Free will exists and is fully compatible with determinism. The whole issue is a pseudo-problem born of an incoherent understanding of modality.
I have not studied the concept of free will lately, nor have I given it a major place in my thoughts. Free will and determinism as I understand them, seem to be self evidently mutually exclusive.
I tend to think that both are based on a proper understanding of cause and effect.
In the Natural History of Religion David Hume argued that it is impossible to know the causes of events.
https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Four_Dissertations/The_Natural_History_of_Religion"WE are placed in this world, as in a great theatre, where the true springs and causes of every event, are entirely unknown to us; nor have we either sufficient wisdom to foresee, or power to prevent those ills, with which we are continually threatened."
It would seem to me that there are two things which would cause a person to make a choice.
One would be randomness and the other would be that it was predetermined. The latter makes more sense to me.
Is randomness the same as free will?
It also depends on a proper understanding of what free will means. For me it is an abstract and enigmatic concept.
If by free will you mean that I am sometimes free to chose what I want to choose, yes that is true. I am not necessarily free to choose who I am if who I am has been predetermined and my will is part of who I am. Therefore my will has been predetermined. Sorry if none of this makes any sense, but perhaps it was the result of determinism rather than free will.
Anyway, I welcome any responses as to what I have written be they predetermined or free will responses
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