Praktikos

Praktikos, from the Greek word πρακτικός, means practical or fit for action. In scholarly contexts it is used to designate the domain of action, conduct, and practical reasoning, as opposed to theoretical knowledge. The root praxis, “action” or “practice,” underpins the term and the suffix -ikos forms an adjective describing what relates to practice.

In ancient Greek philosophy, philosophy was sometimes described as comprising three domains: the theoretical (theoretikos), the productive or creative (poietikos), and the practical (praktikos). Practical philosophy, or praktikos, concerns how humans ought to act and deliberate in order to achieve a good life. In Aristotelian thought, praktikos is associated with ethics and politics, focusing on virtue, choice, and action aimed at human flourishing (eudaimonia). Theoretical philosophy, by contrast, seeks understanding of first principles and necessary causes, while poietikos concerns making and production.

In later philosophical and scholastic usage, praktikos came to denote the practical sciences—ethics, political theory, and practical arts—distinguished from speculative or theoretical disciplines. Modern Greek retains the sense of the term as “practical” or “utilitarian.” In English translations of Greek texts, praktikos is often rendered as practical or praxial in discussions of ethics and political philosophy, and is linked to the concept of praxis, the active implementation of theoretical knowledge in concrete action.

See also: Praxis; practical philosophy; Aristotle; ethics; politics.