In this essay I will explore the question of moral responsibility and free will, examining and comparing ideas that derive from a Kantian philosophical position and those that derive from a Kantian philosophical position. naturalist philosophical position. I will also consider the implications that follow from each position when considering the question of punishment. Furthermore, I will show that, although Kantian and naturalist philosophers typically differ in some aspects, such as their concept of the source of free will, they are more or less in the same position when it comes to determining when moral responsibility applies. However, when we turn to apply moral philosophy to the important practical question of punishment, the Kantian position becomes incoherent as soon as we consider the possibility that free will does not exist. In contrast, a naturalist position, especially that of the consequentialist tradition, remains capable of answering such an important normative question, regardless of whether its notion of free will turns out to be correct or incorrect. Ultimately, then, I will suggest that it is the naturalistic philosopher who is best placed to address the normative question of punishment, which arises in applied moral philosophy. For the Kantian philosopher, free will is the key to morality, in particular moral responsibility. For her, an individual cannot be considered morally responsible for an act, unless the act was performed after freely deciding it, and the decision occurred through the process of reasoning. That is, the individual reflects on a course of action and then decides to act, without being directed by extraneous causes, passions, or impulses (Spark Notes Editors 2005). Furthermore, the individual must have had... half of the paper...s, the naturalist position is ultimately the more robust of the two, and capable of addressing the normative question of punishment, i.e. of great importance for everyday life. Works Cited Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford. Dennett, D. (2014). Reflections on free will. http://www.naturalism.org/Dennett_reflections_on_Harris%27s_Free_Will.pdfLast accessed July 18, 2014.Korsgaard, C. M. (2012). Kant: Foundations of the metaphysics of morals. Cambridge University Press. Pinker, S. (2002). The clean slate. Penguin. Rohlf, M. (2014). Immanuel Kant, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.). http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2014/entries/kant/>Last accessed July 18, 2014.SparkNotes Editors. (2005). SparkNote on Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/kant/Last accessed July 18 2014.