Posted: July 29th 2010
Mike the Infidel www
Will the atoms that make up our body eventually become part of another living thing? Almost certainly.
Will we be aware of it? Definitely not.
So far as we know, everything we are depends on our brains. This is evidenced by the fact that people change so drastically when their brains are damaged. It is not rational to propose that the content of our personality, our memory, etc. could somehow be transferred to another brain without the aid of some sort of incredibly advanced technology (if even then).
Posted: August 7th 2010
Paula Kirby www
It is not a rational belief, because there is no evidence for it.
There is nothing in the claims of those who believe they have lived before that cannot be explained by charlatanry and/or suggestibility.
If you are interested in reading more about how to assess various claims of this kind, you might like to try The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, by Carl Sagan.
Posted: August 5th 2010
Steve Zara www
It’s not rational because we depend on a living brain to be who we are. If there is damage to that brain, we can lose part of that self, as in the case with awful degenerative diseases. If there was anything independent of the brain then those diseases would have no symptoms, or at least fewer symptoms.
Posted: August 5th 2010
SmartLX www
Reincarnation requires the existence of a soul or other identity which is at least partially independent of the physical body and brain, and there’s no evidence of that basic premise. Since reincarnation also requires this identity to be transferable, for which there is no evidence even if you assume it exists, belief in reincarnation is even less rational than belief in souls.
Posted: August 5th 2010