Our lives are surrounded and defined by dogmas. These come in many different forms - religious, political, scientific, social, professional etc. In a world where change is not only a constant but the rate of change is also ever increasing, dogmas serve to anchor our lives. Given the importance that they have for most of us, dogmas generally get a pretty bad rap. They are blamed for a large variety of ills that afflict society. If only we were free of dogmas goes the cry, we would have happier, more fulfilling lives. But would we?
A dogma, according to the dictionary, is a system of principles or tenets. For most of us, our lives will become chaotic if we were to completely do away with dogmas. Instead of being happier and more fulfilled, we would almost certainly be more miserable as most people are unable to function properly under chaotic conditions whether personal or otherwise. The problem is not due to dogmas per se. The problem lies in dogmatism. Dogmatic people will subscribe rigidly to their particular point of view and will not be willing to listen to alternative points of view. Not only that, dogmatic people tend to try and force others into their particular belief systems. Even if the other party comes with an open mind, a dogmatic person's mind will be closed. Essentially, there will be two people talking past each other. Another characteristic of a dogmatic person is that they will ignore facts that contradict their points of view. In other words, they will subscribe to a reality that conforms to their preconceived notions.
We usually tend to associate dogmatism exclusively with religion but it afflicts all areas of life. Science is a prime example of this. Scientists pride themselves on their objectivity but they have very strong dogmatic blinders. Scientists are unfortunately only too willing to dismiss many areas of potential research. Does ESP exist? I don't know. Should it be researched? Undoubtedly. Is evolution the only explanation for life's existence and diversity? Perhaps but if alternate explanations are put forward, should they not also be investigated instead of being dismissed? There is also an element of double standards at play here. Some phenomena are dismissed out of hand and usually ridiculed. But is absence of proof necessarily proof of absence? If so, then why not dismiss Higg's Boson?
Economics is another area where dogmatism reigns riot. Market fundamentalism is a tenet of faith for large number of economists. Others dispute this view but the faithful (and they can only be described as such) ignore the arguments put forward by their skeptical peers. Again we have two sets of people talking past each other. As an example, are stock exchanges efficient? A lot of economists believe so. An efficient stock exchange should not experience bubbles. Stock exchanges regularly experience them. Have economists changed or at the very least modified their belief that stock exchanges are efficient? For most, the answer is no. This is an example of economic dogmatism that can result in sets of policies that are painful to large number of people.
Nationalism is yet another area where dogmatism is the norm. This is usually manifested in the conviction that my country or way of life is the best in every respect. Every nation suffers from this particular dogmatism to a greater or lesser extent. This is often accompanied by a belief that all other peoples should adopt that lifestyle or belief system. National dogmatism can be aggressive and can result in discriminatory policies and sometimes even wars.
People who talk disparagingly about dogmas are often engaged in lazy thinking. They usually have religion in mind and are only too willing to lay blame there. The real problem lies in dogmatism. Medieval church did not reject scientific findings because of Christian dogma. They did so because they were dogmatic. Scientists today refuse to research some areas because of dogmatism. Such examples can be given in any area that we examine. Dogmatics tend to believe that other people are automatons who can be programmed into their particular belief system. Not so. What is the remedy? A dose of skepticism whenever someone takes a dogmatic position. All of us have a brain. If only most of us were to use them.
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