Literary notes about practical (AI summary)
The term "practical" in literature is richly layered, often serving as a marker of functionality, tangible utility, or applied wisdom as opposed to abstract theorizing. Philosophical works use it to differentiate pure speculation from experiential understanding, as seen in discussions that contrast theoretical reasoning with its grounded counterpart ([1], [2], [3]), while narrative texts employ it to denote a character’s down-to-earth or utilitarian disposition ([4], [5]). At times, "practical" emphasizes the concrete impact of ideas, whether in the recounting of everyday endeavors or in the applied advancements of science and industry ([6], [7]), and it may also underscore a broader ethical or moral pragmatism that guides decisions and actions ([8], [9]).
- This must at first seem inconsistent as long as this practical use is only nominally known.
— from The Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant - In the present passage the term is not used in its technical significance but means "practical experience."
— from Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant - As all thinking is either theoretical or practical, goodness of intellect has two supreme forms—Theoretical and Practical Wisdom.
— from The Ethics of Aristotle by Aristotle - I am talking to a Practical British man—ha?
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - That was practical, unromantic good sense.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain - The idea was simple, but in it lay the germ of the first steam engine of much practical value.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - The practical experiments of horticulturists, though not made with scientific precision, deserve some notice.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - Some of those sayings remind us of Christian expostulations and show us how far in practical morality natural religion can approach the revealed.
— from Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe - This situation gives force and definiteness to the practical tendencies of the father's ethical teachings.
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero
