Free will has long occupied a central place in philosophical thought, tracing a rich trajectory from the reflections of the ancients to the systematic treatments of the contemporary age. Far from being a purely historical concern, it continues to command attention in current debates, especially within the analytic tradition, where the tension between alternative accounts of freedom sparks ongoing philosophical discussion.
Long before compatibilism and incompatibilism became philosophical jargon, the debate was already divided between those who—anticipating what would later be called compatibilists—argued that free will could coexist with determinism. They maintained that even if…
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