Pffffffffff
Germany's awesome. As I am planning on writing a post that almost exclusively not about Germany, I thought that it might be to appropriate to preface said post with at least a brief mention of where I am currently staying. Anyway.
This will probably sound a thousand times more pretentious than when I was thinking it in my head, but hear me out. A scientific method of debunking and/or proving the existence of either the soul or the concept of reincarnation through the study of great historical figures throughout the existence of history. Let's take for an example that of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurellius. Marcus Aurellius presided over the Roman throne from 161-180. During his reign, the Roman Empire reached it's greatest territorial extents and is probably the last time during this period in which the Roman Empire, including civil life, experienced great extents of prosperity at both home and abroad. Indeed, Matthew Arnolds states that Marcus Aurelius is "perhaps the most beautiful figure in history. He is one of those consoling and hope-inspiring marks, which stand for ever to remind our weak and easily discouraged race how high human goodness and perseverance have once been carried and may be carried again" (qtd in the Preface of 'Meditations, Marcus Aurelius vii.) These comments are based upon the collection of philosophical musings written by Marcus Aurelius during his reign as the Roman Emperor, which remains as one of the cornerstone works of stoic philosophy to this day.
So what of this? As a means to logically conclude the proof of reincarnation, an intense examination of figures similar and relevant to the personality of Marcus Aurelius over the course of the past 4000 years must be conducted, with the the inclusion of several assumptions. The first assumption is that Marcus Aurelius, despite the humility of his writings, must have had some sort of political ambition that got him to the Roman throne further than the mere appointment of him and his brother by their adoptive father Antoninus Pious. The second assumption, which ties into the first, is that therefore, this shared ambition between Aurelius and the theoretical reincarnated soul would lead to an aristocratic position at any point in any given point of history (although it is safe to assume that these ambitions at certain periods may have failed.) The third assumption is that, as a whole, aristocrats from any given society have a better standard of living than lower classes and therefore, dependent on the time, would have lived a proportionally longer life than those of his inferiors. The third assumption is of paramount importance, as it allows us to set an average lifespan for the "soul" of Marcus Aurelius as shown in different people over the course of history. Taking this into account, I will set the average lifespan of an aristocrat over the course of history at 60 years old. (Aurelius himself was in his late 50s when he died.)
Given this estimated average lifespan of 60 years old, it can be determined that over the last 4000 years, 67 instances of Marcus Aurelius should have occurred, with 40 or so occurring before his time and 27 occurring after his time. As such, through historical records, one could argue that if 67 instances of Marcus Aurelius could be found, in positions similar (though not exclusive to supreme ruler) that reincarnation might, just might have a leg to stand on.
I don't know if I believe it though.
This will probably sound a thousand times more pretentious than when I was thinking it in my head, but hear me out. A scientific method of debunking and/or proving the existence of either the soul or the concept of reincarnation through the study of great historical figures throughout the existence of history. Let's take for an example that of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurellius. Marcus Aurellius presided over the Roman throne from 161-180. During his reign, the Roman Empire reached it's greatest territorial extents and is probably the last time during this period in which the Roman Empire, including civil life, experienced great extents of prosperity at both home and abroad. Indeed, Matthew Arnolds states that Marcus Aurelius is "perhaps the most beautiful figure in history. He is one of those consoling and hope-inspiring marks, which stand for ever to remind our weak and easily discouraged race how high human goodness and perseverance have once been carried and may be carried again" (qtd in the Preface of 'Meditations, Marcus Aurelius vii.) These comments are based upon the collection of philosophical musings written by Marcus Aurelius during his reign as the Roman Emperor, which remains as one of the cornerstone works of stoic philosophy to this day.
So what of this? As a means to logically conclude the proof of reincarnation, an intense examination of figures similar and relevant to the personality of Marcus Aurelius over the course of the past 4000 years must be conducted, with the the inclusion of several assumptions. The first assumption is that Marcus Aurelius, despite the humility of his writings, must have had some sort of political ambition that got him to the Roman throne further than the mere appointment of him and his brother by their adoptive father Antoninus Pious. The second assumption, which ties into the first, is that therefore, this shared ambition between Aurelius and the theoretical reincarnated soul would lead to an aristocratic position at any point in any given point of history (although it is safe to assume that these ambitions at certain periods may have failed.) The third assumption is that, as a whole, aristocrats from any given society have a better standard of living than lower classes and therefore, dependent on the time, would have lived a proportionally longer life than those of his inferiors. The third assumption is of paramount importance, as it allows us to set an average lifespan for the "soul" of Marcus Aurelius as shown in different people over the course of history. Taking this into account, I will set the average lifespan of an aristocrat over the course of history at 60 years old. (Aurelius himself was in his late 50s when he died.)
Given this estimated average lifespan of 60 years old, it can be determined that over the last 4000 years, 67 instances of Marcus Aurelius should have occurred, with 40 or so occurring before his time and 27 occurring after his time. As such, through historical records, one could argue that if 67 instances of Marcus Aurelius could be found, in positions similar (though not exclusive to supreme ruler) that reincarnation might, just might have a leg to stand on.
I don't know if I believe it though.