Will, Voluntary, Matter

The standard association of 'voluntary' with 'deliberate' or 'intentional' reflects the combined legacy of two theses--that Matter is inert, and that Consciousness is immaterial. Accordingly, only a perception, image, or thought can set one's body in motion, and can, therefore, be the source of voluntary action. In contrast, in Formaterialism, 'Matter' is an hypostasization of the Material Principle, and Will is the Material Principle of Experience. On that model, the self-activation that qualifies an action as 'voluntary' is independent of either a preceding perception, or a concomitant image or thought that guides its execution. As has been previously discussed, examples of one's formulating a goal simply to facilitate the exercise of Motility validate that model. They, therefore, also justify the distinction of 'voluntary' from 'deliberate' or 'intentional'.