VOLITION AND ALLIED CAUSAL CONCEPTS - by Avi Sion

VOLITION AND ALLIED CAUSAL CONCEPTS

Avi Sion,  Ph. D.

First published, 2004.

Abstract

Volition and Allied Causal Concepts is a work of aetiology and metapsychology. Aetiology is the branch of philosophy and logic devoted to the study of causality (the cause-effect relation) in all its forms; and metapsychology is the study of the basic concepts common to all psychological discourse, most of which are causal.

Volition (or free will) is to be distinguished from causation and natural spontaneity. The latter categories, i.e. deterministic causality and its negation, have been treated in a separate work, The Logic of Causation. Volition may be characterized as personal causality, a relation between an agent (the self or soul) and his actions (acts of will). Unlike causation, this relation cannot be entirely defined using conditional (if–then) propositions. Although we can say that the agent is a sine qua non of his actions, we cannot say that the agent is invariably (in all or specific circumstances) followed by his actions. It appears that both an act of will and its negation remain possible to a soul in any given set of circumstances. This defines freedom of the will, and implies the responsibility of the agent for his actions. Introspection provides knowledge of particular acts of will.

The existence of freewill implies a distinction between necessary causation (determinism independent of volition) and inertial causation (determinism, except when some contrary will interferes). An act of will occurs on a spiritual plane. It may have natural (mental or physical) consequences; those that inevitably follow it may be regarded as directly willed, whereas those that vary according to circumstances must be considered indirectly willed. Volition presupposes some degree of consciousness. So-called involuntary acts of will involve a minimum of attention, whereas mindful acts are fully conscious. Even pure whim involves intention. Most volitions moreover involve valuation, some sort of projection of goals, deliberation on means, choice and decision. To judge responsibility, various distinctions are called for, like that between intentional, incidental and accidental consequences.

Volitional action can be affected through the terms and conditions of the world surrounding its agent, but also more intimately through the influence of concrete or abstract aspects of that world that the subject has cognized. The causal concept of influence, and its implication of cognition (of inner or outer information, including emotions), are crucial to measuring the effort involved in volition. Influences make willing easier or harder, yet do not curtail its essential freedom. All the causal concepts used in psychological explanation – affections, appetites, instincts, habits, obsessions, compulsions, urges and impulses – can be elucidated thanks to this important finding. Much of human (and animal) behavior can thus be both acknowledged as volitional and as variously influenced.

Volition and Allied Causal Concepts is a work of ambitious scope, intent on finally resolving philosophical and logical issues that have always impeded progress in psychology. It clarifies the structure and workings of the psyche, facilitating hygienic and therapeutic endeavors. The relation between volition and physical laws is discussed, as is the place of volition in biology. Concepts used in biology, analogous to that of purpose, are incidentally analyzed. Theological issues are also dealt with, as are some topics in ethics and law.

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All of Avi Sion’s published books can be purchased at Amazon.com (in paperback or kindle/.mobi form), and at Lulu.com (in hardcover, paperback or e-book/.epub form), as well as other online stores.

They can also be read online free of charge, chapter by chapter, at www.TheLogician.net and, in '3D flipbook' format, at www.AviSionBooks.com, as well as in Google Books and other Internet locations. They are also available in many university and public libraries.

Contents in brief

1.         Basic Causal Relations

2.         Interactions between Volition and Causation

3.         Further Analysis of Volition

4.         Consciousness and Responsibility

5.         Influence and Freedom

6.         Further Analysis of Influence

7.         The Workings of Volition

8.         Volition and the Special Sciences

9.         Will, Velleity and Whim

10.       Affections and Appetites

11.       Complications of Influence

12.       Urges and Impulses

13.       The Quasi-Purposive in Nature

14.       Concepts of Evolution

15.       More about Evolution

16.       The Self

17.       Some Topics in Deontology

18.       More Topics in Deontology

Appendices

References

Contents in detail

1.         BASIC CAUSAL RELATIONS

1. Causation and volition
2. Causality and modality
3. Spontaneity
4. Relative vs. absolute contingency

2.         INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VOLITION AND CAUSATION

1. Necessity and inertia in causation
2. Direct and indirect volition
3. Matter-mind and spirit
4. Conceiving Divine volition
5. The study of volition

3.         FURTHER ANALYSIS OF VOLITION

1. Knowledge of volition
2. Freedom of the will
3. Decision and choice
4. Goals and means

4.         CONSCIOUSNESS AND RESPONSIBILITY

1. The consciousness in volition
2. The factors of responsibility
3. Judging, and misjudging, people

5.         INFLUENCE AND FREEDOM

1. Influence occurs via consciousness
2. Knowledge of effort, influence and freedom
3. Formal analysis of influence
4. Incitement

6.         FURTHER ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE

1. Some features of influence
2. Processes of influence
3. Instincts in relation to freewill
4. Liberation from unwanted influences
5. Propositions about the future

7.         THE WORKINGS OF VOLITION

1. Cultural context and epistemological considerations
2. Theoretical context
3. Stages in the process of volition
4. The scope of freewill

8.         VOLITION AND THE SPECIAL SCIENCES

1. Volition and the laws of physics
2. Volition and biology
3. Therapeutic psychology

9.         WILL, VELLEITY AND WHIM

1. Cognition, volition and valuation
2. Velleity
3. Whim
4. Inner divisions

10.       AFFECTIONS AND APPETITES

1. Valuation
2. The main valuations
3. Ethology

11.       COMPLICATIONS OF INFLUENCE

1. Habits
2. Obsessions and compulsions
3. The ego abhors a vacuum

12.       URGES AND IMPULSES

1. Physical urges and impulses
2. Mental urges and impulses
3. Formal analysis of physical and mental urges
4. Are there drives within the soul?
5. Formal analysis of spiritual urges

13.       THE QUASI-PURPOSIVE IN NATURE

1. Purposiveness
2. Organic functions
3. The continuity of life

14.       CONCEPTS OF EVOLUTION

1. The logical form of evolution
2. Evidence for evolution
3. Random mutation
4. Natural selection

15.       MORE ABOUT EVOLUTION

1. Social Darwinism
2. Spiritual Darwinism
3. Theological perspectives

16.       THE SELF

1. Ungluing the mind
2. Abstract vs. concrete self
3. Sundry reflections on the soul and God

17.       SOME TOPICS IN DEONTOLOGY

1. Founding ethics
2. Ethics concerns the living, thinking, willing
3. Conscience and conformism
4. Tai Chi, karma yoga and faith

18.       MORE TOPICS IN DEONTOLOGY

1. Inducing ethics
2. Ethical formulas
3. Philosophy of law

APPENDICES

1. Some formal logic guidelines
2. Aristotle’s four causes 

REFERENCES