cho osing ▁or ▁not ▁doing / cho osing ▁them ". ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁" free ▁will " ▁( li ber um ▁ar bit rium ) ▁was ▁introduced ▁by ▁Christian ▁philosophy ▁( 4 th ▁century ▁CE ). ▁It ▁has ▁tradition ally ▁meant ▁( until ▁the ▁En light en ment ▁proposed ▁its ▁own ▁mean ings ) ▁lack ▁of ▁necessity ▁in ▁human ▁will , ▁so ▁that ▁" the ▁will ▁is ▁free " ▁meant ▁" the ▁will ▁does ▁not ▁have ▁to ▁be ▁such ▁as ▁it ▁is ". ▁This ▁requirement ▁was ▁univers ally ▁emb rac ed ▁by ▁both ▁in compat ibil ists ▁and ▁compat ibil ists . ▁ ▁Scient ific ▁approaches ▁Science ▁has ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁free ▁will ▁problem ▁in ▁at ▁least ▁three ▁ways . ▁First , ▁physics ▁has ▁addressed ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁whether ▁nature ▁is ▁determin istic , ▁which ▁is ▁viewed ▁as ▁cru cial ▁by ▁in compat ibil ists ▁( compat ibil ists , ▁however , ▁view ▁it ▁as ▁irrelevant ). ▁Second , ▁although ▁free ▁will ▁can ▁be ▁defined ▁in ▁various ▁ways , ▁all ▁of ▁them ▁involve ▁aspects ▁of ▁the ▁way ▁people ▁make ▁dec isions ▁and ▁initi ate ▁actions , ▁which ▁have ▁been ▁studied ▁extens ively ▁by ▁neu ros cient ists . ▁Some ▁of ▁the ▁experimental ▁observations ▁are ▁widely ▁viewed ▁as ▁imp lying ▁that ▁free ▁will ▁does ▁not ▁exist ▁or ▁is ▁an ▁ill usion ▁( but ▁many ▁philosoph ers ▁see ▁this ▁as ▁a ▁misunder standing ). ▁Third , ▁psych olog ists ▁have ▁studied ▁the ▁belief s ▁that ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁ordinary ▁people ▁hold ▁about ▁free ▁will ▁and