REINCARNATION195and regard creation as a divine gift and
act of grace and yet marred by the fall and
human sin. Reformed theologians tend to
be reserved in the use of natural theology,
though Calvin himself seemed to allow
natural theology a supportive role, point-
ing toward the need for revelation.
REID, THOMAS (1710–1796). Scottish
philosopher who defended common
sense over against the skepticism of David
Hume. His “direct realism” served as a
critique of mediational theories of per-
ception judged by Reid as leading to skep-
ticism. Father of the “Common Sense”
school, Reid was a leading member in the
Scottish Enlightenment. He moved from
Abderdeen to Glasgow, occupying the
position recently vacated by Adam Smith.
His contributions to the topics of personal
identity, causation, free will, and provi-
dentialism continue to be influential.
Reid’s major works include An Inquiry
into the Human Mind on the Principles of
Common Sense (1764), Essays on the Intel-
lectual Powers of Man (1785), and Essays
on the Active Powers of Man (1788).
REINCARNATION. Reincarnation
refers to the belief in the rebirth or return
of human souls or persons to life again
in some form after death. It is one of the
oldest and most widespread beliefs in
human cultures, present in the indige-
nous cultures of Australia, West African,
the Pacific Northwest, India, Egypt, and
Greece. Reincarnation is often linked to
ancestral cults since those who are born
are considered to be a return of ancestors
(in some cultures the identification is
very precise, e.g., a recently deceased
relative). While most often considered in
tandem with the law of karma (respective
fruits of good or evil deeds are generated
causally in this life or the next), not all
versions of reincarnation are linked to
such an ethical component. Reincarnation
is also occasionally linked to vegetarian-
ism as in the case of Pythagorean reincar-
nation, since one ought to remain pure
by not eating the flesh of those who may
have been human persons in past lives.
Reincarnation need not be limited to the
human realm, and, indeed, in many of its
forms, the human rebirth is just one of
many possible realms of rebirth (includ-
ing plants, insects, ghosts, animals, resi-
dents of hell, and gods, depending on the
particular theory).
Belief in reincarnation (or a continu-
ing cycle of rebirth-death-rebirth) is
fundamental in Hinduism, Buddhism,
and Jainism even though their respective
accounts of how it occurs are quite differ-
ent. Buddhism is often singled out as a
special case since the historical Buddha
also taught the doctrine of anatman
(no-self, or no enduring substantial soul)
which would seem to rule out reincarna-
tion. But Buddhism accepts rebirths by
considering succeeding lives (rebirths)
to be part of the same causal stream.
In Greek thought, along with Pythagoras
the philosophers, Empedocles, Plato, and