> E.g. if you genuinely believe the notion that we have free will is nonsense (and I do), then the logical extension is to be very uncomfortable with the notion

> E.g. if you genuinely believe the notion that we have free will is nonsense (and I do), then the logical extension is to be very uncomfortable with the notion of e.g. prison used for vengeance or anything at all other than to the bare minimal extent required to protect others, because the logical conclusion of thinking people don't have agency is that there was no way other than other external stimuli in their lives that they could have come out making other decisions. There's this dialog from some centuries ago (I guess it's from some Enlightenment philosopher?) that goes like this - Guards, please, set this murderer free: he has no free will, so he can't be held responsible for his actions. And the guard replies - Uhm.. no. But if I'm making a mistake, don't worry: per your own explanation, I can't be held responsible for it either. edit: this view was echoed in another comment, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29985738 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29985738