Determinism and Its Discontents

<p><strong>The deterministic position is that all events are effects of previous events and causes of future events in inexorable cause-effect sequences which leave no room for intervention of anything outside of the stream of causal relationships such as free will thus rendering moral responsibility meaningless. </strong>Libertarians believe in freedom of will which is for them indispensable for moral responsibility. This controversy can be resolved only by making a clear distinction between two kinds of freedom. </p><p><br></p><p>In common parlance freedom means freedom from constraint or compulsion which can be designated as contra-constraintual freedom. The second meaning of freedom is freedom from causation which has been referred to as contra-causal freedom and this is the meaning that is inherent in the concept of freedom of will. If we have contra-causal freedom we can choose or decide to act irrespective of antecedent conditions including our own past. </p><p><br></p><p>The distinction between contra-causal freedom and contra-constraintual freedom is the key to the resolution of the controversy between determinism and libertarianism. The absence of contra-causal freedom prevails at the theoretical conceptual objective abstract or as-is level whereas contra-constraintual freedom functions at the practical behavioral subjective concrete or as-if level. All we need for moral responsibility is contra-constraintual freedom and not contra-causal freedom. At the as-is level there is neither freedom nor dignity neither morality nor accountability and neither purpose nor meaning for human existence. It is only at the as-if level that these terms make any sense at all. In theory there is no choice from alternative courses of action in light of the absence of contra-causal freedom; in practice there is in direct proportion to contra-constraintual freedom. And that practice forms the foundation of criminal jurisprudence and moral behavior in general without which human civilization would not survive.</p>