metempsychose

Metempsychose, or metempsychosis, is the belief in the transmigration of the soul: after death, a non-material soul persists and enters a new body. Traditions differ on which beings may host the soul and what governs its movement, ranging from human to animal forms and even plants in some interpretations. The concept is often linked to ideas of moral consequence, purification, or spiritual ascent.

Etymology and historical development: The term derives from Greek metempsychōsis, from meta "after" and empsychoun "to animate" or "to invest with a soul." In ancient Greek thought, metempsychosis appears in Pythagorean and Orphic circles and was later developed in Platonic philosophy. Pythagoreans typically treated the soul as immortal, undergoing cycles of rebirth until purification. Plato discusses the soul’s immortality and its potential to inhabit various bodies as part of a broader account of virtue, choice, and the afterlife. Later philosophical schools in antiquity and the medieval period engaged with the idea in different forms, sometimes aligning it with cosmic justice or the soul’s growth.

Cross-cultural context: In Indian traditions, analogous ideas are found in samsara and reincarnation, where actions (karma) influence future lives. While not identical, these beliefs share the notion of enduring consciousness moving through successive existences. In Western history, metempsychosis has appeared in occult and esoteric writings and has influenced literature and philosophy, often as a symbol of transmigration, spiritual progression, or the limits of the mortal condition. In contemporary usage, the term may describe speculative or fictional scenarios involving consciousness and identity across lives.