So it seems the crux of the matter is how we regard the process of a person making a decision.
A compatibilist would say that for the purposes of discussion we describe this event as the exercising of will, even though from a physics perspective the outcome could be predetermined.
Is that correct?
If so that seems similar to a recent discussion on Bohr's view of the irreducibility of biology to physics.
Certainly that's one way a compatibilist could put it – that "free will" is part of psychology, which ultimately reduces to/emerges from/supervenes upon lower layers of biology/chemistry/physics which may be fundamentally deterministic. (Although exactly how deterministic they are may depend on which interpretation of quantum mechanics is correct.)
A point worth adding – there are different forms of determinism. Physical determinism says people's decisions are predetermined by physical laws and initial conditions. Theological determinism says people's decisions are predetermined by God's will. A compatibilist could be either. (Although most compatibilists you'll encounter these days are in the physical not theological camp.)
A compatibilist would say that for the purposes of discussion we describe this event as the exercising of will, even though from a physics perspective the outcome could be predetermined.
Is that correct?
If so that seems similar to a recent discussion on Bohr's view of the irreducibility of biology to physics.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18104508