Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action. It is closely linked to the concepts of
responsibility,
praise,
guilt,
sin, and other judgments which apply only to actions that are freely chosen. It is also connected with the concepts of
advice,
persuasion,
deliberation, and prohibition. Traditionally, only actions that are freely willed are seen as deserving credit or blame. There are numerous different concerns about threats to the possibility of free will, varying by how exactly it is conceived, which is a matter of some debate.