Uncomfortable questions indeed. It is honestly hard to comprehend how people believe in it at all. I understand that people do, but it’s mystifying, like a beli

Uncomfortable questions indeed. It is honestly hard to comprehend how people believe in it at all. I understand that people do, but it’s mystifying, like a belief in god or even Santa Claus. Regardless, justice systems (incentives and accountability) and incarceration (incentives, and ideally rehabilitation) have nothing to do with free will. Any connection between free will (presence or absence) and the justice system seems to stems from some weird idea that it is about “punishing bad guys” or balancing some cosmic ledger. It is not. It is about controlling people just enough to ensure the long-term maintenance of society, as imperfect as our current implementation is. Look up Restorative Justice for approaches that focus on restorative outcomes for all involved, eschewing punishment and eye-for-eye thinking. The cancerous cell does not carry any moral value; and neither does the immune system that destroys it. The cell infected by a virus is a victim of its circumstance, but that does not mean the immune system is should not destroy it.