[targz]

What's with the buddhist bent YC? What does it have to do with hacking or business? I realize intelligent minds are attracted to buddhism and hinduism, but it's still pretty off topic, in addition to the idea of reincarnation being offensive to the scientifically inclined. At least feed the hackers some serious philosophy. We're smarter than this.

[pavs]

I am an atheist (not the annoying kind) and I feel that this short story has an interesting philosophical perspective if you can get past the literal interpretation of "god" and "reincarnation".

As to what is On topic. From http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

"Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity."

56 (as of now) people thinks this gratifies intellectual curiosity.

[ErrantX]

Wooah. Now I have no interest myself in Buddhism etc. but I dont think:

in addition to the idea of reincarnation being offensive to the scientifically inclined

Is all that true.

I like to think us scientifically minded people are above being actually "offended" by such things!

[chc]

Smarter than to take everything in the most crassly literal way possible? I would hope so.

I don't much like the story, and I don't believe in reincarnation, but to suggest that serious philosophy cannot be contained in a story that involves reincarnation is a pretty shallow view. At any rate, the whole "learn to become a god" thing that's the ultimate crux of the story is much more closely affiliated with Mormonism than Buddhism or Hinduism as far as I know.