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This argument explores how control is essential for free will, particularly in child development, indicating a learned ability.
I argue that the essence of ‘free will’ is control, the ability to do otherwise and that this ability is an acquired skill: We can and do see people acquire it, as for example small children learn to play and to do all the other things that human agents characteristically do.
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Sophie‐Grace Chappell (2026) studied this question.
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