Sometimes, starting to find out what an unfamiliar word means, one may encounter a lot of various information, full of no more understandable terms, complex wordings and many references to dictionaries of all specializations. Curiosity in such cases, it happens, slightly fades.
There is a chance that this will end the attempt to understand what “voluntarism” is. A word that periodically catches your eye or hurts your hearing has a lot of interpretations and fields of application, respectively, many definitions. The concept of “voluntarism” is used by philosophers, sociologists, political scientists and psychologists, it is used in social science, as well as to indicate a position regarding ethics and morality. And what are these in simple words?
Voluntarism: the history of the concept
The term was introduced at the end of the century before last by the sociologist F. Tennis, but the ideas themselves existed much earlier, from the time of the Middle Ages, when the will was recognized as dominant over thinking.
The word "voluntarism" comes from the Latin voluntas, which means "will." Depending on the field of application (politics, philosophy, ethics, sociology, social studies, psychology, economics), the will is not interpreted in the same way, but everywhere it plays a decisive role in the development of man and society.
In the 19th century, voluntarism turned into philosophical doctrine, its supporters did not have a single opinion and recognized as the most important element of all things either rational will, or blind and unconscious. At the end of the same century, voluntarism manifested itself in psychology.
Voluntarism in Philosophy
The concept of voluntarism refers to idealistic theories - the paramount importance in the origin and existence of everything and everything is given to intangible categories.
Representatives of various currents of the teaching interpret the concept of will ambiguously, but all idealistic philosophers give a leading role in the development of the whole existing will of God or man. They deny the objective, from the point of view of realism, the needs of society and the laws of nature.
From the point of view of the historical change in philosophical views, voluntarism characterizes the period of the change of belief that a person is the bearer of the theoretical consciousness that he is an active and acting being, focused on the result and achieves it. The problem of freedom of choice and decision-making by man exists and will always exist. In contrast to currents with a fatalistic understanding of the structure of the world and society (everything is predetermined, the system decides everything, etc.).
One can come across a very categorical understanding of what voluntarism is in philosophy. It is based on the belief that the will is where it all began and how it all happens. It is the unconscious root cause of all things and the basis of a person’s spiritual life. Absolutely concrete, but still abstract, the will itself is out of nowhere.
The meaning of the word "voluntarism" in the field of morality and ethics
In the field of morality, voluntarism is the belief that everyone should establish moral standards for himself, regardless of the choice of the surrounding society. This is one of the most radical ideas based on the belief that evil and good are relative. In everyday life it is expressed as a denial of everything known, well-established, accumulated by the experience of generations, giving the main importance to individual decisions in everything. This leads to a loss of morality.
In modern bourgeois society, a voluntaristic understanding of moral laws is a fairly widespread phenomenon. This is due to the crisis of the system and the widespread civil position of opposing oneself to society.
Socio-political definition
What is voluntarism in relation to socio-political activity? There is a rather radical understanding that emphasizes the main role of the will of man and can be an explanation of adventurous military events and the ideas of neo-fascism. The philosophy and ethics of voluntarism is criticized from the point of view of Marxism-Leninism.
Also, in some sources there is another meaning of voluntarism - it is understood as a social system created through teams, by willpower, and not by natural development processes. Such a society is considered unnatural, uncharacteristic of the human race, in contrast to those formed during the natural course of history: feudal, capitalist, and socialist. etc., but voluntarism has one of these areas.
Volunteers overestimate the role of will in the development of human society. It is believed that it is possible to successfully influence social processes and rebuild society with a conscious effort, regardless of the natural course of history. They build their opinion on the analysis of a rather superficial familiarization with the situation, and not on an in-depth scientific study of it.
Economics and politics
In relation to specific economic and political practice, we can say, making the term extremely simple, that voluntarism is decisions made under the guidance of personal desires and beliefs, contrary to the recommendations of specialists and common sense, real conditions.
In the economic and political spheres, the definition of “voluntarism” is often used in relation to the style of activity of a leader. For example, the position of I.V. Stalin regarding people, the incorrect behavior of N. S. Khrushchev, which at one time created a definite opinion about the country as a whole.
A voluntary policy is one that does not take into account objective possibilities, conditions, and natural laws and ignores the likely consequences of its activities. For example, a change in the direction of rivers, the construction of enterprises and structures by their existence critically violating the laws of nature.
It is characterized by spontaneous actions, based not on a deliberate program of action, but on a series of irrational decisions that are not aimed at thoughtful purposeful development of the state. It is considered destructive.
The nature of the emergence of political voluntarism
The emergence of political voluntarism is influenced by social and economic factors, but the main reasons can still be called the problems of the social state system - the remoteness of the people and different groups of the population from each other and from the sphere of decision-making that are important for the country, a model of society based on the principle of supreme leadership, disinterest in participating in decision-making by citizens, and often lack of understanding of this issue, lack of political culture and consciousness.
Positive interpretation of voluntarism in politics
There is another understanding of what voluntarism is in politics. In this case, we have in mind such a socio-economic model of the organization of society, which is built on the free will of all its members, without coercion from without.
Social Studies and Sociology
Social studies and sociology sometimes interpret voluntarism more narrowly - as a variety of forms of influence of people's activities and their interaction with each other on the circumstances and conditions of their lives, as well as on the development, change of society as a whole. Then the individual activity of each is considered as one of the main driving forces for the development of the whole society. It is personal choice, decisions, goals that play a leading role.
Most sociological theories are not considered purely voluntaristic. They contain in themselves and opposite features. For example, paying tribute to the role of each individual and his personal choice, the significant influence of certain objective factors is recognized.
