Velleity is the lowest degree of volition, a slight wish or tendency.

Examples of usage

In philosophy

The 16th-century French philosopher

Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as ...

, in his essay ''On the Force of Imagination'' begins with the epigraph he cites from a schoolboy textbook, ''Fortis imaginatio generat casum'', or "A strong imagination begets the event itself." In this essay, Montaigne describes the various ways that the will (or ''imagination'' as he calls it) causes people and other animals to do things or to have things done to them, with the barest of initiatives. In said essay, he links (what is now called) the

placebo effect A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...

to the power of the will. For example, he describes how a certain Germain, was born a female named Mary, who "that by straining himself in a leap his male organs came out" at the age of 22. He also cites the

stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

Dagobert Dagobert or Taginbert is a Germanic male given name, possibly from Old Frankish ''Dag'' "day" and '' beraht'' "bright". Alternatively, it has been identified as Gaulish ''dago'' "good" ''berxto'' "bright". Animals * Roi Dagobert (born 1964), ...

and Saint Francis, and when the bride Laodice worshipping

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

cured her husband Amasis, King of Egypt of his

impotence Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a Human penis, penile erection with sufficient rigidity and durat ...

, among several other examples.

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

describes the velleity of an

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

as a "desire to ''be'' 'what he is able to represent, conceive, and express'...." Nietzsche championed the

will to power The will to power () is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans. However, the concept was never systematically defined in Nietzsche's ...

, which can be encapsulated as starting with velleity, in his free-will theorem. Keith David Wyma refers frequently to the "concept of velleity", citing

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

as a pioneer of introducing the idea into philosophy. Keith David Wyma, ''Crucible of reason'', pp. 197, 221, 223, 225, 227 (Rowman and Littlefield 2004). . Found a
Google books
Accessed June 3, 2010. In the

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

, the number of ''Ratzon'' is 1/60 of perfection, which is the minimum level of the Divine will."There are six levels ach one encompassing ten sub-levelsbetween netzach (eternity) and ratzon (will)." Ask a Rabbi, citing Talmud Tractate Berachot 57b; Midrash Rabbah Genesis 17:7;

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

, Guide for the Perplexed 2:36; and Zohar Pekudei 254a, found a
Ask a Rabbi
accessed August 4, 2024.

References

{{Reflist Free will Linguistics Motivation

Examples of usage

In philosophy

See also

References