Perspectives of Science’s Big Problem, Reincarnation’s Big Potential, and Buddhists’ Profound Embarrassment

A revised version of the 2017 Religions paper is given here. Questions or comments can be directed to the author.

Scientific materialism is the largely unquestioned basis for science's understanding of life. It holds enormous sway beyond science and thus has increasingly marginalized religious perspectives. Yet it is not hard to find behavioral phenomena that seriously challenge materialism. Some of these phenomena are suggestive of reincarnation. The larger test for science's paradigm, though, as well as for 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 and a half enormous efforts have been made to find the DNA origins for a number of health and behavioral tendencies. These ongoing efforts have been an "absolutely beyond belief" failure and it is here that the scientific vision arguably faces its biggest challenge. The common premodern reincarnation model, on the other hand, appears to fit well on a number of specific conundrums and offers broad coherence across this unfolding missing heritability mystery. The main point being made herein is that there is an alternative broad avenue to investigating the reincarnation hypothesis. If the reincarnation phenomena were general and significant then it should effectively throw a proverbial wrench into the logic of genetics.

For those trying to make sense of religious perspectives or simply questioning materialism, you should consider looking at the missing heritability problem.