ABSTRACT
Unlike libertarians, compatibilists do not believe that we need to be the originators of our decisions (such that we can choose between physical alternatives) in order for us to be in control of our decisions in a way that is consistent with our experiences. You are in control of your decisions, they say, if you are able to make your decisions voluntarily, intentionally and in accordance with your character or true nature. If your decision was not forced upon you by another person or by some other external factor beyond your control, or caused by brain damage or psychosis or some other internal factor beyond your control, then your decision was free. Invoking what the compatibilist regards as the mysterious notion of ultimate origination adds nothing to this.
