Definition
metempsychoses
noun
- plural of metempsychosis; the belief or doctrine that the soul of a person or animal passes into a new body after death; transmigration of souls.
Usage: philosophical; religious
Examples
- Many Eastern religions embrace the concept of metempsychoses as part of their spiritual teachings.
- The ancient Greeks debated metempsychoses and whether souls could inhabit different bodies across lifetimes.
- Pythagoras was said to believe in metempsychoses and claimed to remember his past lives.
- The doctrine of metempsychoses appears in Hindu, Buddhist, and Platonic philosophy.
- Some Western philosophers have explored metempsychoses as a metaphor for personal transformation.