Reincarnation

A Critical Examination

Paul Edwards

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9781615923991
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

This is the first comprehensive and systematic evaluation of reincarnation and Karma in any language. Renowned philosopher Paul Edwards exposes the many flaws in the arguments supporting the belief in reincarnation and the so-called Law of Karma. He also covers the alleged evidence in support of reincarnation, including child prodigies, deja vu experiences, hypnotic regressions, and "reincarnation memories." Finally, he discusses in some detail the claims of the leading figures in the recent immortality movement, in particular Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross, Raymond Moody, and Dr. Stanislov Grof. Edwards'' wit and clarity make this a fascinating, accessible, and enjoyable work.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• 1. Reincarnation, Karma, and Competing Doctrines of Survival
• 2. The Moral Argument
• 3. The Law of Karma
• 4. Child Prodigies, Déjà Vu Experiences, and Group Reincarnations
• 5. The Rise and Fall of Bridey Murphy
• 6. More Hypnotic Regressions and “Progressions”
• 7. Spontaneous Memories of Earlier Lives
• 8. The Conservation of Spiritual Energy
• 9. The Astral Body
• 10. Telephone Calls from the Dead, Birth Marks, and the Modus Operandi Problem
• 11. Dr. Kübler Ross, Dr. Moody, and the New Immortality Movement
• 12. The Fantasies of Dr. Kübler-Ross
• 13. Dr. Grof, LSD, and the Amorous Snake-Woman
• 14. The Population Problem and Other Commonsense and Scientific Objections
• 15. The “Interregnum”: What Happens Between Lives?
• 16. More about Dr. Ian Stevenson, the “Galileo of Reincarnation”
• 17. The Dependence of Consciousness on the Brain
• Irreverent Postscript: God and the Modus Operandi Problem