Praxis as a theory entails the development of a revolutionary doctrine which will enable one to understand the basic force in history and the possibilities for developing or revolutionary movement so that men can gain control over their lives.
Unlike positivism which refers to practise as an utilitarian category, revolutionary praxis affirms that practise is the centre of our scientific concerns by insisting that we are part of the world. Where positivism preaches resignation and acceptance, praxis demands commitment and change; for conformity, it puts criticism; for passitivity, it demands constructive action, and hence instead of theorizing in the abstract, it calls for concrete practise.
Thinking is a praxical activity. It insists and its role is not to contemplate the universe, but to transform it. Human ides modify through praxis, the very existential substratum of ideas themselves, history becomes the unfolding of man shaping his world.
A distorted view of praxis gave rise to institutions that alienated and obstruct the realization of freedom, equity and social justice. In Eastern European countries, China, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and African countries of Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, and Guinea Bissau there was an ascendance of a distorted praxis. In an attempt to return to the original idea of revolutionary praxis, Marx attempted reconstructed praxis, which entails man’s ability to conquer his environment through a constructive revolutionary action that involves freedom in the establishment of institutions of state that regulate governance. Praxis in this sense is conceived as restoration of the human essence.
