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I am just wondering why and when "free" became attached to "will" in the first place. So far all that was given as a definition of free will is no more than a definition of a will. Something no one denies that we have.Free will is the idea that humans have the ability to make their own choices and determine their own fates. Is a person's will free, and is not shaped by powers outside of their own control.
Britannica definition:
free will, in philosophy and science, the supposed power or capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently of any prior event or state of the universe.
From one of the psychology papers is this snippet. (far to long to copy here)
A conceptual distinction between first-order and second-order willing may be helpful here. While we desire many things (first-order willing), through a meta-level of desire (the desire to desire) we can self-regulate what we actually want to do (second-order willing). There is a reflection stage between the stimulus (an upcoming urge) and the response which creates an internal locus of control. In this way, we are more or less free to decide upon the manifold motivations at the moment of deciding what to do.
Wiki:
Free will is the capacity or ability to choose between different possible courses of action.[1]
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, and other judgements which apply only to actions that are freely chosen. It is also connected with the concepts of advice, persuasion, deliberation, and prohibition. Traditionally, only actions that are freely willed are seen as deserving credit or blame. Whether free will exists, what it is and the implications of whether it exists or not constitute some of the longest running debates of philosophy. Some conceive of free will as the ability to act beyond the limits of external influences or wishes.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The term “free will” has emerged over the past two millennia as the canonical designator for a significant kind of control over one’s actions. Questions concerning the nature and existence of this kind of control (e.g., does it require and do we have the freedom to do otherwise or the power of self-determination?), and what its true significance is (is it necessary for moral responsibility or human dignity?) have been taken up in every period of Western philosophy and by many of the most important philosophical figures, such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, and Kant. (We cannot undertake here a review of related discussions in other philosophical traditions.
Fascinating read....https://philosophyterms.com/free-will/
Compatibilism versus Incompatibilism: is free will compatible with determinism?
Incompatibilists — The Origination Argument: To have free will means to be the root cause of one’s own actions. If determinism is true, then our choices are caused by events in the past over which we have no control. Therefore, free will and determinism are incompatible.
Compatibilists – “the ability to do otherwise”: to have free will only means that one could always do otherwise than one did, and would do otherwise if it seemed like the best way to reach one’s goals. This means that something in one’s psychology or world must be different to cause a different decision. This definition of free will seems to side-step determinism.
Incompatibilists disagree, arguing that free will depends on having multiple possible futures to choose from, all consistent with the one past – that free choice must add something not already given by the past.
Incompatibilists – The Consequence Argument: To have free will means to have some control over our actions and their consequences. If determinism is true then we have no control over past, present, or future events; they are all necessary consequences of what came before.
Free Will | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
iep.utm.edu
Most of us are certain that we have free will, though what exactly this amounts to is much less certain. According to David Hume, the question of the nature of free will is “the most contentious question of metaphysics.” If this is correct, then figuring out what free will is will be no small task indeed. Minimally, to say that an agent has free will is to say that the agent has the capacity to choose his or her course of action. But animals seem to satisfy this criterion, and we typically think that only persons, and not animals, have free will. Let us then understand free will as the capacity unique to persons that allows them to control their actions
Stanford:
"Free Will" is a philosophical term of art for a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives.
I am done, too View attachment 866
You wont understand, as you cannot understand... and therefore are unable to answer my questions.
I have answered more of of yours, but my answers fall on deaf ears, apparently.
Be blesses
Interestingly in discussing God's will, it is never given as defined free or not free. Not in discussions and not in Scripture. And neither is the will of man ever called free in Scripture. It is philosophical speculations brought to bear on scripture imo. It is very distracting to the discussion especially on the doctrines of grace. I shall in due time, attempt to define and post the doctrine in Total Depravity without once using the word will in connection with humanity.
