If free will was not real

[Gemini]

It would probably be better to just repeat myself, since reason does not change.

Free will exists due to choice.  That cannot and never will change.

Choice is the very epitome of free will, for it allows a choice to be made.

If free will does not exist, as atheists claim, then one is clearly unable to make a choice.

Think of it this way. What you experience when you make a choice is the phenomology of decision making. In other words, it's the conscious experience of what it's like to make a decision.

Phenomenology and physical/metaphysical models are two completely different perspectives. I'm sure you'll agree that neuroscience explains a great deal about the brain, and this explains a great deal about our conscious experience. An example would be learning skills. According to neuroscience, when we practice solving math problems, we're forming new connections between neurons. As we establish these connections, we get better at math.

But we would never know this from the experience of solving math problems. The physical model that explains what's going on (connections between neurons) and the experience of solving a math problem are two different perspectives.

What I'm arguing is that "free will" is meaningful as a concept that refers to our experience of making decisions. Whether the physical/metaphysical model that explains our experience is deterministic or not is completely irrelevant to this concept (or should be, IMHO).