Across families
Druze and Nizari Ismailism
Different families with 11 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.16 (0 would be identical).
An esoteric monotheism that reads scripture allegorically, teaches immediate reincarnation within the community, and has been closed to conversion for nearly a thousand years. The only Abrahamic tradition here with a cyclical view of time.
Reads scripture allegorically through ta’wil, guided by a living hereditary Imam whose interpretation is authoritative for the present. The combination of esoteric reason and highly centralised living authority is close to unique in this matrix.
Where they agree
A1 Divine reality
Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.00.
C1 Survival of the self
Both sit at continues in some form — a gap of 0.02.
C3 The human condition
Both sit at between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.02.
A3 Plurality
Both sit at strictly one — a gap of 0.03.
A4 Locus
Both sit at between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it — a gap of 0.04.
E4 Standing of nature
Both sit at between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.06.
B1 Source of truth
Both sit at between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience — a gap of 0.07.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Both sit at metaphorical, or no text at all and leaning metaphorical, or no text at all respectively — a gap of 0.07.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at an intentional act — a gap of 0.07.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at between essential and prescribed and optional or absent — a gap of 0.10.
D3 The body
Both sit at leaning to be disciplined and between to be disciplined and to be celebrated respectively — a gap of 0.12.
Where they part company
C2 Shape of time
Druze: cyclical return. Nizari Ismailism: one life, then judgment. A gap of 0.87 on an axis running from “one life, then judgment” to “cyclical return”.
A2 Personhood
Druze: leaning impersonal principle or order. Nizari Ismailism: leaning a personal being one can address. A gap of 0.46 on an axis running from “impersonal principle or order” to “a personal being one can address”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Druze | Nizari Ismailism | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.00 |
| A2 Personhood | leaning impersonal principle or order | leaning a personal being one can address | 0.46 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | strictly one | 0.03 |
| A4 Locus | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | 0.04 |
| B1 Source of truth | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience | 0.07 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.07 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning clergy and tradition decide | clergy and tradition decide | 0.13 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | continues in some form | 0.02 |
| C2 Shape of time | cyclical return | one life, then judgment | 0.87 |
| C3 The human condition | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound | between fallen and in need of rescue and ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.02 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | leaning achieved by effort or insight | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.16 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | 0.10 |
| D3 The body | leaning to be disciplined | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.12 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning one true path | between one true path and many valid paths | 0.18 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | an intentional act | 0.07 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | a people, inherited | leaning a people, inherited | 0.31 |
| E4 Standing of nature | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | 0.06 |
Positions for Druze rest principally on Epistles of Wisdom (Rasaʼil al-Hikma) and scholarly ethnography; for Nizari Ismailism, on Ismaili ta’wil literature and contemporary Imamate guidance. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.