[jason1990]

No. I'm just quoting Rush.

But since I'm now posting something other than a one-liner, I might as well announce my views on the subject.

I feel like free will exists. When I make a choice, it feels like a choice. That is, it feels like I could have chosen something else. It feels like, if I could rewind the clock, I would be able to choose something else, even though all of the circumstances would be the same. In other words, it feels like I have the power to determine the course of certain events, without being entirely constricted by the circumstances of those events.

This power is what I call "free will." So I am saying that, to me, it feels like free will exists. This feeling is strong and serves as empirical evidence for the existence of free will. I have not seen any compelling evidence that suggests this feeling is an illusion. Moreover, if I postulate that this feeling is an illusion, I will be driven to explain the source and workings of this illusion, which would add an unneeded layer of complexity to my world view. So in the absence of compelling evidence, I choose the simpler and more natural explanation, which is that I am feeling something real and that free will exists.

In fact, in the absence of compelling evidence, I can see only one reason to deny the existence of free will: to maintain a world view which is inconsistent with its existence.