Thus consciousness must precede self-consciousness, just as the object precedes the awareness of the object, and just as cause precedes effect. Thus consciousness is dependent, and existence is independent. And finally the metaphysical vs. the manmade is the primacy of existence as it applies to volition, an aspect of volitional consciousness. The manmade is radically dependent upon the metaphysical, standing in relation to it as effect to cause. Man has the capacity for volitional action.
Volitional action is the act of choosing between two or more alternatives.
Thus man's actions are not necessitated. But as action, volitional action, in both the realm of external reality and the realm of cognition, is subject to the law of causality. Thus the alternatives which man faces are determined by his metaphysical nature and the metaphysical nature of the rest of existence. Both form the means for volitional action, although it is his metaphysical nature which is more fundamental in this context. To achieve a specific effect, man must enact a specific cause.