Voluntarism. What does this mean? Translated from the Latin word voluntarism (voluntas) is a form of political activity of the subject, which is based on desires and aspirations and ignores the objective concepts of political life. Volunteers consider politics a process of making spontaneous decisions that are not based on an activity program.
Voluntarism - what is it? This concept is characteristic of politicians with a linear movement of thought and action, which tend to embellish the due, but to a large extent unattainable. It is for this reason that voluntarism, as a current in politics, causes significant damage to political integration and consolidation, and as a whole is a destructive force.
What does the word “voluntarism” mean in politics?
Political voluntarism originates from the external determinants of social development. But basically in the estrangement of the people, social groups and strata from the activities of politicians and authorities are the roots of such a trend as voluntarism. What is this if not the extreme expression of ethical relativism based on the moral freedom of man? The term "voluntarism" was first mentioned by the German sociologist Tennis in the 19th century. But voluntaristic ideas in ethics have been put forward before. As the contradictions between man and society increased, an understanding of voluntarism became more common.
The word "voluntarism" in psychology and philosophy
This trend in philosophy and psychology contrasts the volitional principle with reason and the objective laws of society and nature. In fact, voluntarism affirms the independence of the human will from reality, idealizes the role of the individual in history and how it affects the world. The idea of the flow can be traced back to medieval times. But the concept of “voluntarism” in psychology appeared only at the end of the 19th century thanks to Wundt W. - a German psychologist, doctor and physiologist.
The following types of voluntarism in psychology are distinguished:
- limited to the recognition that the will is a qualitatively peculiar phenomenon among other psychological processes;
- claiming that all other psychological processes and phenomena, voluntarism are based on the will - that it is the will that represents the primary ability, which depends solely on the subject and has no objective grounds.
Proponents of voluntarism
According to the German philosopher and psychologist Wundt, mental causation is expressed in a volitional act, in particular in apperception. The philosopher and psychologist James argued that unconditional volitional decision is responsible for human actions. The German psychologist Münsterberg G. believed that the will prevails over other psychological processes. Other Western psychologists of that time supported his ideas. They did not cease to preach that a person is inherent in the ability to independently choose a goal and ways to achieve it. In this case, voluntarism acts as the effect of the action that stands behind the acts of a special spiritual essence.
