DanBoothCohen
New
We can make things awkward for ourselves in future lives - by our present thoughts and actions to be sure, no question of that.
What drives evolution (more refined material forms) is the unfoldment of consciousness (more refined spiritual awareness).
Perhaps a key distinction is that evolution, as it comes to us through Darwin and his successors in science, is grounded in dualism. Natural selection functions through sexual reproduction which is the ultimate expression of duality. Thus, scientific evolution would follow along a biological lineage. Whereas, reincarnation, as presented in Hindu philosophy and recast by Rick Archer is grounded in non-dualism. In this sense, "Ourselves in future lives" may or may not be related to our parents, ancestry or lineage.
Rick was referencing consciousness evolution in non-dual terms. While Alex kept pressing him to contextualize it within the scientific paradigm and its presupposition of dualism.
This distinction may seem trivial or like splitting hairs, but I see it at the core of Skeptiko's message. Alex has said many, many times that "consciousness, in some way we don't fully understand, survives death." In every interview he is asking his guests to explore the implications of this finding in terms of their own work and research. Rick did not seem interested in relating his message to this core question outside of how it is answered in Eastern philosophy, and BATGP neo-Buddhism and neo-Hinduism.