Preexistence

Preexistence is the doctrine or claim that something exists beforehand of a specified moment, most commonly that a soul or conscious being exists before birth. The term derives from Latin pre- 'before' and existere 'to exist'. In religious and philosophical contexts, preexistence is invoked to explain the origin of life, identity, or moral responsibility.

In philosophy, discussions of preexistence focus on whether consciousness or a soul can exist prior to embodiment and what that would imply for knowledge, memory, and personal identity. Plato, for example, argued that the soul is immortal and can access knowledge prior to taking on a body. The idea appears in other classical writings as well.

In religious thought, preexistence has appeared in various forms. In early Christian theology, some writers (notably Origen) proposed the preexistence of souls, a view later deemed heretical. In the 19th century, the Latter-day Saints teach a belief in a pre-mortal existence, whereby human spirits existed before earthly life and choose to come to Earth for mortal experience. The exact doctrines and terminology vary within the movement.

In Hinduism, ideas about preexistence are tied to the eternal nature of the atman and the cycle of reincarnation; most traditions hold that the soul or jiva transmigrates after death. In Buddhism and Jainism, conceptions diverge: Buddhism generally rejects a permanent self, while Jainism emphasizes a jiva that reincarnates under karmic law.

In modern use, preexistence is often contrasted with birth or creation and is discussed mainly in theology, metaphysics, and discussions of identity. Critics argue that claims of preexistence raise questions about memory, responsibility, and the criteria by which a person is said to continue.