Laws serve as a system of accountability, which inherently relies on the assumption that individuals are responsible for their actions. However, growing skepticism about free will—fueled by advancements in neuroscience—complicates this framework by challenging the long-standing assumptions about accountability that have shaped legal systems for centuries.

In recent decades, and especially now, neuroscience has challenged and enhanced the criminal-legal system; such changes take root in the fundamental question of human agency and whether it is biologically grounded.

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