What fallacy is this if any?

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Original Question

I was recently accused of a fallacy by some; not the person I was conversing with but by someone else. They didn't tell me what the fallacy was; just accused me of. Debates like the following though are some that I do at times find mind-bending and so it is possible I may have made a fallacy. Anyway, here it is:

Person one:

My question had a bit tagged on underneath the heading regarding what I’m getting at ........

If the nature of the Universe is deterministic each and every one

of us in in the grip of rigid and inexorable laws, so are not free.......therefore why punish them for “ crimes” if everything is preordained?

Me:

I understand that. The point I am trying to make is that even if our universe is deterministic that still doesn't change the fact that we humans have the freedom of choice to be able to make decisions albeit that freedom of choice would have also been predetermined if that make sense? The will may not be exactly free but the man is.

With that being said, I also generally ascribe to the idea that the universe is deterministically indeterministic.

Answers

A difficulty of every discussion is the meaning of terms seemingly in common. It only takes a little bit of nuance to make the argument have an element of ambiguity, a kind of fallacy.

I took your comment "deterministically indeterministic" as hyperbole, intentionally an oxymoron, for chaotic, as Dr. Bo did.

The conversation will benefit by a separate discussion about "deterministic", imo, to see if "pre-ordained" is inherent in determinism or if that usage is its own fallacious redefinition, perhaps disjoint.

The only potential fallacy I see is when you write "deterministically indeterministic," which appears to be a logical inconsistency. You might have written this ironically, that is, there is a deeper meaning (like "terribly wonderful"). Perhaps you just meant to say deterministic but chaotic ?

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