ABSTRACT
Every aspect of human endeavor, from acting to zookeeping, has its philosophy, its fundamental beliefs that form its core of understanding. However, all philosophy is inherently intellectual. It is just a way of thinking. To actually do something with it, to turn thought into action or to make a policy, you need doctrine. A doctrine is a teaching. Note that it has the same Latin origins as doctor (originally a teacher). Doctrine is a mediating force between philosophy and policy. This case explains how doctrine takes philosophy, often so vague and theoretical, and makes it operational so that specific policies can be derived from it. Thus doctrine consists of the fundamental principles of how lives are to be lived or how things are to be done. However, it always reflects an underlying philosophy—whether of a political party, a religion, or an organization. When it is codified, it becomes a political party’s platform, a religion’s book of scripture, or an organization’s manual of standard operating procedures. When things are to be done “by the book,” it means that the doctrine—as written and as subdivided into lots of policies—is to be followed without deviation.
