Quoted for truth. She vaguely remembers some of the Classics courses she took at one point in time.

As for free will, it's a toss-up.

And on the subject of Libertarianism/contract theory, which camp of contract theorist are you compaing her to?

 

Libertarianism in metaphysics is not the same as libertarianism in political philosophy. The former, which is the belief that people have free will, that free will is incompatible with determinism and that determinism is false, is what is being referred to here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism_(metaphysics)

 

Nope, he never did have to make any choice, or he never had any in the first place. Taure is right on this:

Just where and when in the whole Potterverse did we see Tom Riddle having to make choices? When he learnt he was magical? When he found out about his heritage? No. Even before that, from what we know of his character through the Pensieve memories, he was already destined to turn out evil. His childhood behaviour proves this. It gives the impression that he was born with that domineering attitude combined with a cruelty that seem to know no bounds.

And this was even before he knew anything about the magical world. It was not like he one day found out that he was the heir of Slytherin and had to make some life-changing decision on whether to fulfil his (misguided) idea of his destiny. That fact merely facilitated or justified his descent into darkness and help him garner some support among the purebloods.

So yeah, he never had any choices to make. JKR made them for him.