>I'm convinced I'm right, and I've transformed any opposing arguments into two ad hominen attacks relying on stereotypes

I don't have anything to say about the debate of free will vs determinism, but I particularly dislike your style of reasoning. Most people do this within topics of politics and economics, which conveniently allows them to allow their confirmation bias without putting themselves in the other person's shoes to understand where they disagree. Instead they'd rather go with the prejudiced "oh they must be that kind of (stereotyped) person."

The real question with free will is: free of what?

Free of physics? Obviously not, but that conclusion is pretty vacuous because almost by definition anything that can affect our actions is a potential object of study for physics once you break it down sufficiently.

For actual applications of the notion of free will in moral reasoning, this line of argument is also pretty irrelevant. What matters more is whether our will is free from influence by other moral actors and society at large. And obviously it's not totally free of such influence, but we can enjoy a pretty significant degree of freedom there.

There is no freedom with understanding determinism. I'm just a vessel forcibly navigated from start to finish in life. All the external forces make me who I am. I'm not free of the order assigned to me and the linear outcomes is scrutinized when it comes to others who had a less favorable order or different producing variables with undesired results.

> The two types of people I’ve encountered who desire the notion of free will: 1) Person with ego who needs to have a belief in free will. 2) Persons who has ego, gets annoyed by free will being a facade and refuses to think about it because “it doesn’t matter” to this person.

This is a complete straw man. Let me describe the contrary claim: in my experience, the type of person who desire giving up free will either a) want to give up punishment and so confuse justice with moral responsibility, and/or b) are confused about what determinism and choice really mean. You appear to fall in the former category at the very least.

I suggest you read up a little more on the meaning of free will and Compatibilism specifically. There's a reason why the majority of professional philosophers are Compatibilists.

There's nothing to prove. Your comment had no substance, and advanced no arguments. It was a set of bald assertions without justification, and so can be dismissed without argument.

3) Person who desires it for the sake of personal accountability

I would think that is still either 1) or 2). It all comes down to the ego with accountability.

How do you figure? Seems to me ego would want no accountability at all.

Ego creates accountability on both sides of the equation (ex. victim & assailant) when it comes to something undesired in society.

Ego is constructed by the person viewing what encompasses reality and comparing the self to form self-esteem or self-importance.

As a person who understands determinism, I feel my ego has diminished when it comes to individuals. I realize me comparing others who are "unfortunate or fortunate" to myself is nonsense and accountability for individuality is diminished to null. My accountability for society as a whole is instead greatly increased and where I view the complete system of what makes an individual who they are being at fault for any undesired outcome.

Basically if someone were to do a horrible act it is by fate, how they were raised in the family they were born, with genetics and all the events that happened in the specific linear order of no real control because free will does not exist. I would see everything at fault "the will of the universe" and where the best humanity can do is study what made the outcome; with working on fixing the problem and rehabilitation for the person.

Seems that you are speaking of Id rather than ego. That or your neurology is alien to me.

Not everybody is ruled by circumstance. With hard work and dedication you can begin to eliminate the factors which force your hand. For some individuals the task probably is insurmountable. For those of us lucky or unlucky enough to be able to reach a state of free will, accountability is a dubious reward.

I’m confused why you would think id. Everyone is ruled by circumstance “every moment” and even when the person enjoys every bit of it. A puppet that loves who controls his strings is still without free will. I’m a transgender woman for example and had an unfavorable life, almost everyday by how persons treat me by aesthetics and from my understanding of your writing “I would only be considered having free will” if achieving the impossible against reality. Except even in that case I wasn’t free for desiring the outcome, having it happen and even enjoying it. Accountability never is correct unless directed towards the complete system as a whole. Everyone is forced every moment till death.

Well, the rhetoric about Id, Ego and Super-ego is Freudian, so it probably doesn't hold up under scrutiny.

Strictly, what I mean is that some things which seem impossible are in fact possible if only barely. E.g. With advances in genetic engineering, the term 'transgender' might have a very different meaning in 100 years, but those advances appear to come at great cost. Perhaps then one will not need to be as brave as you to undergo vast psychosexual changes to the self.

I see accountability as something I have to myself. - I am very reluctant to lie to myself since I realized there are things which I only have myself to blame for. Furthermore I don't believe there is a purpose to life since that would contradict free will. Instead of purpose, I have the freedom to make whatever I want of my life.

I haven't lost "accountability" for myself, in a sense "it" has morphed into awareness of certainty of how every little thing alters the assigned story of everyone. It has made me a lot more forgiving to others & myself, with less anxiety and better mental health. I believe it has brought me clearer analysis of my thinking patterns.

Basically, I think I'm closer to my perfect self because I understand better to why my actions are taken and how I'm controlled by what is around me on the highest level obtainable. Similar to how a god would perceive anything if one existed and is truly omniscient.

I'm leaning towards the idea, "people are better humans when understanding free will doesn't exist" and how there is "no control" over anything. I think a lot of people who haven't lived with my mindset for an extended period of time, dismiss the health benefits by assuming it's bad because you will feel like you need to be at fault or in control for joy to exist or meaning. I don't believe for a second that is the case.

I'm still able to have happy moments. I would say I'm more grateful and acknowledging of them when they happen. I likely would be dead by suicide if I didn't think the way I do now but I still contemplate suicide with likelihood because gender dysphoria sucks when born in the time period I was without getting help. So I don't think understanding there is no free brings suicide and really whatever happens was fate when understanding determinism. I do 100% believe life is not meaningless from me understanding determinism and truly everyone fills a purpose in progressing society or even retracting progress. Freedom isn't necessary and will never exist.

I like the way you think