Book 1
16
But although this does happen in the case of the theoretical sciences, inasmuch as astronomy and natural scienceThe Greek term primarily denotes biology, rather than physics in the modern sense (with which contrast the modern limitation of the term physiology, and of physic in the sense of medicine); accordingly it does not here include astronomy. and geometry have no other End except to get to know and to contemplate the nature of the things that are the subjects of the sciences (although it is true that they may quite possibly be useful to us accidentally for many of our necessary requirements),
17
yet the End of the productive sciences is something different from science and knowledge, for example the End of medicine is health and that of political science ordered government, or something of that sort, different from mere knowledge of the science.
18
Although, therefore, it is fine even to attain a knowledge of the various fine things,all the same nevertheless in the case of goodness it is not the knowledge of its essential nature that is most valuable but the ascertainment of the sources that produce it. For our aim is not to know what courage is but to be courageous, not to know what justice is but to be just, in the same way as we want to be healthy rather than to ascertain what health is, and to be in good condition of body rather than to ascertain what good bodily condition is.
