How do you distinguish between theory and practice? The following is my favorite quote on that subject.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.
– various
It is a really good reminder that the things that may look neat and tidy on paper are often much less so in reality. The things you do not have to worry about when you are just thinking about them can be very much a concern when you try to actually follow through on your thinking.
On the other hand, this next perspective complements the above view in an interesting manner.
There is nothing as practical as a good theory.
Good theories are good, because they are practical. Their practicality is what makes them useful. At surface level, practical theory may read as a bit of a contradiction or at least a miscategorization. It really is not though.
If practical means concerned with actual use under real conditions, for something to be feasible and likely effective, then the question shifts. Then it is less about avoiding abstraction and more about whether those abstractions are usable. The theory should help inform real-life understanding and guide decision-making.
Surely a practical theory is intuitively more appealing than a theoretical practice.
I think this serves as a useful analogy: Theory is to practice, what the map is to the territory. One is not the other. A good map can be very useful to navigate its territory though.