rationalize

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"

weed out unwanted or unnecessary things; "We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet"

structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results; "We rationalized the factory's production and raised profits"

think rationally; employ logic or reason; "When one wonders why one is doing certain things, one should rationalize"

remove irrational quantities from; "This function can be rationalized"