Praxis

Praxis, in its simplest construal, means “theory plus action.” It indicates life practice formed from both reflection and action. The self, striving to transform the world creatively according to an emerging vision based on its own values, actualizes itself as it actualizes its vision. Because individuals' actions always affect other people, praxis is inherently political.

Aristotle was the first to conceptualize praxis. He drew distinctions among three types of knowledge: theoria, from which the word theory is derived, which meant speculation, contemplation; techne, meaning craft, skill, or art; and phronesis, the knowledge born of a combination of theoria and techne, which is most commonly translated into English as practical wisdom. Praxis, which derives from the practical wisdom of phronesis, is concerned with making the best ...