volitamism

Volitamism is a philosophical doctrine that posits volition, or conscious will, as the primary source and determinant of human action. Proponents argue that moral responsibility hinges on the presence of voluntary control, rather than on outcomes, dispositions, or deterministic processes alone.

The term is formed from Latin voluntas "will" and the suffix -ism, and is used in contemporary discussions of autonomy, agency, and ethics. It is not a single unified school but a family of theories that emphasize different aspects of volitional causation, such as intention formation, deliberation, or commitment to actions.

Key tenets include: voluntary control is necessary for moral accountability; actions arise from conscious choice rather than random processes; agents possess non-deterministic latitude in deciding among options; and cognitive processes that bypass or override will (for example coercion or addiction) reduce moral responsibility.

Critics argue that volitamism overstates control given empirical findings on unconscious influences, habit formation, and neurological constraints. Some compatibilists claim volition can be reconciled with determinism without abandoning moral responsibility, while libertarian critics challenge the feasibility of voluntaristic freedom. Others worry about vagueness in defining "volition" and how to measure it.

The concept intersects with broader debates on free will, agency, and intentionality, and is discussed in relation to determinism, hard determinism, and neural reductionism.