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 prassein, "Do"), means in Spanish the practice of something, that is, carry it out or do it in a concrete way, especially in opposition to the theory. That is, we distinguish between theory (the thought and planning) and praxis or practice (the concrete realization of the thing).
This opposition between theory and practice (praxis) comes from the antiquity classical: the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) classified human activities in three different categories, which are the theory (theorein) or search for the truth; the poeticspoiesis) what is creative imitation; and practice (praxis) or specific resolution of the problems.
That is why, according to the Western philosophical tradition, praxis is always subject to theory, that is, to planning and planning. observation. Many of the great philosophers of modern history, such as Kant (1724-1804), Hegel (1770-1831) or Marx himself (1818-1883) dealt with this opposition between action and reason.
Thus, when we refer to the praxis of something, we are commonly referring to its concrete realization, that is, to its practical side.
Praxis in philosophy
In the philosophy Western, the term praxis has been used by various thinkers, always as synonymous action or practice of something.
However, the term is strongly associated with politics and especially with Marxism: Karl Marx contradicted the classical subordination of praxis to theoretical thought (in the sense that one must first come across theory and then proceed to praxis), arguing that in reality theoretical thought arises from practical (material) conditions. , social) in which human life occurs and therefore actually depends on them.
This inversion (that the 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 the reality it is interpreted, and not the other way around. Put more easily, for Marxism it is the material that determines the way in which 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 practice
When speaking of professional practice or professional practice, allusion is generally made to the criteria of responsibility, ethics Y commitment that requires the correct exercise of a profession, that is, its due practice.
Thus, one can speak of medical practice, legal practice, educational practice, etc., always referring to the way in which the profession is carried out (practiced). This is particularly important when it comes to malpractice, as we will see below.
Bad practice
The term malpractice is used to refer to the negligence professional, that is, the failure of an individual to meet the essential minimum requirements of ethical and moral responsibility, in the performance of their professional duties.
This term is used mostly in the medical field (medical malpractice) when a doctor causes damage or damages to a patient by action or omission, that is, by carelessness, lack of preparation or lack of ethics. However, it also applies to any form of professional practice: law, law accounting, the 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 that could perfectly cost the professional his license to practice the profession, or it may even lead you to face justice.
A typical example of malpractice occurs when doctors and nurses involved in an operation forget inside the patient's body a gauze, a surgical instrument or some other object that puts the patient at risk of death. Another typical case is the misrepresentation of a lawyer, whose ignorance of the law or whose inattention leads your client to face worse consequences than they would have normally faced.