← Back to catalogue
Research draft

will

vr.tr.will · XCT.STA

Let an agent explain will as volition and decision capacity, present philosophical, psychological, legal and religious treatments with attribution, keep the sense distinct from the testamentary will, and route questions about legal capacity to lawyers and clinicians.

Thing Registry Cross-cutting context

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain will as volition and decision capacity, present philosophical, psychological, legal and religious treatments with attribution, keep the sense distinct from the testamentary will, and route questions about legal capacity to lawyers and clinicians.

In the sense recorded here, the faculty or capacity by which a person decides and initiates action, also called volition, together with the state of having decided, as in a declaration of will; will is discussed in philosophy as the seat of choice and the subject of debates about free will, in psychology as self-control and decision-making ability, in law as the capacity required for valid acts, and in religious traditions such as the Hindu concept of sankalpa. The testamentary will, a document disposing of property at death, is a different sense.

What it is for: Not applicable; a mental faculty and state.

It can be explain the concept and its senses; present philosophical debates with attribution; relay psychological and legal concepts in general terms; keep senses distinct.

Distinguishing features

Volition and decision

Subject of free will debates

Legal capacity concept

Homonym with the testamentary will

What it looks like

Not a visible object; expressed in decisions and actions.

How it is recognised

Faculty of deciding and initiating action

Studied in philosophy, psychology, law and religion

A testamentary will is a legal document, a separate sense

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms

intention

is a kind of - a mental capacity

cognitive faculty

is debated in - the philosophical problem

free will

is confused with - the legal document sense

testament

In practice

Families and kinds

will as volition in philosophy

free will and determinism debates

willpower and self-control in psychology

decision-making capacity in law and medicine

declaration of will in civil law

weak forms such as velleity

sankalpa and other religious concepts of resolve

Standards and regulation

Mental capacity laws defining decision-making ability

Civil law rules on declarations of will and consent

Failure modes and hazards

Confusing volition with the testamentary will

Presenting free will debates as settled

Agents assessing personal legal capacity

Also called

declaration of willnecessary capacitydecision-making abilityvelleitySankalpacognitive faculty

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Also registered as vr.tr.will-communication

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Concept What will means.

Definition.

Definition

Definition and senses.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is will as volition, and how does it differ from desire, intention and the testamentary will? definition
  2. Is the question about volition or about a testamentary will? boundary

Degrees

Degrees of will.

Degrees

Degrees.

  1. How do velleity, resolve and commitment differ as degrees of will? definition
  2. Which entry fits intention? action
Philosophy Philosophy.

Attribution.

Free will

Free will debates.

Freewill

Freewill.

  1. What positions exist on free will, from libertarian to compatibilist and hard determinist, with attribution? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

History

History of the concept.

History

History.

  1. How did Augustine, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and others treat the will? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
Mind Psychology and law.

Practice.

Psychology

Willpower and self-control.

Psychology

Psychology.

  1. What does research say about self-control and decision-making, with findings attributed? provenance
  2. Which entry fits self-control? action

Capacity

Legal capacity.

Capacity

Capacity.

  1. How do laws define decision-making capacity and valid declarations of will, in general terms? provenance
  2. Is the user asking about a specific person capacity, which needs a lawyer or clinician? boundary
Culture Religion and culture.

Attribution.

Religion

Religious concepts.

Religion

Religion.

  1. How do traditions such as Hindu sankalpa and Christian theology treat the will, with attribution? provenance
  2. Is the presentation respectful? boundary

Language

Language.

Language

Language.

  1. How is the concept expressed across languages, and where do senses diverge? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the other sense? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should free will and mental capacity be the primary linked entries?
  • How should philosophical references be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases from law, psychology and religion; should they be split off?