What Is Voluntariness? | July 16, 2026 | Thursday | Journal

What Is Voluntariness?

Voluntariness is the quality by which an action or agreement takes place without being coerced or while under compulsion. It is the act of doing something under your own free will.

When you accept an invitation to a birthday party that you genuinely wish to attend, that is voluntary. Likewise, declining an offer to participate because you do not wish to go is also voluntary.

When you sign an agreement or contract because someone threatens violence or pressures you into compliance, it is not voluntary. Handing over your wallet at gunpoint or because you are afraid of being kidnapped and thrown into a dungeon if you refuse, is not voluntariness.

Observations About Voluntariness

- It concerns actions and agreements. - It is incompatible with coercion and compulsion. - Voluntariness presupposes the existence of choice or will. - Includes both acceptance and refusal.

Questions Raised

- What is free will? - What is coercion? - What is compulsion? - Is the ability to refuse necessary for voluntariness? - Can voluntariness exist under pressure?