John opens the show with some figures about how widely the theory of reincarnation is accepted worldwide. Ken is puzzled about what reincarnation even means, and John brings up the Dalai Lama’s definition, where one person dies, another is born. What makes the second person a reincarnation of the first one rather than simply a new being, asks Ken? Well, asks John, what makes a person 10 years ago the same person they are today? Sharing the same body is not a necessity; having the same consciousnessis. Ken has a hard time accepting that he is a reincarnation of another life given that he doesn’t have any recollection of the experiences of a past life. And why should we believe people’s claims of remembering past experiences? John brings up the concept of karma, and the duo discusses this further, with John saying we should not outright dismiss the concept of reincarnation.

John and Ken introduce Robert Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies at Columbia University and author ofInfinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within. John asks Robert when and why he came to believe in reincarnation. Robert explains that he never believed in the incoherent concept of an uncaused cause; he was not at all a theist, and so the idea of there being a previous causal process of consciousness seemed appealing. In his 50s, while on a visit to Tibet, he had memories of previous lives. He explains it was almost like a joke taking place at a sacred place – he heard voices in his mind holding a conversation, explaining their desire to be in this holy location. Since then he’s had other memories of that type. John asks Robert whether reincarnation means that you are the very same person that you are a reincarnation of, or whether it is more nuanced than that; Robert explains the nuances.

约翰，肯和罗伯特继续讨论转世到底意味着什么以休谟转世为例;肯肯定不会有与休谟相同的观点或思想，但休谟的一些残存的意识会留在肯身上。约翰问罗伯特是否有一门关于意识的科学可以帮助我们理解这些力量是如何穿越时间的，罗伯特解释说有。约翰说，那么，如果无物从无物中产生，灵魂和生命是如何不断增长的呢?罗伯特解释说，转世不仅适用于人类，也适用于动物和来自其他星球的意识。肯仍然不相信-除了希望-为什么他的意识不能简单地有一个开始和一个结束。而且，如果他不记得前世，不就否定了这个理论吗?接下来的讨论集中在澄清这两点上。

John and Ken welcome audience participation, answering questions related to impermanent, constant change, why one should or shouldn’t be more skeptical about the theory – to which Robert explains that in Buddhist science all descriptions of relative reality are considered hypothetical, with no absolute truth stipulated – and they discuss cases of children who remember past lives and the scientists who study said children.

• Roving Philosophical Report(Seek to 7:00): Shuka Kalantari talks to Dr. Jim Tucker, a child psychologist at the University of Virginia who chronicles the claimed memories of children who seem to remember past lives. The story of a child named Ryan who claimed to in a past life have been a particular man in a hat is explored.
  
• 60-Second Philosopher(Seek to 44:12): Ian Shoales reflects on what selfhood is, the changes we undergo throughout our lives, and the titles we hold.