> In a world without free will nobody opts for excuses, they just do what they were predetermined to do mechanically. This is not true, since you can be predet

> In a world without free will nobody opts for excuses, they just do what they were predetermined to do mechanically. This is not true, since you can be predetermined to make an excuse, whether or not that excuse is valid. > They will also be predetermined to punish or not punish criminals - they can only do what they end up doing. Yes, although they still follow certain patterns; they are not completely unknown. > Thus, if we assume no free will, there's also no meaningful sense to say that "people hide some true intention". I disagree; determinism does not imply omniscience. Even if the universe is fully deterministic, then if you would know the full initial state (which I will assume is not knowable; if it was then it would contradict compatibilism) and laws of physics, and you are able to calculate all of it (which you can't), then still you might not know, since you will not necessarily know which part corresponds to your local context. So, things can remain hidden. Nevertheless, I think that free will can be compatible with determinism, e.g. in case the initial state depends on transcendental numbers. I am not sure that I believe determinism, but I am discussing if free will is compatible with determinism, not about whether or not determinism or free will exists.