Orthodoxies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Accepted beliefs or doctrines that align with conventional standards of thought and practice
2. Established views or ideologies that adhere to traditional norms and often exclude alternative perspectives
3. Systems of belief or doctrine maintained as authoritative and conventional within a tradition

Etymology: Its core is "doxa," an ancient Greek word meaning opinion or belief, which comes from "dokein," "to seem." "Orthos" means straight or right, so the original sense was simply "right opinion." Nothing in the word itself guaranteed that the opinion was true. It only claimed to be correct. The same "doxa" root survives in other English words. "Heterodoxy" uses "heteros," meaning "other," for a differing view, and "paradox" uses "para," meaning "beyond" or "contrary to," for a statement that runs against received opinion. Each word hinges on what a community agrees to believe. The plural, "orthodoxies," is simply the noun's plural and refers to several distinct systems of accepted belief.

Synonyms: doctrines, beliefs