Title: What is the difference between determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism? - Quora
Headings: What is the difference between determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism?
What is the difference between determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism?
Alex Baker
Bruce Silverstein
Bruce Silverstein

Content: We can call this the New International Version of the answer. Determinism is a handful of views that say: however the world is is determined by the way the world was previously. There are more refined answers, for example, David Lewis’ version: determinism is the view that given two physically identical possible worlds at time 0, those worlds are also physically identical at time 0+1. Another example is from Peter van Inwagen: determinism is the thesis that the state of the world, in conjunction with the laws of nature, entails every consequent state of the world. Personally, I think John Earman has the most fleshed-out, probably compatible with modern physics (though I’m not qualified to say), version of determinism laid out in his book A Primer on Determinism. The difference between compatibilism and libertarianism is fairly simple once the following argument is grasped: Determinism is true
If determinism is true then we do not have free will
Therefore, we do not have free will
Both the compatibilist and the libertarian agree that the argument is unsound, but they differ on which premise they attack.