I understand that Buddhists believe that all living creatures are reincarnated as another living creature (except for the rare instances of enlightenment being reached). Is there any evidence to support this view - for example that the total number of living creatures appears constant. Or indeed, is there any contrary evidence?
What makes you think the total number of living creatures is or appears constant?
Logically speaking, the determination of a constant or variable number of creatures would have no bearing one way or another unless you first assume that the number of souls that inhabit the creatures is itself constant or variable. In other words, it is not given that there is never a first time entry. Any evidence in that regard is subjective, and therefore outside the scope of objective observation, owing to the closed and singularly subjective nature of consciousness.
Well, if Buddhists are right, then as soon as I die I shall reappear somewhere as a butterfly or something. Likewise every other living thing. Hence total number of living things = constant (unless new lives can be created from ‘nothing’, then number of living things will tend to be constantly increasing)
As far as I know, there is no way to keep track of the total number of living creatures…especially if you start getting into the microbes.
As far as evidence to the contrary, two things come to mind…
(1) The Earth started out lifeless. Then life somehow started. 0 became some number. That number grew to populate the entire world. (non-constant total number)
(2) Life on Earth has undergone 5 mass extinctions (perhaps 6 if you think one is happening right now due to human activity). Enormous numbers of individuals and whole species were wiped out during these extinctions leading me to believe that the total number of living organisms decreased during those times.
Your unless clause is not trivial. If new lives are created from nothing, your counting becomes moot.
Scientifically speaking, new lives are created not from nothing, but from the elements already available on Earth.
The existence of any kind of motivating life force (soul) is a matter of religious faith for which there can be no scientific evidence for or against because the scientific method can only work within the natural world/universe.
Thanks, Phobos I agree. The original question occured over a lunch time theological discussion (thankfully a reasonably rare event). I believe it behoves an open mind to look to the natural world and science to see if there is evidence of god or otherness. In this context, I think you argument suggests the evidence is scant.