reincarnation, in religion and philosophy, rebirth of the aspect of an individual that persists after bodily death —whether it be consciousness, mind, the soul, or some other entity—in one or more successive existences. Depending upon the tradition, these existences may be human, animal, spiritual, or, in some instances, vegetable.

The word reincarnation derives from a Latin term that literally means 'entering the flesh again'. Reincarnation refers to the belief that an aspect of every human being (or all living beings in some cultures) continues to exist after death.

Though millions of people believe in reincarnation, very few actually claim to have memories of past lives. Usually such recollections emerge during a controversial (and largely discredited) psychotherapy technique called "past life regression." In fact, that's how the "best case" for reincarnation came about.

The idea of reincarnation is primarily a spiritual or religious belief and falls outside the realm of empirical science, which deals with observable phenomena and testable predictions. But even so, there are many cases where people, especially children, have described past lives.