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Full Description
Rebirth and the Stream of Life explores the diversity as well as the ethical and religious significance of rebirth beliefs, focusing especially on Hindu and Buddhist traditions but also discussing indigenous religions and ancient Greek thought. Utilizing resources from religious studies, anthropology and theology, an expanded conception of philosophy of religion is exemplified, which takes seriously lived experience rather than treating religious beliefs in isolation from their place in believers' lives. Drawing upon his expertise in interdisciplinary working and Wittgenstein-influenced approaches, Mikel Burley examines several interrelated phenomena, including purported past-life memories, the relationship between metaphysics and ethics, efforts to 'demythologize' rebirth, and moral critiques of the doctrine of karma. This range of topics, with rebirth as a unifying theme, makes the book of value to anyone interested in philosophy, the study of religions, and what it means to believe that we undergo multiple lives.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction: Thinking about Rebirth
'Stream of life'
Terminological matters
An expanded conception of philosophy of religion
Chapter summaries
1) Varieties of Rebirth
Soteriological orientations
Retributive correlations
Affinitive and consanguineous continuities
Concluding remarks
2) Remembering Having Lived Before?
'Infamous puzzle cases'
Rebirth and remembering
Remembering and merely seeming to remember
Lived examples
Concluding remarks
3) Finding Meaning in Multiple Lives
Allegedly fatal objections to rebirth
The ethical significance of 'same person'
Simultaneous multiplicity
Rebirth and the spirit world
Concluding remarks
4) Integrating Rebirth and Ethics
Transmigration and moral outlooks in ancient Greece
Eschatologies and 'ethicization'
Instances of non-karmic ethical integration
Concluding remarks
5) Demythologizing Rebirth?
'Demythologizing' in theology and the study of religions
Karma and rebirth without personal continuation
Critical discussion
Concluding remarks
6) Karma and Evil
Karma as a principle of moral guidance
Is the doctrine of karma incoherent?
The problem of 'blaming the victim'
A deep disagreement
Alternative aspects of karma
Concluding remarks
7) Conclusions
Disrupting assumptions
Diversity and dispute
Methodological reflections
Bibliography
Index
