Voluntarism (action)
Encyclopedia
Voluntarism is sometimes used to mean the use of, or reliance on voluntary action to maintain an institution, carry out a policy, or achieve an end. In this context the word voluntary action means action based on free will
, which in turn means action which is performed free from certain constraints. The constraint of (government) coercion
is often considered in this context, where it remains the question what constitutes coercion.
Voluntarism flourished in the 19th and early 20th centuries and was empowering especially to women who had been excluded from political participation outside the home. Women’s organizations dealt with social problems created by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and by massive immigration which were not addressed by institutions of the time and had a great influence on American political culture.
Voluntarism also is used to describe non-coercive methods of recruiting soldiers, from participants in European and American military service to youthful combatants in civil war in Sierra Leone.
Voluntarism has been a phrase used in labor relations. In Britain, it means the state refrains from directly intervening in industrial relations. In the early American labor movement it meant trade unions should focus on “pure and simple” gains in wages and working conditions and not independent labor politics and industrial unionism
.
In his book “Willful Liberalism: Voluntarism and Individuality in Political Theory and Practice,” Johns Hopkins University
Political Science
professor Richard E. Flathman
argues that liberals must understand more about individuality and self-reliance and self-responsibility and therefore be more acceptance of voluntary action and less concerned with ordering political society. He notes that “Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations,” which he describes as “of a thousand other kinds, religious, moral, serious, futile, general or restricted, enormous or diminutive.”
In sociology
, voluntarism is an important aspect of the action theory
of Talcott Parsons
, as well as other theories of social action and agency
.
Free market
advocates, libertarians and anarchists call for voluntary efforts to replace most or all government efforts, using both moral and utilitarian arguments. Voluntaryists hold that the only legitimate interactions between and among people are those done on a voluntary basis.
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, which in turn means action which is performed free from certain constraints. The constraint of (government) coercion
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
is often considered in this context, where it remains the question what constitutes coercion.
Voluntarism vs volunteerism
Volunteer management specialist Susan Ellis differentiates between "voluntarism" and "volunteerism":"Voluntarism" (the older term) refers to everything voluntary. In the United States this includes, for example, religion. It certainly encompasses the entire "voluntary sector," but "voluntary" in the "voluntarism" context means not mandated by law (as government is). Many voluntary sector (nonprofit) agencies have a volunteer board because that is a legal requirement, but may not utilize volunteers in direct service in any way. There are subjects within "voluntarism" that have nothing to do with volunteers: things like UBIT legislation; proposal writing; compensation law.
Varieties of Voluntarism
Voluntary provision of services to religious, civil, medical, educational, environmental and other private or governmental organizations doubtless has a long history. Such volunteer efforts keep expenses down for non-profit and philanthropic organizations, empower individuals and groups to help others, and makes volunteers feel needed.Voluntarism flourished in the 19th and early 20th centuries and was empowering especially to women who had been excluded from political participation outside the home. Women’s organizations dealt with social problems created by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and by massive immigration which were not addressed by institutions of the time and had a great influence on American political culture.
Voluntarism also is used to describe non-coercive methods of recruiting soldiers, from participants in European and American military service to youthful combatants in civil war in Sierra Leone.
Voluntarism has been a phrase used in labor relations. In Britain, it means the state refrains from directly intervening in industrial relations. In the early American labor movement it meant trade unions should focus on “pure and simple” gains in wages and working conditions and not independent labor politics and industrial unionism
Industrial unionism
Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union—regardless of skill or trade—thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations...
.
In his book “Willful Liberalism: Voluntarism and Individuality in Political Theory and Practice,” Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor Richard E. Flathman
Richard E. Flathman
Richard E. Flathman is the George Armstrong Kelly Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at Johns Hopkins University. He is known for having pioneered, with Brian Barry, , , and Abraham Kaplan, the application of analytic philosophy to political science. He is a leading advocate of liberalism...
argues that liberals must understand more about individuality and self-reliance and self-responsibility and therefore be more acceptance of voluntary action and less concerned with ordering political society. He notes that “Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations,” which he describes as “of a thousand other kinds, religious, moral, serious, futile, general or restricted, enormous or diminutive.”
In sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, voluntarism is an important aspect of the action theory
Action theory (sociology)
In sociology, action theory refers to the theory of social action presented by the American theorist Talcott Parsons.Parsons established action theory in order to integrate the study of social order with the structural and voluntaristic aspects of macro and micro factors...
of Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons
Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973....
, as well as other theories of social action and agency
Agency (sociology)
In the social sciences, agency refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, "Structure" refers to the factors of influence that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions...
.
Free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
advocates, libertarians and anarchists call for voluntary efforts to replace most or all government efforts, using both moral and utilitarian arguments. Voluntaryists hold that the only legitimate interactions between and among people are those done on a voluntary basis.
Examples from American history
Voluntary provision of services to religious, civil, medical, educational, environmental and other private or governmental organizations doubtless has a long history.- William PennWilliam PennWilliam Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
, who established the Quakers in the late 17th century, preached taking responsibility for others and improving the world. - Cotton MatherCotton MatherCotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
, who lived during the colonial period, encouraged the formation of associations and causes. - Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
organized a voluntary militia in Quaker-controlled Pennsylvania, whose pacifist legislature refused to support the American revolutionary war. - Alexis de TocquevilleAlexis de TocquevilleAlexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution . In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in...
noted the unusually large number of voluntary associations in America. - The Underground Railroad was a network of volunteers who helped slaves escape from their captors in the South.
- Dorothea DixDorothea DixDorothea Lynde Dix was an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane who, through a vigorous program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first generation of American mental asylums...
, a nurse, recruited and trained other women as nurses during the Civil War. - Clara BartonClara BartonClarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse, and humanitarian. She is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.-Youth, education, and family nursing:...
also served as a Civil War nurse and went on to establish the American Red Cross in 1881 for relief of natural disasters. - Jane AddamsJane AddamsJane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
opened a settlement house in 1889 to teach volunteers how to help the poor improve their lives. - The Peace CorpsPeace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
was established by President John F. Kennedy to help the poor in both the United States and other countries. - In 1995, 93 million Americans volunteered an average of 4.3 hours per week.
See also
- AgencyAgency (sociology)In the social sciences, agency refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, "Structure" refers to the factors of influence that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions...
- Structure and agencyStructure and agencyThe question over the primacy of either structure or agency in human behavior is a central debate in the social sciences. In this context, "agency" refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. "Structure", by contrast, refers to the recurrent...
- Social action
- Action theoryAction theory (sociology)In sociology, action theory refers to the theory of social action presented by the American theorist Talcott Parsons.Parsons established action theory in order to integrate the study of social order with the structural and voluntaristic aspects of macro and micro factors...
- Symbolic interactionismSymbolic interactionismSymbolic Interaction, also known as interactionism, is a sociological theory that places emphasis on micro-scale social interaction to provide subjective meaning in human behavior, the social process and pragmatism.-History:...
- Virtual volunteeringVirtual volunteeringVirtual volunteering is a term describing a volunteer who completes tasks, in whole or in part, off-site from the organization being assisted, using the Internet and a home, school, telecenter or work computer or other Internet-connected device. Virtual volunteering is also known as online...
External links
- Landscapes of voluntarism, New spaces of health, welfare and governance, Christine Milligan and David Conradson, editors. *Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Sidney Verba, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Henry E. Brady.
- Benjamin Franklin and the Origins of Secular Voluntarism. Excerpts from the Autobiography (1771-88)