Week 8- Post 2

      Anders Breivik is guilty for the death of 8 people by planting a bomb, then also the death of 69 people just hours later at a summer camp with a gun. For the court to determine his criminal responsibility, they must figure out Breivik's mental state during the attacks. If found sane during the attacks, Breivik would be sent to prison, if found not sane then he would be sent to a psychiatric ward built for him. The idea of free will and determinism apply to Breivik's case. Free will means that each individual is at liberty to act as they choose, every human posesses this. Then, determinism means that every human act is a consequence of the far past, something that was not chosen. Since determinists see human behavior as fully determined by the laws of nature, they reject the idea of free will. So, looking at breivik from the idea of free will, he is responsible for his actions but if he was not sane then that would take away some of the responsibility for what he did. From the perspective of a determinist, he appears a victim of his undesirable brain.

    Determinism and free will create a justification for human acts. Sanity and insanity of a person facing consequences for serious actions are both thingss considered when making a decision for their future. This is where morality comes into play in justice. To make a final decision of such importance, one must consider everything that could have contributed to the outcome. Determinism and free will being two of them.