September 12, 2017 ▸ Psychology, Religion

Episode 231: Reincarnation: Can We Come Back?

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we take a look at the arguments and key cases for and against reincarnation. Reincarnation, of course, is the thought that somehow a personality can survive bodily death and be transferred to another person later on. Some say this is a soul, some say it is only consciousness, and others even give it some quantum informational slant, but in the end there is a lot of evidence suggesting that in some cases, a personality does show up in a different individual after someone’s death.

The bulk of the research done on this topic was started by Dr. Ian Stevenson from the University of Virginia. He was an academic prodigy who eventually was bestowed a one million dollar fund to research reincarnation by Chester Carlson, the wealthy inventor of the Xerox copying process. Carlson died of a sudden heart attack and wanted Stevenson’s research to be funded and carry on.

So what are do the solid reincarnation cases have in common? Well, for one, they typically involve children ranging from age 2 through 9. Second, the children have memories that can be confirmed about other people’s lives (and deaths). They can recall details of their homes, details of their deaths, names and relationships of loved ones, even extramarital affairs. In the best cases, hidden things (like gold in a wall) can be summoned as proof, or new skills or languages manifest themselves.

We cover several of the cases that experts hold up as exemplary, and we take a look at everything from the simulation theory to the human soul to information processing on the quantum level called the ORCH OR hypotheses. So how does reincarnation work? Where do most of the cases come from? What do scientists say about Dr. Stevenson’s work? Listen, laugh, learn.

Article on Reincarnation: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/ian-stevensone28099s-case-for-the-afterlife-are-we-e28098skepticse28099-really-just-cynics/

NPR Article: http://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259886077/searching-for-science-behind-reincarnation