Relevance to moral responsibility

• Libertarians argue that people who behave wrongly ​should be punished​ as they could have chosen another course of action
• Kant argued the laws of a country are helpful for people being free and behaving rationally
• Political freedom- the freedom to live a moral life through following rules
• Breaking the law is immoral as it limits other people's freedoms
• Punishment is retribution as it holds people rationally responsible for their actions and punishes them for breaking the law
• Kant argued everyone could understand that the law is good through its ability to reason
• Kant would say that if someone is forced to steal because they are poor, they should still be punished
• Kant says it is better to ask for help than break the law
• Law in the UK

  • Punishes based on behaviour
  • Special consideration to circumstances that drove a person to break the law and give them a lighter sentence