Reincarnation and Ethics

Abstract

Studies of reincarnation beliefs often assume that these beliefs are logically and historically prior to certain ethical values and practices, and hence that the values and practices are based on, and explained by, the beliefs (or “theory”). This assumption has been challenged by Catherine Osborne, who argues with reference to certain ancient Greek philosophers that the order of priority is the other way round. Through critical engagement with Osborne and also Gananath Obeyesekere, this article seeks to question the deeper presupposition that there must be an order of priority here at all. Along the way, objections are raised to Obeyesekere's model of how South Asian “karmic eschatologies” evolved from “nonethicized” “rebirth eschatologies,” and it is argued that Obeyesekere's notion of “ethicization” runs the risk of obscuring the pervasiveness of ethics within supposedly “nonethicized” forms of reincarnation belief in small-scale societies. This pervasiveness is illustrated by some examples from anthropological literature.

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