Are thoughts determined solely by chemical reactions in the brain?

As I know full well, both Bill and Lighter are well aware that this has been a philosophical puzzle for a heck of a long time. A mechanistic view of the universe has always been a problem if you also think free will exists.

Fortunately, we have relatively recently discovered a possible way out of this. Research around 2009 strongly suggests avian eyes make use of effects at the quantum level. IF that is true, it at least opens the door to the possibility of quantum effects in other biological components, which fits quite nicely with some ideas Bill mentioned to me about free will.