The Illusory Nature of Free Will

This paper intervenes in the ongoing philosophical discourse on free will by examining what, if anything, grounds genuine free will, and whether such a notion can truly exist. Through critical engagement with the arguments of prominent philosophers, I reject compatibilism on the grounds that free will and determinism are irreconcilable. I also object to libertarianism, which I argue is too obscure and vague in its attempt to pinpoint the source of our free will. Ultimately, I defend hard incompatibilism: the position that free will cannot exist in a deterministic universe or an indeterministic one, as neither framework allows for the kind of free will worth wanting. Finally, I argue that while free will may be metaphysically false, its enduring illusion is an indispensable feature of human experience, underpinning our moral practices, social cohesion, and sense of identity.