Are Beliefs Voluntary in Moral Decision?

Abstract

For each individual, the standards of morality are completely different. People will make decisions based on their life experiences, social environment, family education, and other factors to develop their moral standards. The essay argues that beliefs are voluntary to guide an individual’s decisions and actions. Based on the moral experiment, people struggle with the importance of their family or personal will. Some people might make their decision based on others' thoughts and feel regret after many years. However, their belief and moral system guide them to determine the results, and they have complete responsibility for their action. In this essay, I will first discuss voluntary belief from the perspective of doxastic voluntarism and folk psychology. The second perspective will adopt psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud. Finally, this essay will demonstrate the necessity of voluntary belief using a moral accountability argument grounded in social psychology.