Freedom of Will: A Theorem, not a Discussion
Twenty-five centuries of philosophers have debated free will. The result: two camps, both wrong.
Determinists say: everything is predetermined, freedom is an illusion. Libertarians (not those ones) say: freedom is real, but it cannot be explained. Compatibilists try to sit on two chairs and say: freedom is compatible with determinism, if one defines the terms correctly. Laplace is satisfied. Sartre is offended. Hume shrugs.
The problem is not in the answers — the problem is in the question. "Is the will free?" is a question that cannot be answered "yes" or "no" without saying something foolish. Because the answer is a number. Freedom is not a yes/no property. It is a measurable quantity taking values from 1 to 7, and here is the formula:
Below — what this means, where it comes from, and why Spinoza was closest.