Determinism, what does it mean for moral responsibilty?

How can we reconcile the concept of free will with a deterministic universe? If all our actions are determined by prior events, can we truly be held accountable for our actions, what does this imply for moral responsibility?

Let me set some context, determinism is the philosophical theory that all events are determined by preceding causes. In a fully deterministic world, every event is the inevitable consequence of prior conditions.

Many philosophers have explored this doctrine, which resulted in three main views: Libertarian free will, Hard Determinism and Soft Determinism.

These three are separated into two: Compatibilism or Incompatibilism.

Compatibilism is the thesis that free will and determinism can coexist, so that free will would exist in a deterministic world. Soft Determinism is on this side.

Incompatibilism is the thesis that free will and determinism cannot coexist, both libertarian free will and hard determinism are on this side but not for the same reasons.

Libertarian free will asserts that individuals have genuine freedom to make choices, meaning their decisions are not predetermined by prior actions or external causes, they believe that free will cannot coexist with determinism which is why they are incompatibilists, like the contemporary philosopher Robert Kane, one of the leading defenders of libertarian free will, and Roderick Chisholm, a 20^th century philosopher.

Meanwhile, Hard Determinism is incompatibilists because they believe that free will altogether does not exist, because determinism is the absolute truth to them. It argues that since all events are predetermined, humans cannot act freely. Paul Thiry Barron D’Holbach, an 18^th century philosopher and staunch advocate of hard determinism, argued in his work ‘The system of Nature’ that everything in the universe is determined by physical causes, leaving no room for free will. Ted Honderich is another contemporary philosopher who defends Hard Determinism, in his work ‘A Theory of Determinism’.

Painting of Paul Thiry D'Holbach, by Carmontelle, 1766, museum of Condée, Chantilly.

Lastly, Soft Determinism state that free will doesn’t require total freedom from casual influences, but rather the ability to act according to one’s desires, motives and reasoning, even if those desires are shaped by prior causes, philosophers like David Hume and Daniel Dennett are the first examples that come to mind.

Now, the question this brings is IF we truly do live in a deterministic world, should we be praised for our achievements and held accountable for our mistakes if we did not truly have a choice in doing those actions, questioning the very base of moral responsibility.