Quite the opposite: physics is predicated on the idea of free will in the experimenter. That is: their decision to use X machine to perform Y experiment at Z ti

Quite the opposite: physics is predicated on the idea of free will in the experimenter. That is: their decision to use X machine to perform Y experiment at Z time is essentially an independent, or at least fully random, "choice" on their part. If the experimenter does not have free will, then you run into the possibility of their decision to run the experiment as being somehow entangled with the results. See "Superdeterminism" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdeterminism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdeterminism But otherwise I agree that "free will" is basically just a silly argument over the definition of an undefinable term, or a way to explain away loopholes in theology.