Praxis (Action/Reflection)
Praxis is a Greek word which means, doing action. In critical legal studies, praxis means practical action. It is the practical application or exercise of a branch of learning. It also means the practice of living the ethical life in conjunction and in cooperation with others.
It is not enough for people to come together in dialogue in order to gain knowledge of their social reality. They must act together upon their environment in order critically to reflect upon their reality and so transform it through further action and critical reflection.
Key Components:
Dialogue
To enter into dialogue presupposes equality amongst participants. Each must trust the others; there must be mutual respect and love (care and commitment). Each one must question what he or she knows and realize that through dialogue existing thoughts will change and new knowledge will be created.
Conscientization
The process of developing a critical awareness of one’s social reality through reflection and action. Action is fundamental because it is the process of changing the reality. Paulo Freire says that we all acquire social myths which have a dominant tendency, and so learning is a critical process which depends upon uncovering real problems and actual needs.
The Minessence Values Framework
The Minessence Values Framework [MVF] is an Expert System designed to facilitate this process - see: https://www.mvf-knowledge-base.com/p/mvf.html
