2. Causes of Volition
#615. Motive.—N. motive, springs of action, wellsprings of action. reason, ground, call, principle; by end, by purpose; mainspring, primum mobile[Lat], keystone; the why and the wherefore; pro and con, reason why; secret motive, arriere pensee[Fr]; intention &c. 620. inducement, consideration; attraction; loadstone; magnet, magnetism, magnetic force; allectation|, allective|; temptation, enticement, agacerie[obs3], allurement, witchery; bewitchment, bewitchery; charm; spell &c. 993; fascination, blandishment, cajolery; seduction, seducement; honeyed words, voice of the tempter, song of the Sirens forbidden fruit, golden apple. persuasibility[obs3], persuasibleness[obs3]; attractability[obs3]; impressibility, susceptibility; softness; persuasiveness, attractiveness; tantalization[obs3]. influence, prompting, dictate, instance; impulse, impulsion; incitement, incitation; press, instigation; provocation &c. (excitation of feeling) 824; inspiration; persuasion, suasion; encouragement, advocacy; exhortation; advice &c. 695; solicitation &c. (request) 765; lobbyism; pull*. incentive, stimulus, spur, fillip, whip, goad, ankus[obs3], rowel, provocative, whet, dram. bribe, lure; decoy, decoy duck; bait, trail of a red herring; bribery and corruption; sop, sop for Cerberus. prompter, tempter; seducer, seductor[obs3]; instigator, firebrand, incendiary; Siren, Circe; agent provocateur; lobbyist. V. induce, move; draw, draw on; bring in its train, give an impulse &c. n.; to; inspire; put up to, prompt, call up; attract, beckon. stimulate &c. (excite) 824; spirit up, inspirit; rouse, arouse; animate, incite, foment, provoke, instigate, set on, actuate; act upon, work upon, operate upon; encourage; pat on the back, pat on the shoulder, clap on the back, clap on the shoulder. influence, weigh with, bias, sway, incline, dispose, predispose, turn the scale, inoculate; lead by the nose; have influence with, have influence over, have influence upon, exercise influence with, exercise influence over, exercise influence upon; go round, come round one; turn the head, magnetize; lobby. persuade; prevail with, prevail upon; overcome, carry; bring round to one's senses, bring to one's senses; draw over, win over, gain over, come over, talk over; procure, enlist, engage; invite, court. tempt, seduce, overpersuade[obs3], entice, allure, captivate, fascinate, bewitch, carry away, charm, conciliate, wheedle, coax, lure; inveigle; tantalize; cajole &c. (deceive) 545. tamper with, bribe, suborn, grease the palm, bait with a silver hook, gild the pill, make things pleasant, put a sop into the pan, throw a sop to, bait the hook. enforce, force; impel &c. (push) 276; propel &c. 284; whip, lash, goad, spur, prick, urge; egg on, hound, hurry on; drag &c. 285; exhort; advise &c. 695; call upon &c. press &c. (request) 765; advocate. set an example, set the fashion; keep in countenance. be persuaded &c.; yield to temptation, come round; concede &c. (consent) 762; obey a call; follow advice, follow the bent,.follow the dictates of; act on principle. Adj. impulsive, motive; suasive, suasory[obs3], persuasive, persuasory[obs3], hortative, hortatory; protreptical|; inviting, tempting, &c. v.; suasive, suasory[obs3]; seductive, attractive; fascinating &c. (pleasing) 829; provocative &c. (exciting) 824. induced &c. v.; disposed; persuadable &c. (docile) 602; spellbound; instinct with, smitten with, infatuated; inspired &c. v.; by. Adv. because, therefore &c. (cause) 155; from this motive, from that motive; for this reason, for that reason; for; by reason of, for the sake of, count of; out of, from, as, forasmuch as. for all the world; on principle. Phr. fax mentis incendium gloriae[Lat]; "temptation hath a music for all ears" "to beguile many and be beguiled by one" [Willis][Othello].
#615a. Absence of Motive.—N. absence of motive, aimlessness;
caprice &c. 608; chance &c. (absence of design) 621.
V. have no motive; scruple &c. (be unwilling) 603.
Adj. without rhyme or reason; aimless, capricious, whimsical &c.
(chance) 621.
Adv. out of mere caprice.
#616. Dissuasion.—N. dissuasion, dehortation[obs3], expostulation, remonstrance; deprecation &c. 766. discouragement, damper, wet blanket; disillusionment, disenchantment. cohibition &c. (restraint) 751[obs3]; curb &c. (means of restraint) 752; check &c. (hindrance) 706. reluctance &c. (unwillingness) 603; contraindication. V. dissuade, dehort[obs3], cry out against, remonstrate, expostulate, warn, contraindicate. disincline, indispose, shake, stagger; dispirit; discourage, dishearten; deter; repress, hold back, keep back &c. (restrain) 751; render averse &c. 603; repel; turn aside &c. (deviation) 279; wean from; act as a drag &c. (hinder) 706; throw cold water on, damp, cool, chill, blunt, calm, quiet, quench; deprecate &c. 766. disenchant, disillusion, deflate, take down a peg, pop one's balloon, prick one's balloon, burst one's bubble; disabuse (correction) 527a. Adj. dissuading &c. v.; dissuasive; dehortatory[obs3], expostulatory[obs3]; monitive|, monitory. dissuaded &c. v.; admonitory; uninduced &c. (induce &c. 615); unpersuadable &c. (obstinate) 606; averse &c. (unwilling) 603; repugnant &c. (dislike) 867. repressed.
#617. [Ostensible motive, ground, or reason assigned.] Pretext.—N. pretext, pretense, pretension, plea|; allegation, advocation; ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason; excuse &c. (vindication) 937; subterfuge; color; gloss, guise, cover. loop hole, starting hole; how to creep out of, salvo, come off; way of escape. handle, peg to hang on, room locus standi[Lat]; stalking-horse, cheval de bataille[Fr], cue. pretense &c. (untruth) 546; put off, dust thrown in the eyes; blind; moonshine; mere pretext, shallow pretext; lame excuse, lame apology; tub to a whale; false plea, sour grapes; makeshift, shift, white lie; special pleading &c. (sophistry) 477; soft sawder &c. (flattery) 933[obs3]. V. pretend, plead, allege; shelter oneself under the plea of; excuse &c. (vindicate) 937; lend a color to; furnish a handle &c. n.; make a pretext of, make a handle of; use as a plea &c. n.; take one's stand upon, make capital out of, pretend &c. (lie) 544. Adj. ostensibly &c. (manifest) 525; alleged, apologetic; pretended &c. 545. Adv. ostensibly; under color; under the plea, under the pretense of, under the guise of.
3. Objects of Volition
#618. Good.—N. good, benefit, advantage; improvement &c. 658; greatest good, supreme good; interest, service, behoof, behalf; weal; main chance, summum bonum[Lat], common weal; "consummation devoutly to be wished"; gain, boot; profit, harvest. boon &c. (gift) 784; good turn; blessing; world of good; piece of good luck[Fr], piece of good fortune[Fr]; nuts, prize, windfall, godsend, waif, treasure-trove. good fortune &c. (prosperity) 734; happiness &c. 827. [Source of good] goodness &c. 648; utility &c. 644; remedy &c. 662; pleasure giving &c. 829. Adj. commendable &c. 931; useful &c. 644; good &c., beneficial &c. 648. Adv. well, aright, satisfactorily, favorably, not amis[Fr]; all for the best; to one's advantage &c. n.; in one's favor, in one's interest &c. n. Phr. so far so good; magnum bonum[Lat].
#619. Evil.—N. evil, ill, harm, hurt., mischief, nuisance;
machinations of the devil, Pandora's box, ills that flesh is heir to.
blow, buffet, stroke, scratch, bruise, wound, gash, mutilation; mortal
blow, wound; immedicabile vulnus[Lat]; damage, loss &c. (deterioration)
659.
disadvantage, prejudice, drawback.
disaster, accident, casualty; mishap &c. (misfortune) 735; bad job,
devil to pay; calamity, bale, catastrophe, tragedy; ruin &c. (destruction)
162; adversity &c. 735.
mental suffering &c. 828. * demon &v[Evil spirit]. 980. bane &c.
663[Cause of evil]. badness &c. 649[Production of evil]; painfulness &c.
830; evil doer &c. 913.
outrage, wrong, injury, foul play; bad turn, ill turn; disservice,
spoliation &c. 791; grievance, crying evil.
V. be in trouble &c. (adversity) 735.
Adj. disastrous, bad &c. 649; awry, out of joint; disadvantageous.
Adv. amis[Fr], wrong, ill, to one's cost
Phr. "moving accidents by flood and field" [Othello].
SECTION II. PROSPECTIVE VOLITION[1]
[1] That is, volition having reference to a future object.