Heterodox

By Deane Barker

Definition: not in agreement with established opinion or belief

I read in some places that “dox” is a suffix meaning “opinion,” which clearly explains the “hetero” prefix.

The opposite is not “homodox” (that’s not a word), but rather “orthodox.” The prefix “ortho” means “true, correct, proper.”

Why I Looked It Up

From Wanting:

I had heterodox views about the Zappos culture, out of step with the media’s portrayal […]

Postscript

Added on

A couple days after write this, I found this in a subtitle of an article called The Resurgence Of Tesla Syndrome:

Why has disruption been elevated as a virtue to the point where it’s become orthodox to be heterodox? It’s a symptom of the erosion of trust in institutions.

The article was about how “celebrity CEOs” feel the need to be radically different as an exercise in personal branding.

But why do we see disruption as a virtue? Why has the idea that the best innovators are disruptive gained such traction over the past decade or so, to the extent that it is now, paradoxically, orthodox to be heterodox? It’s a symptom of the erosion of trust in institutions.

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