Transmigration of Souls-- Is there a Philosophical Need?

[RichardHresko]

The question of transmigration of souls in connection with evolution was raised in the ongoing thread on evolution and its possible plan.

Leaving evolution to the side, is there any compelling reason philosophically to entertain the notion of transmigration of souls? What problems would it solve? Does it violate Ockham's razor? Does it save the appearances?

[NikolaiI]

"As the embodied soul continuously passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at the time of death."

This is a quote from Bhagavad-Gita. I started to write that we pass through different bodies in this life; saying the body changes and so it is not the same body; but generally we do not say this; we say that we have the same body we always have, it goes through changes but we did not change bodies. But the passage says that as, in this life, our soul passes through the course of our lifetime, so does the soul take on a new body at death.

The idea is that whatever consciousness we have when we die, that is the consciousness we take in our next body, a body suitable to that consciousness. If I have the consciousness of a bear, then I need the body of a bear to match. And we can see that every bear has the consciousness of a bear, so this is some explanation as to why we would think that the soul or consciousness migrates.

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will atain without fail."
(also from BG)

So that's the main idea, is that we go into a body which is suitable for our consciousness. And we can see that bears have bear-consciousnesses, snakes have snake consciousnesses, etc. So if I would like to be a bear or a snake, if I think of a bear or a snake, or live like one, then I will become one after I die.

[mayneverhave]

Met him pike hoses?

there's certainly a literary need.

[RichardHresko]

Met him pike hoses?

there's certainly a literary need.

Just don't bother to explain it to Molly.

[RichardHresko]

"As the embodied soul continuously passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at the time of death."

This is a quote from Bhagavad-Gita. I started to write that we pass through different bodies in this life; saying the body changes and so it is not the same body; but generally we do not say this; we say that we have the same body we always have, it goes through changes but we did not change bodies. But the passage says that as, in this life, our soul passes through the course of our lifetime, so does the soul take on a new body at death.

The idea is that whatever consciousness we have when we die, that is the consciousness we take in our next body, a body suitable to that consciousness. If I have the consciousness of a bear, then I need the body of a bear to match. And we can see that every bear has the consciousness of a bear, so this is some explanation as to why we would think that the soul or consciousness migrates.

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will atain without fail."
(also from BG)

So that's the main idea, is that we go into a body which is suitable for our consciousness. And we can see that bears have bear-consciousnesses, snakes have snake consciousnesses, etc. So if I would like to be a bear or a snake, if I think of a bear or a snake, or live like one, then I will become one after I die.

Is this defensible philosophically? Does it explain anything that can not be explained more simply otherwise? Is there compelling evidence that this in fact occur?

[blazeofglory]

I can not conclusively say about transmigration of the soul. I am a little bit confused and skeptical. For there is nothing, no reason or rationality to substantiate this fact. It lies in a chamber of faith, not of science to evidence it. Yet I cannot say science can know all.