An Examination of the Relation between Casual Necessity and Volition with an Emphasis on the Three-Fold Factors of Volition of Allamah Tabatabaei

Different views have been expressed regarding the relation between casual necessity and free-will. These conflicting views can be subsumed under two general categories. Some agree with this compatibility while others do not. Allamah Tabatabaei was a philosopher of the first category. By defining a voluntary action he strives to present a factor for free-will and coincidentally show how it is possible for such a voluntary action to be compatible with the necessity that exists between cause and effect. An analysis of the writings of Allamah Tabatabaei shows that he presented a total of four factors by means of which one can determine whether an action is voluntary or not. Of course, these measures are horizontally, not vertically aligned with one another. Sometimes, he presents ‘self-specification’ as a factor. At other times, he states that an action is voluntary if ‘it is preceded by choice. ’ In another place, he says that the voluntary action can be divided into two categories: the one that stems from choice and the one that is performed through compulsion and he states that the measure of a voluntary action is its being in accord with the agent that performs it. In the end, he interprets volition as ‘possibility in relation [to something else]. ’ Thus, he says that volition is the relation of possibility that exists between an effect and its incomplete cause. In this article, we will examine the first three measure of a voluntary action. The fourth measure will be examined in a separate article.