ABSTRACT
Strictly, ‘praxis’ is German for ‘practice’ (and is derived from the Greek). Thus, its use in English, which is common, can verge on pretension. When used with theoretical precision, it refers to the precise meanings that the young Marx ascribes to ‘practice’. Two key senses can be usefully identified. At its simplest, and most dramatic, praxis suggests revolutionary practice. As such, it is a fusion of theory and practice, and thus the point at which philosophers have ceased to interpret the world (Marx 1975:423), and have developed a (materialist) account of the world that will allow the proletariat to understand their place in it, and thus transform it. In the second, more complex sense, praxis refers to the early Marx’s account of human nature and human history. The core of human nature is presented as the ability to consciously transform the environment. Humans therefore live in a world that they have built, and that they continue to rebuild and change. It is through this practical engagement with the world (this praxis) that humanity can come to understand itself. However, in class society, humanity is alienated from what it produces and thus does not understand its essential nature. Labour is a burden, rather than fulfilment. [AE]
1. An aggressive and negative attitude towards, for example, a particular social group. Thus, racism can be described as a form of prejudice, in so far as it is predisposed to judge a designated racial group as being inferior (cf. stereotype). Other attitudes may be regarded as embodying prejudice. For instance, attitudes towards women. The issue of how prejudice functions, of its relationship both to systems of representation (whereby stereotypical images are disseminated through the media) and questions of power, have been raised.
