Marx and the Philosophy of Praxis

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the central tenets of Karl Marx’s materialist conception of history reflective of his focus on modes of production, the active production and reproduction of ideology, and his theory of consciousness as a social product. It explores how his approach to both being (ontology) and knowledge (epistemology) precipitated a profound shift in philosophical discourse by positing the inseparable unity of active existence and thought thereby creating a philosophy of praxis described herein as a dialectical synthesis of theory and practice oriented toward transforming social relations. Praxis emphasizes the reflective human capacity to alter the natural and social world, sheds light on the historical specificity and structural foundations of that world, our ideological formation within it, and the conditions in which antagonisms take root. It then examines how the philosophy of praxis greatly influenced the works of Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire – two of the most cited figures in educational thought – and how they incorporated and expanded upon Marx’s revolutionary formulation.