Distinction Between Involuntary and Voluntary Action

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                              Distinction between Involuntary And Voluntary Action

An involuntary action is an action which takes place under compulsion or owing to ignorance, and the moving principle of such an action is external. In an involuntary action, the agent or person who is acting or feeling the passion does not contribute anything to the action (Aristotle, 33). An example is when a man is carried away by powerful waves in the sea. An involuntary action causes regret and pain to the actor. A voluntary action, on the other hand, is whereby the moving principle of an action is internal, and the decision to perform or not the action are within the power of the person or agent involved.  An example is when a person endures an enormous amount of pain or hardship to achieve something worthwhile. A voluntary action does not cause any regret or pain to the concerned person (Aristotle, 34)

                                                  Choice and Deliberation

Deliberation is the process through which people decide on things which are within their power and can be done by their effort. Things such as money making, medical treatment can be deliberated since people have the power to change them. Deliberation can however not be done on things which man has no power to change such as the alphabet or self-contained sciences. People deliberate on things that happen a certain way for the most part, but in which the event is obscure and with things which cannot be determined. In deliberation, a person calls on other people to help him/her in deciding on important issues possibly because the person in question does not trust himself/herself.

Deliberation concerns itself with the means and not the end. An orator, for example, does not deliberate on the possibilities to persuade, nor does a doctor deliberate on whether he shall heal neither a patient nor a statesman whether he shall produce a law/order. These persons assume the end and instead consider by what means the end results can be attained.

Choice, on the other hand, defines what has been deliberated upon and chosen.  It is what has been decided upon as a result of deliberation. It is made after the deliberation process has been completed