# Do you believe in past lives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 23, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137 "2013-01-23T19:02:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/222 "2013-02-04T01:52:59Z")
> [@Tupac](#): > > Sure, that doesn’t necessarily imply “soul.” But what else could it be? I’ll go with “not yet discovered biology”, until you come up with evidence for “soul”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/223 "2013-02-04T01:59:32Z")
> [@Polar\_Iceman](#): > > Clearly, it’s all in the packaging. No, it’s all in the progress and in the results. In your case, that would be 0 and 0. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/224 "2013-02-04T02:32:50Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I’ll go with “not yet discovered biology”, until you come up with evidence for “soul”. Alright, I get it. I already conceded above. Why you gotta kick me when I’m down man? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/225 "2013-02-04T04:03:48Z")
> [@Tupac](#): > > Alright, I get it. I already conceded above. Why you gotta kick me when I’m down man? 🙂 I’m trying to see if I can kick a visible soul out of you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polar\_Iceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Polar\_Iceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polar_Iceman)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/226 "2013-02-05T04:35:55Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > No, it’s just that actual science produces results and woo is a bunch of silly people thinking up random ideas without bothering to test them. > > We can be very confident that consciousness doesn’t continue after death. If you were to destroy someone’s brain a cubic millimeter at a time, they would lose more and more function until eventually they died. > > They aren’t going to regain that function suddenly after the brain is completely gone. That’s absurd. It’s literally asking people to believe that damage alters consciousness but destruction doesn’t. Oh? So given that the “woo whackos” and the “scientists” are asking exactly the same questions, how do you distinguish one from the other? Do you take a scientist and replace his white coat with a funny hat to make him a woo whacko? Or vice versa? On what basis are you so confident that consciousness doesn’t continue after death? What evidence do you have for that? Recent research shows that brain damage doesn’t entirely remove function. Apparently the theory that brain function is located in specific areas of the brain is also being shown to be not entirely right. Seems that the brain is far more plastic than previously believed, and functionality is mobile. As functionality is removed from one area of the brain, it reappears in other areas. I recall seeing a TV documentary in which they showed a guy who became blind but regained a form of sight by using echo location. The sight area of his brain switched to processing sound. Similarly, I recall reading about the cases of people who were discovered to have virtually no brain; ie: their heads were filled with fluid, and their brain was limited to a thin membrane like structure enclosing the fluid. Despite that, they were by all indications perfectly normal people and their peculiar physiology was discovered purely by accident. Since these people functioned with minimal brain mass, this suggests that there is more to the mind and brain than a mere active lump of meat. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/227 "2013-02-05T15:08:46Z")
> [@Polar\_Iceman](#): > > You are kidding me, right? Not at all. I understood you were being ironic. It’s just that in addition to being sarcastic your comments were misleading because you tried to imply that either I don’t think consciousness is a legitimate area of scientific study (I said clearly that it is) or that these scientists are studying reincarnation and ghosts and other woo (I am sure they aren’t). > [@](#): > > As each piece falls into place, the overall picture becomes more clear. Tell me which pieces currently support past lives. > [@](#): > > The irony here is that when these studies are called neuro-biology or some similar sciency sounding title, nobody gets too excited. > > However, when the exact same studies are called “parapsychology” or “after death studies” or “woo”, the scientific community goes into conniption fits. It’s not the exact same study at all. Look at a neurology journal and then re-read Stevenson’s self-delusions. > [@Polar\_Iceman](#): > > Seems that the brain is far more plastic than previously believed, and functionality is mobile. As functionality is removed from one area of the brain, it reappears in other areas. Unfortunately you are speaking much too broadly. This _can_ happen in certain cases, particularly with children. It does not always occur. And the fact that the brain can adapt to trauma does not suggest that there is more to consciousness than the brain. If the brain were only a component of consciousness and not even an important one, why would it need to adapt? ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/228 "2013-02-05T17:49:07Z")
> [@Steener122](#): > > I’ve got a crazy fire phobia, but I’ve never been hurt by fire. I’ve had people tell me maybe I got killed in a fire in a past life… > > So that got me thinking about past lives in general and if they exist. Do YOU think they exist? Why do you think so if you do or why not if you don’t? I’m not quite so sure myself. I believe past lives exist. But that doesn’t mean your fear of fire was caused by a past life. It may be hard to find out why the fear, I think it would be easier to get rid of it by learning all you can about fire. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/229 "2013-02-05T17:54:30Z")
Speaking of back from the dead! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/230 "2013-02-05T17:55:30Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > I believe past lives exist. But that doesn’t mean your fear of fire was caused by a past life. It may be hard to find out why the fear, I think it would be easier to get rid of it by learning all you can about fire. If I recall correctly(based on what I read on your website), your belief in past lives is based on a bad dream you once had, coupled with a self-diagnosis of a heart attack that was never verified by a medical professional. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/231 "2013-02-05T18:18:25Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Speaking of back from the dead! An errant link brought me here, and I see the posters are much the same as years ago. Some things never change. I have been busy writing books, etc. Still love you all. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/232 "2013-02-09T06:25:57Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > I believe past lives exist. But that doesn’t mean your fear of fire was caused by a past life. It may be hard to find out why the fear, I think it would be easier to get rid of it by learning all you can about fire. “Nothing in this world is to be feared, only understood.” - Marie Curie ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/233 "2013-02-09T13:18:27Z")
> [@Tupac](#): > > “Nothing in this world is to be feared, only understood.” - Marie Curie I agree ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/234 "2013-02-09T13:34:26Z")
I don’t find it terribly reassuring if I thoroughly understand the bear that’s about to devour me. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/235 "2013-02-09T14:23:20Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > I agree Curie died in 1934 of aplastic anemia brought on by her years of exposure to radiation. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/236 "2013-02-09T14:54:43Z")
In a past life I was the king of Spain. Now I eat humble pie. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/237 "2013-02-09T15:27:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Curie died in 1934 of aplastic anemia brought on by her years of exposure to radiation. She gave her life so others may live. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/238 "2013-02-09T15:29:25Z")
> [@lekatt](#): > > She gave her life so others may live. Non sequitur. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/239 "2013-02-09T15:52:40Z")
> [@Tupac](#): > > “Nothing in this world is to be feared, only understood.” - Marie Curie I don’t think I would quote a famous scientist if I were arguing against science. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/240 "2013-02-09T17:17:26Z")
For those who accpt past lives…why do so few remember them? ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137/241 "2013-02-09T17:46:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think I would quote a famous scientist if I were arguing against science. I was mostly referring to the part of understanding someones fear of fire. I already conceded that I have no evidence for past lives, so I’m not arguing against the science of it anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-past-lives/648137.md?page=13)