Hard Problem of Reincarnation

The challenge of reconciling the concept of a persistent, individual consciousness or soul that transfers between physical bodies with the lack of a known physical mechanism for such transfer, and the total amnesia that accompanies it. If you don't remember being Cleopatra, in what meaningful sense were you you? The "you" that reincarnates seems to be a stripped-down, anonymous kernel of being—a metaphysical thumb drive with its data wiped, raising the question of what, if anything, makes it the same entity.

Example: "The guru said I was a scribe in Atlantis. The hard problem of reincarnation is this: without my memories, desires, or personality, that scribe and I share only the abstract concept of 'consciousness substrate.' It's like saying a formatted hard drive in a new laptop is the 'reincarnation' of an old one. Technically maybe, but functionally, who cares?"

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Reincarnation Theory

The metaphysical framework positing that souls incarnate repeatedly, learning and evolving through multiple lifetimes. In Reincarnation Theory, death is not the end but a graduation—a transition between lessons. Birth is not a beginning but an enrollment—the soul entering a new classroom with new lessons, new challenges, new opportunities. The circumstances of each life—family, body, talents, struggles—are not random but chosen (or assigned) based on what the soul needs to learn. Karma is not punishment but pedagogy—the natural consequence of actions, guiding the soul toward greater wisdom and compassion. Reincarnation Theory explains the apparent injustice of life (it's not unjust, just incomprehensible within one lifetime), the diversity of human experience (souls are at different stages), and the sense that we've been here before (we have). It's the framework for those who experience life as school, not prison.

Example: "She'd always been drawn to ancient Egypt—not as a tourist but as a homecoming. Reincarnation Theory explained it: she'd lived there before, in another life, and the memories lingered as interests, affinities, unexplained knowledge. She wasn't imagining it; she was remembering, dimly, across the veil of death and birth. The feeling of recognition was real recognition."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 17, 2026