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Science's Big Problem, Reincarnation's Big Potential, and Buddhists' Profound Embarrassment
Version 1
: Received: 20 July 2017 / Approved: 21 July 2017 / Online: 21 July 2017 (05:18:59 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Christopher, T. Science’s Big Problem, Reincarnation’s Big Potential, and Buddhists’ Profound Embarrassment. Religions 2017, 8, 155. Christopher, T. Science’s Big Problem, Reincarnation’s Big Potential, and Buddhists’ Profound Embarrassment. Religions 2017, 8, 155.
Journal reference: Religions 2017, 8, 155
DOI: 10.3390/rel8080155
Abstract
Scientific materialism is the largely unquestioned basis for modern science's understanding of life. It also holds enormous sway beyond science and thus has increasingly marginalized religious perspectives. Yet it is easy to find behavioral phenomena from the accepted literature that seriously challenge materialism. A number of these phenomena are very suggestive of reincarnation. The larger test for science's paradigm, though, as well as for any potential general import from reincarnation - is the DNA (or genetics)-based model of heredity. If that conception-beget, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)-carried model can be confirmed at the individual level then in a very substantial way we would be confirmed as material-only creatures. In particular, can behavioral genetics and personal genomics confirm their DNA-based presumptions? During the last decade enormous efforts have been made to find the DNA origins for a number of health and behavioral tendencies. These efforts have been an "absolutely beyond belief" failure and it is here that the scientific vision faces its biggest challenge. The common premodern reincarnation understanding, on the other hand, fits well on a number of specific conundrums and offers a broad coherence across this unfolding missing heritability mystery. For people trying to make sense of a religious perspective or simply questioning materialism, you should be looking at the missing heritability problem.
Keywords
scientific materialism; genetics; reincarnation; soul; religions; science; Buddhism
Subject
ARTS & HUMANITIES, Religious Studies
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Commenter:
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Given reviewer feedback a revised manuscript will be submitted later today.
The revisions largely involve a critical look at the existing case-based reincarnation research approach, along with the potential of the newer approach introduced in the manuscript.
Additions came largely in two places. Almost two new paragraphs were added at the beginning of Section 2.4's discussion of Ian Stevenson's conclusions. Five new paragraphs were added to the Conclusions.
Commenter:
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
The above downloadable article is the Preprint. That was significantly updated and the updated final version of the article is available via the above linked-text "A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists".