voluntades

Voluntades is the plural form of the noun ganas or will in several Romance languages, most commonly Spanish and Portuguese where it translates to will, wish, or intention. In French and Italian, cognates are voluntad and volontà respectively. In English-language contexts, voluntades appears mainly in translations or scholarly writing, where it is often rendered as “wills,” “volitions,” or “intentions.” The term is used across philosophy, law, theology, and psychology to denote the mental faculty or acts by which agents decide or assent to actions or outcomes.

In philosophy and cognitive science, voluntas or volition concerns the process of decision-making, choice, and the initiation of voluntary action. Debates frequently address free will, the degree of conscious control, and how internal deliberation translates into observable behavior. In theology, discussions about the voluntas Dei explore the will of God and its relation to human freedom, providence, and moral responsibility.

In law, especially in civil-law traditions, the concept underpins acts that create binding effects through a person’s declared will, such as contracts or dispositions in a will (testamento). The idea is that legal transactions depend on a clearly expressed, voluntary declaration by a capable person.

Notes: voluntades emphasizes multiple acts or expressions of will or disposition and is more common in Romance-language texts than in English. While related to the broader concept of volition, its precise usage varies by language, discipline, and legal tradition.