Can someone point me to a steelman for reincarnation? I know a lot of people smarter than me that believe in it and I don't know why
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I think of it as metaphorically true, literally false. Having a whole culture immersed in a belief that creates a simulation of inter generational dynamics seems highly adaptive. May also alleviate anxiety around death.
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Yes. I think belief in ‘sin’, ‘heaven/hell’ has a similar effect.
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I wonder if it works as well as reincarnation in terms of simulating intergenerational dynamics.
Good/bad, virtuous/sinful is within an individual lifetime, rather than connected to the karma of your previous life. And in turn, your life creating karma for your future life.
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Ah interesting! I hadn’t considered the ‘past lives’ effect. Belief in past lives simulates an awareness of the cultural and genetic strands that preceded/produced you (which is adaptive?) while heaven/hell is a heuristic for ensuring the fitness of future strands (or something)