Examining Practical Philosophy in Aristotle's Intellectual System

Practical philosophy is among the key concepts in ethics and philosophy of ethics. To Aristotle, knowing the quiddity of this concept is important because, on the one hand, he was a successor of great ancestors such as Socrates and Plato, and on the other hand, his books and works, after being translated and studied by Islamic thinkers such as Kennedy and Farabi, have been the foundation and source of Ethics, philosophical ethics and Islamic ethics. Thus, using the descriptive-analytical method, this paper investigates the nature of practical philosophy by comparing it with other intellectual virtues from Aristotle’s perspective. The results show that along with scientific cognition (the ability to present arguments), intuitive intellect, which deals with self-evident premises, constitutes theoretical philosophy on the subject of the best beings. The principles of theoretical philosophy are the principles of practical ability (technē/technique) and practical philosophy (phronesis). Practical philosophy or phronesis borrows from theoretical intellect and lends to practical intellect. In other words, it is the result of theoretical intellect and the (numerical) cause of practical intellect for moral action.