We explain what praxis is, its meaning in philosophy and what professional praxis is. Also, what is malpractice.
What is praxis?
The word praxis, derived from ancient Greek (specifically from the verb prasein“do”), means in Spanish the practice of something, that is, carrying it out or doing it in a concrete way especially in opposition to theory. That is, we distinguish between theory (thinking and planning) and praxis or practice (the concrete realization of the thing).
This opposition between theory and practice (praxis) comes from classical antiquity: the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) classified human activities into three different categories, which are theory (theorein) or search for truth; the poetics (poiesis) which is creative imitation; and practice (praxis) or concrete resolution of the problems.
That is why, according to the Western philosophical tradition, the praxis It is always subject to theory, that is, to planning and observation. . Many of the great philosophers of modern history dealt with this opposition between action and reason, such as Kant (1724-1804), Hegel (1770-1831) or Marx himself (1818-1883).
Thus, when we refer to the praxis of something, we are commonly referring to its concrete realization, that is, its practical side.
Praxis in philosophy
In Western philosophy, the term praxis has been used by various thinkers, always as a synonym for action or practice of something.
However, the term is strongly associated with politics and especially Marxism: Karl Marx contradicted the classic subordination of praxis to theoretical thought (in the sense that one must first come up with theory and then proceed to praxis), arguing that in reality theoretical thinking arises from the practical conditions (material, social) in which human life occurs and therefore So much really depends on them.
This inversion (that theory is determined by praxis and not the other way around) is fundamental in Marxist thought, for which The concrete models of material production are those that determine the way in which reality is interpreted and not the other way around. More simply put, for Marxism it is the material that determines the way one thinks, and not the other way around.
Hence, the different schools of Marxism are known as the “philosophy of praxis,” as well as the forms of radical pragmatism born in the United States.
Professional praxis
When we talk about professional praxis or professional practice, we generally refer to the criteria of responsibility, ethics and commitment that the correct exercise of a profession requires that is, its due practice.
One can thus speak of medical praxis, legal praxis, educational praxis, etc., always in reference to the way in which the profession is carried out (practiced). This is particularly important when talking about malpractice, as we will see below.
Malpractice
The term malpractice is used to refer to professional negligence that is, the failure on the part of an individual to achieve the minimum essential requirements of ethical and moral responsibility, in the fulfillment of their professional duties.
This term is used mostly in the medical field (medical malpractice) when a doctor causes damage or harm to a patient through action or omission, that is, due to carelessness, lack of preparation or lack of ethics. However, also applies to any form of professional practice : law, accounting, education, psychotherapy, etc.
In general, malpractice is considered an action with professional, ethical and even criminal responsibilities, since It is a totally avoidable action or omission caused by negligence, and which can perfectly cost the professional his license to practice the profession, or can even lead him to face justice.
A typical example of malpractice occurs when doctors and nurses involved in an operation forget a piece of gauze, a surgical instrument or some other object inside the patient's body that puts the patient at risk of death. Another typical case is the poor representation of a lawyer, whose ignorance of the law or whose lack of attention leads his client to face worse consequences than he would normally have faced.
References
- “Praxis” on Wikipedia.
- “Bad Praxis” on Wikipedia.
- “Praxis” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Praxis” in Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Theory and praxis” in Ibero-American Dictionary of Philosophy of Education.
- “Praxis” in Glossary of philosophy.
