Abstract

The concept of free will has many different meanings: the author is concerned with one found in the controversy between determinism and indeterminism, which refers to our ability to reach independent decisions and judgements. He sides with determinism, believing that this position is more probably true, and undertakes to point out that the consequences of determinism, i.e. of the view that all our judgements are inevitably and sufficiently determined by our character and motives do not undermine ethics or penal code although certain authors believe that they do. Indeterminism, on the other hand, by claiming that our judgements are not produced by external determinants leads to consequences that cannot be squared out with certain assumptions of ethics and law. His argument is based on the scrutiny of reasoning presented by both sides of the controversy and on the analysis of psychological and ethical terms in which they are couched.