BharatNotes Dogmatic
adjectiveUsage in a UPSC answer
A mature democracy must guard against dogmatic adherence to any single ideological model of development, for rigid certitude in policymaking blinds the state to evolving ground realities and forecloses the pragmatic course-correction that good governance demands.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
dogma (n), dogmatism (n), dogmatist (n), dogmatically (adv), dogmatise (v)
Root
Greek dogma (genitive dogmatos) = opinion, tenet; dokein = to seem good, think; Late Latin dogmaticus
Etymology
Via Late Latin dogmaticus from Greek dogmatikos "pertaining to doctrines," from dogma (genitive dogmatos) "opinion, tenet," from dokein "to seem good, think." Entered English in the 1680s.
Memory Hook
Think of a "dog" that bites down on its bone and refuses to let go — a dogmatic person bites down on a belief (dogma) and will not loosen their grip whatever the evidence.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
Asserting principles as incontrovertibly true without regard to evidence or circumstance. In GS4 it names a specific failure of ethical reasoning: holding a rule so rigidly that it cannot respond to the particulars of a case. The counterweight to name is practical wisdom, which applies principle to circumstance rather than abandoning either, and answers that show that balance score better than those that simply reject rules.
Don’t Confuse It With
Dogmatic asserts principle without regard to evidence or context. Principled holds to values while remaining open to reasoning. Doctrinaire is close to dogmatic and stresses adherence to a body of theory. Opinionated holds views strongly without the claim of incontrovertibility.
Hindi Meaning
हठधर्मी (hathdharmī) or कट्टर सैद्धांतिक.
Common Questions
- What does dogmatic mean?
- Asserting principles as unquestionably true without regard to evidence or to the particular circumstances of a case.
- How is being dogmatic different from being principled?
- A principled person holds to values while remaining open to reasoning and to the facts of a case. A dogmatic person treats the principle as beyond question.
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