doctrine may be understood as one of the key components of
religiosity. He divides doctrine into four categories: content, frequency (degree to which it may occupy the person's mind), intensity and centrality. Each of these may vary from one religion to the next, within that religious tradition.
In this sense, doctrine is similar to
Charles Glock
Charles Young Glock (October 17, 1919 – October 19, 2018) was an American sociologist whose work focuses on sociology of religion and survey research.
Biography and academic background
Charles Glock was born in the Bronx, New York in 1919. ...
's "belief" dimension of religiosity.
Military usage
The term also applies to the concept of an established procedure to a complex operation in
warfare. The typical example is
tactical doctrine in which a standard set of maneuvers, kinds of troops and weapons are employed as a default approach to a kind of attack.
Examples of
military doctrine
Military doctrine is the expression of how military forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements.
It is a guide to action, rather than being hard and fast rules. Doctrine provides a common frame of reference across ...
s include:
* ''
Guerre de course
Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...
''
*
Hit-and-run tactics
*
Mahanian of late 19th up to mid-20th century
*
Manhunting doctrine, or assured individual destruction
*
Reagan Doctrine of the Cold War
*
Shock and awe
*
Soviet deep battle of World War II
*
Trench warfare of World War I
Almost every military organization has its own doctrine, sometimes written, sometimes unwritten. Some military doctrines are transmitted through training programs. More recently, in modern
peacekeeping operations, which involve both civilian and military operations, more comprehensive (not just military) doctrines are now emerging such as the 2008
United Nations peacekeeping operations' "Capstone Doctrine"
which speaks to integrated civilian and military operations.
Political usage
By definition, political doctrine is "
policy, position or principle advocated, taught or put into effect concerning the acquisition and exercise of the power to govern or administrate in society."
The term political doctrine is sometimes wrongly identified with political ideology. However, doctrine lacks ''the actional aspect'' of ideology. It is mainly a theoretical discourse, which "refers to a coherent sum of assertions regarding what a particular topic should be" (Bernard Crick). Political doctrine is based on a rationally elaborated set of values, which may precede the formation of a political identity ''per se''. It is concerned with philosophical orientations on a ''meta-theoretical'' level.
Legal usage
A
legal doctrine is a body of interrelated rules (usually of
common law and built over a long period of time) associated with a legal concept or principle. For example, the doctrine of
frustration of purpose now has many tests and rules applicable with regards to each other and can be contained within a "bubble" of ''frustration''. In a court session a defendant may refer to the doctrine of justification.
It can be seen that a branch of law contains various doctrines, which in turn contain various ''rules'' or ''tests''. The test of ''non-occurrence of crucial event'' is part of the doctrine of ''frustration'' which is part of
contract law. Doctrines can grow into a branch of
law;
restitution is now considered a branch of
law separate to
contract and
tort.
See also
*
Betancourt Doctrine
*
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References
External links
*
* {{Wikiquote-inline
Belief
Dogmatism
Dogma