While I am a believer in the existence of free will as reflective consciousness I don't see this as meaning that people should be punished necessarily because it won't really solve the problems. Even though people may have responsibility for the choices they make there is no denying that the cards in life are loaded differently and unfairly. Even remorse in the form of guilt may be more negative than positive and understanding of reasons behind behaviour may be more useful than simply of moral reform. In many instances, punishment may be based on ideas of revenge rather than compassion.Sculptor1 wrote: ↑November 5th, 2022, 7:18 pm Free Will and Determinism do not change a thing.
They have no relevance to moral responsibility.
Determinists punish the person to deter, and incarcerate to cause change and seek solutions to recidivism.
Free will believers punish and incarcerate people who willfully and free chose to become criminals, to keep them from their liberty.
The only difference might be that determinists believe in causation and therefore rehabilitation and "correctionalism"; whereas free willers are more likely to consider criminals as willfully unreformable.
I do see why the idea of free will could be seen as an ideology favouring punishment and it may have been used in this way in certain cultures and at points in history. Equally, the idea that there is no free will can be used as an ideology for disempowerment in making people feel victims and powerless. This can be a basis for enslavement and control. To some extent both the arguments for or against free will can be used and abused for political ends.