Should or should not forensic psychiatrists think about free will?
The forensic psychiatrist's task is often considered to be tightly connected to the concept of free will. Yet, there is also a lack of clarity about the role of the concept of free will in forensic psychiatry. Recently, Morse has argued that forensic psychiatrists should not mention free will in their reports or testimonies, and, moreover, that they should not even think about free will. Starting from a discussion on Morse's claims, I will develop my own view on how forensic psychiatrists are confronted with the issue of free will and how they should deal with this concept and the confusion surrounding it. I conclude that psychiatrists should at least feel free to think about free will and that the conceptual challenges connected to the issues of free will and accountability could rather encourage than deter forensic psychiatrists to think about them.
Department of Philosophy, EMGO Institute VU Medical Center, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.meynen@ph.vu.nl
Gerben
G
Meynen
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D016743:Mental Competency; D028681:Moral Obligations; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics*