[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Originally Posted by David

Come on Paul, you criticise others for not having good/any definitions, so how do you define:

Free will

I don't need to define this term, because I do not claim that I have it. Various compatibilist definitions are required in ethics and the law, but those would have to be defined based on a list of factors that were not present when the decision was made. These factors would be things like heavy coercion or brainwashing. This is a practical definition, not a philosophical one.

Consciousness

A name given to a set of brain processes.

Pain experience

A name given to a particular brain process.

In particular, how do you avoid the problem of an infinite regress of definitions?

I don't think it's avoidable with free will. The other two words are simply names for brain processes. They are not ontologically distinct entities.

~~ Paul