Reincarnation as a Biological Adaptation to Natural Selection

Collaborative behavioral neuroscientists, Professor Todd Murphy and Dr. Michael Persinger, have steadily built up an empirical, correlative assessment of ancient metaphysics through the field of speculative research called, “neurotheology” since the 1990’s. A bit of a slang term, “neurotheology” is acknowledged by its researchers as a philosophy applied to scientific principle; meaning that this philosophy is a transposition of a variety of ancient metaphysics onto the blueprint of the modern scientific method and the latest updates in fields like neurology, behavioral psychology, anthropology, physics, and even comparative religion. Unfortunately, instead of being invited into the scientific community as a much-needed reassessment of ancient philosophy within the postmodern paradigm, Murphy and Persinger have of course met a great deal of persecution. However, the thorough methodology of their research, their versatile repertoire of data sets, and their novel application of the scientific method into the realm of philosophy and theology, has given them continuous support within the alternative research community.

Publishing his preliminary studies into a scientific journal in 1999, Todd Murphy in association with research and development from Dr. Michael Persinger of neurocognitive electro-stimulation technology, developed his scientific postulation that if reincarnation could be theoretically supposed as an axiom of life, then it would be because it was a biological adaptation to natural selection. Unfortunately, the mere cross-analysis of the two concepts in the title made many people dismiss it, but upon looking at this cross-analysis it not only becomes a smooth transposition, but a plausible one as well.

Since his initial development of the subject, Murphy had published a book in 2013 entitled, Sacred Pathways: The Brain’s Role in Religious and Mystic Experiences, that even included a foreword by the Dalai Lama himself. To quote the book’s official description,

“Professor Murphy proposes that rebirth is an evolutionary adaptation that contributed to the survival of our species, and that the self is a hallucination, that God is a manifestation of our own sense of self, and how enlightenment appears after an avalanche of neural activity, making changes in very specific areas of your brain. He also believes that spirituality is a very positive force in the world, and in the lives of individual people. Spirituality, he argues, is an adaptive force that’s crucial to our survival as a species, and so is an integral part of our nature. An atheist who openly encourages prayer, The author goes well past the debates between skeptics and believers to see how religion helps us, without regard for the truth or falsehood of anyone’s private beliefs.”

The original paper, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Near-Death Studies, boasted the enticing title, “The Structure And Function Of Near-Death Experiences: An Algorithmic Reincarnation Hypothesis based on Natural Selection.” Before moving forward, it’s important to note that Darwin was just another scientist proposing ideas based on his own observations, and in the present scientific community, his ideas are a bit too emboldened and are lacking in continuous and updated reassessment; however, the basic postulations of natural selection have been fundamentally proven in the sense of genetic adaptations to environment in order to further survival.

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