Free will is a philosophical concept that refers to the capacity or ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. It is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgments that apply only to actions that are freely chosen. Free will 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 are some of the longest-running debates of philosophy and religion.

Here are some key points about free will in philosophy:

• Definition: Free will is the capacity or ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded.
• Moral responsibility: Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgments that apply only to actions that are freely chosen.
• Debate: Whether free will exists, what it is, and the implications of whether it exists or not are some of the longest-running debates of philosophy and religion.
• Determinism: The existence of free will is denied by some proponents of determinism, the thesis that every event in the universe is causally inevitable.
• Compatibilism: Compatibilists believe that free will requires only that we are doing what we want to do in a way that isn’t coerced.
• Libertarianism: Philosophers and scientists who believe that the universe is indeterministic and that humans possess free will are known as “libertarians” .
• Moral responsibility: Hard determinists deny that free will exists, and it seems that they will owe us some account of moral responsibility.

In conclusion, free will is a complex and contested concept in philosophy that has been debated for centuries. It is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgments that apply only to actions that are freely chosen. The debate over whether free will exists, what it is, and the implications of whether it exists or not are some of the longest-running debates of philosophy and religion.