Critical consciousness arises only from praxis combining action with reflection.

Evidence

People will be truly critical if they live the plenitude of the praxis, that is, if their action encompasses a critical reflection which increasingly organizes their thinking and thus leads them to move from a purely naïve knowledge of reality to a higher level, one which enables them to perceive the causes of reality. If revolutionary leaders deny this right to the people, they impair their own capacity to think—or at least to think correctly. Revolutionary leaders cannot think without the people, nor for the people, but only with the people. — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 425

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sharply defines praxis as inseparable action-plus-reflection, and states the direction of movement from naïve to causal knowledge.
• XREF: connects to: Acquiring critical consciousness without a plan of action produces fear rather than empowerment.