Running Head: THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 1
Critical Analysis: The Immortality of the Soul
Seeret Kaur Lonj
Student ID: 13653061
James Cook University
Dr Peter Chew
PY1103: How to Think About Weird Things
Tutorial
21st September 2018
, REINCARNATION AND THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 2
Reincarnation is the transmigration of the soul, after death, from one physical form to
another. The earliest reference to the concept of reincarnation, also known as
metempsychosis, was in Hindu scriptures between 1000 and 600 BC (2018) and has also long
been a tenet of other spiritual traditions. There have been a considerable number of studies
done with regards to this parapsychological phenomenon. An idea central to the concept of
reincarnation that many researchers use originated from Max Planck, a theoretical physicist,
who suggested that consciousness is simply energy within our bodies that are released upon
death (Tucker,2014). The idea that consciousness is not tethered to a physical form
corroborates the existence of a ‘human soul’, an immaterial aspect of a being (Roberts,2014).
Although researchers have generated theories based on Planck’s notion as well as evidence
that may prove memories of past lives, they often abound with discrepancies. Therefore, this
review analyses the proofs in support of the hypothesis proposed and to consider an
alternative hypothesis to provide a balanced view.
Main Hypothesis
Based on the claim mentioned above, there exists corroborating evidence in proving that
consciousness is independent of physical forms and thus is able to go on to another form after
physical death (Tucker,2008). Many researchers have provided evidence for the movement of
consciousness through the surfacing of apparent past life memories. Professor Ian Stevenson
pioneered research into children remembering past lives, collecting nearly 3000 reincarnation
type cases. From his research, he gathered that there is a short period of time, usually
between the ages of two to five, whereby children are able to recollect memories of an earlier
self. These children would spontaneously begin to talk about their what their past lives were
like. Besides anecdotal evidence of past experiences, occasionally these children would have
congenital disabilities consistent with the way they died in their previous lives (Bering,
2013). Stevenson even came across cases of children who reacted violently when they
Critical Analysis: The Immortality of the Soul
Seeret Kaur Lonj
Student ID: 13653061
James Cook University
Dr Peter Chew
PY1103: How to Think About Weird Things
Tutorial
21st September 2018
, REINCARNATION AND THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 2
Reincarnation is the transmigration of the soul, after death, from one physical form to
another. The earliest reference to the concept of reincarnation, also known as
metempsychosis, was in Hindu scriptures between 1000 and 600 BC (2018) and has also long
been a tenet of other spiritual traditions. There have been a considerable number of studies
done with regards to this parapsychological phenomenon. An idea central to the concept of
reincarnation that many researchers use originated from Max Planck, a theoretical physicist,
who suggested that consciousness is simply energy within our bodies that are released upon
death (Tucker,2014). The idea that consciousness is not tethered to a physical form
corroborates the existence of a ‘human soul’, an immaterial aspect of a being (Roberts,2014).
Although researchers have generated theories based on Planck’s notion as well as evidence
that may prove memories of past lives, they often abound with discrepancies. Therefore, this
review analyses the proofs in support of the hypothesis proposed and to consider an
alternative hypothesis to provide a balanced view.
Main Hypothesis
Based on the claim mentioned above, there exists corroborating evidence in proving that
consciousness is independent of physical forms and thus is able to go on to another form after
physical death (Tucker,2008). Many researchers have provided evidence for the movement of
consciousness through the surfacing of apparent past life memories. Professor Ian Stevenson
pioneered research into children remembering past lives, collecting nearly 3000 reincarnation
type cases. From his research, he gathered that there is a short period of time, usually
between the ages of two to five, whereby children are able to recollect memories of an earlier
self. These children would spontaneously begin to talk about their what their past lives were
like. Besides anecdotal evidence of past experiences, occasionally these children would have
congenital disabilities consistent with the way they died in their previous lives (Bering,
2013). Stevenson even came across cases of children who reacted violently when they
