DOXA

The contemporary word doxa is modeled on the ancient Greek word for “opinion, reputation, what is said of things or people.” Doxa corresponds to a set of socially predominant, fuzzy, sometimes contradictory, representations, considered in their current linguistic formulation. The word doxa shares the disparaging meaning of cliché or commonplace, and can be given the meaning of “ideology” or “dogma”, especially when called into question (Amossy 1991, Nicolas 2007). Its derived adjective is doxic (or doxical).

The Aristotelian view of doxa, on the contrary, is clearly positive. Aristotle defines the endoxa (singular endoxon) as the common opinions of a community:

These opinions are said to be « generally accepted, » meaning they are accepted by everyone or by the majority or by the philosophers, i.e., by all, or by the majority, or by the most notable and illustrious of them. (Aristotle, Top., I, 1)

Therefore, an endoxic idea is an idea based on a form of social authority, ranging from the authority of the common people, to that of the wise (see dialectic), according to a gradation ranging from purely quantitative to qualitative and from the universal human consensus to the authority of the enlightened opinion.
Endoxic is an antonym of paradoxic or paradoxical. The Latin translation of the adjective endoxos is probabilis, meaning “probable”.

The endoxa are targets of philosophical criticism aimed at common sense and common opinion. This criticism extends to conclusions based on the endoxon–inferential topic system, used in dialectic and rhetoric. Yet, calling a proposition endoxic, is not pejorative; endoxa are the foundation of deliberative speech.

It is well known that Aristotle confides, under conditions of scrutiny, in the collective representations and the natural vocation of mankind toward truth. (Brunschwig, Preface to Aristotle, Top., p. xxv)

Rhetoric and dialectic are both based on endoxa. Dialectical arguments test endoxa, and rhetorical arguments exploit them, pro and contra, in the context of a particular deliberation.

In a judicial situation, the salient doxic elements may determine who bears the burden of proof. In other words, they determine who is initially suspected, or accused by rumor, see common place.

The following argument schemes rely on the authority of the doxa:

— Appeal to common belief, see authority.
— Appeal to the feeling of the crowd, see ad populum.