[Brandon]

Another thought:

Defenders of free will often cite man's "inherent feeling of freedom" as if it is, and always has been, a fundamental part of being human. But why do we assume that this "feeling of freedom" is itself not a conditioned response? After all, from a very early age, we are constantly told by parents, religious officials, and authority figures that we are free and totally responsible.

And if it were such a "natural" feeling, why is that many, if not all of the earliest peoples were fatalistic in their worldview?