Does free will exist?
A question that too many people seem to answer with a yes to without any thought because that's what they've been taught. We're taught that we are in full control of ourselves, that we make the choices ourselves, and that even if we are influenced by things outside of ourselves, we still make the choice in the end.
But to be honest, how do we really know that is the case? Do you ever really do anything without outside stimulus causing it? And similarly, when presented with a situation, aren't we restricted in our choices by our past experiences - can you consider an idea as an option if you've never been exposed to it, or anything like it?
Even more to the point is: would we know if there was no such thing as free will? If we did NOT have free will, but all events were predetermined, would we know that to be the case? Some may envision this as this "force" that makes you make a certain choice, follow a certain path, even if you don't want to. But that's not how it would be - it would mean that all interactions, including the ones in your head, your thought processes, are ordered and deterministic, that given one's past experiences in life, the choice they would make at any one time is the only they could have made.
If it were the case, it could still seem to be what we call "free will", as you wouldn't be aware that your actions were the only ones you could possibly perform, because you could imagine other actions. But yet you didn't perform those others, you did what you did.
The dangers of believing there is no free will would involve people suddenly "giving up", as if because everything is predetermined, their actions cannot change the future. Well, no, they can't change the future, but it doesn't matter, since we're not there yet - predetermination doesn't mean stop doing anything. In fact, it means do what you've always done, or try even harder to provide helpful, positive experiences to others, since it will influence their actions in the future. Even if there is no free will, live as if there is.