Volition

Volition refers to the faculty or power of using one's will to choose and act. In everyday language it denotes the mental process by which a person decides on a course of action and commits to it, often involving intention, deliberation, and choice. The term comes from Latin voluntas ("will") and volo ("I wish").

In philosophy, volition is analyzed as the initiator of voluntary action and a focus of moral responsibility. The central issue is the problem of free will: are volitional acts determined by prior states, or can they be willed freely? The dominant positions include compatibilism, which holds that free will is compatible with determinism, and incompatibilism, which denies that compatibility. Incompatibilists include libertarians, who argue that some actions are not determined, and hard determinists, who deny genuine freedom. Analyses often distinguish intention (aiming at a goal), deliberation (considering options), and choice (selection among options).

Psychology treats volition as self-control, decision-making, and action initiation, shaped by motivation, emotion, and executive function. Neurology has investigated the timing of conscious intention relative to brain activity, notably Libet-type experiments measuring the readiness potential. These studies provoked debate about whether consciousness can initiate action or merely veto it; subsequent research emphasizes ongoing conscious deliberation in complex, planned behavior.

Difficulties with volition include procrastination and impulsivity, which may reflect deficits in self-control. Interventions such as cognitive-behavioral techniques seek to strengthen goal-directed behavior and voluntary regulation.

Volition informs ethics, law, and medicine by framing questions of autonomy, responsibility, and consent. In ordinary discourse, volition underlies purposeful, planned action as distinct from reflexive or automatic responses.