Every ‘Will’ is free. They just don’t know how or why. This is why Philosophy exists in the first place.
Humans don’t realize they have choices. They only know their Needs, like basic animals. A person feels hungry, thirsty, tired, etc. A person feels pain and suffers. These are animal traits. Humans, supposedly, have evolved ‘above’ other Mammals, but in threads like this, it is hard to see how or believe as such, when most have a seeming desire to return to their animal, devolved-state.
Freedom is not in the Necessity of the instinct/reflex, but the reaction to it.
Most of humanity, I’d guess 99.5%, are not cognizant, simply oblivious, to their unconscious and subconscious desires. They manifest later on, and then humans become aware after-the-fact. This is why I call Silhouette’s position backward. Because he, and many in this thread, are also looking backward. You can’t start from the End, the “Choices”, and work your way back, and call your position on Free-Will or Determinism accurate, because it’s not.
What is the basis of Desire, except Need? And so what is the reaction to need, except Desire? Humans have an evolved trait of cognition and intelligence. Again, most don’t know how or why they are creative in their problem-solving methods to handle basic needs, and then later on, advanced and evolved desires (like Fine Art). But the “Causes” can be traced to the Need. And from the Need, you need to then address how individual or groups of humans, react to such desires.
Why is one human a genius, but others are not? Why is one human creative, but others are not? Why is one human Superior, Excellent, Noble, Gifted, Intelligent, Admirable, but others are not?
It’s easy to give up, and stop thinking. Those that do so, should call themselves “Determinists” because you basically admit giving up looking for Causes, Clues, and Mysteries, in your declaration.
Anti-Philosophical