[johndoe489]

> I don't believe in free will, to a large extent, and this doesn't stop me from trying to do good.

So, you believe in free will.

[nur0n]

I feel like this issue needs more clarification.

Say you have complete disbelief in free will. Without free will, you just carry out a path which is already predetermined. In other words, you just carry out your destiny. It can be the case that you are destined to 'try to do good'. You do not choose to do good, you do good because it is in your nature.

More generally:

Regardless of belief, people are confronted with choice points where they have to choose A or B. Those who believe in free will believe that the choice is determined by an internal force which they associate with 'themselves'. Those who do not believe in free will believe that the choice is determined by some external force.

People make decisions in each scenario, the debate is over the ultimate force which drives the decisions.

[zaarn]

I also subscribe to the belief that there is no free will.

This doesn't mean I don't want to do good or don't want to see murderers jailed.

It simply means that if the universe was rewound like a VHS tape and played again, nothing would change. That our actions are fully deterministic.

If free will existed then rewinding the universe and playing forward again would result in different outcomes.