Practical reason

Practical reason is reasoning about what to do and which principles should guide action. It concerns how judgments, ends, and reasons determine the will.

Theoretical reason: Reasoning directed toward knowledge of what is true, rather than toward determining action. It contrasts practical reasoning about what to do with reasoning about what is the case.
Humean theory of motivation: The view that motivation requires a desire or other conative state alongside belief. It challenges the idea that practical judgment alone can move an agent to act.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose works shaped ethics, metaphysics, logic, and political thought. His account of practical wisdom links reasoning about action to virtuous character and human flourishing.
Moral rationalism: The view that reason can provide or disclose substantive moral requirements. It assigns practical reason a direct role in grounding moral obligations.
Categorical imperative: Kant's principle requiring actions to conform to laws that can hold universally and respect persons as ends. It expresses the unconditional authority Kant attributes to practical reason.
Instrumental rationality: The capacity to select effective means for achieving given ends. It captures practical reasoning about means while leaving the ends themselves unsettled.
Internalism about reasons: The view that an agent's reasons for action depend in some way on that agent's motivations. It connects practical reasons to the motivational capacities of the person who acts.
Practical wisdom: The capacity to deliberate well about what is good and appropriate in particular circumstances. Aristotle treats it as the excellence that makes practical reasoning perceptive and sound.
Moral sentimentalism: The view that moral judgments depend fundamentally on sentiments or affective responses. It locates moral authority in feeling rather than in practical reason alone.
Autonomy: The capacity or condition of governing oneself rather than being ruled by external control. Kantian practical reason explains autonomy as the will's self-legislation under moral law.

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