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Teenage Assassins, Rehabilitation, and the Illusion of Free Will
Reasonable people find it hard to believe that teenagers can’t distinguish between right and wrong
Free will versus determinism is an old debate.
Believers in free will assert individuals are not constrained by fate and have the power to choose between alternative decisions and actions. Determinists insist free will is an illusion because all decisions and actions are predetermined by an unbroken chain of prior events leaving individuals with no choice in the matter.
So far, the debate has had no victor, compromisers claim they’re compatible, but there’s a more practical question concerning free will and determinism that’s hardly discussed.
Which concept has more utility in a free society?
Free will’s fundamental claim is that individuals are morally responsible for their actions and must be held accountable for any wrongdoing. Determinism draws the opposite conclusion making individuals unaccountable for their predetermined misdeeds.
Here’s an example to explore which has more utility.
Two months ago, in Chicago, eight-year-old Melissa Ortega was fatally shot in the head after a teenager got out of a parked car and…