voluntarism

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A reliance on volunteers to support an institution or achieve an end; volunteerism.
  2. A doctrine that assigns the most dominant position to the will rather than the intellect.
  3. The political theory that a community is best organized by the voluntary cooperation of individuals, rather than by a government, which is regarded as being coercive by nature.

Pronunciation

/ˈvɒ.lən.t(ə.)ɹɪ.zəm/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Pvanp7-voluntarism.wav /ˈvɑ.lən.t(ə.)ɹɪ.zəm/

Word forms

voluntarism voluntarisms

Etymology

From voluntary + -ism.

Related words

Derived words

voluntarist voluntaristic involuntarism
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