practical reason

American  

noun

1. (in Kantian ethics) reason applied to the problem of action and choice, especially in ethical matters.

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practical reason British  

noun

1. the faculty by which human beings determine how to act

2. reasoning concerning the relative merits of actions

3. the principles governing arguments which issue in actions or intentions to act

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Etymology

Origin of practical reason

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Many real-life animals known as hematophages that sustain themselves on blood for a more practical reason — survival.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024

Natalie Portman just shared her very practical reason for steering away from Method acting.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2024

Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat from Hawaii, has a more practical reason for liking consensus.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023

She says female snipers have been romanticised since World War Two, adding there is a very practical reason for this reputation.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023

And I could think of no rational or practical reason why my father should try to find out who his father’s father was.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright