Both East Asian — where they part company
Philosophical Daoism and Religious Daoism
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 8 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.35 (0 would be identical).
The Dao is the way things go, not a being who arranges them — so the move is to stop interfering and act in accord with it. Almost no ritual, almost no authority, and a naturalism that arrives at reverence rather than at disenchantment.
The same cosmology, staffed: a vast celestial bureaucracy, an ordained priesthood, liturgy, talismans and the pursuit of bodily transcendence through internal alchemy. Practically the opposite of its philosophical sibling on ritual and authority.
Where they agree
E4 Standing of nature
Both sit at animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.00.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Both sit at leaning achieved by effort or insight — a gap of 0.05.
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at beginningless or natural and leaning beginningless or natural respectively — a gap of 0.10.
Where they part company
D2 Centrality of ritual
Philosophical Daoism: leaning optional or absent. Religious Daoism: essential and prescribed. A gap of 0.77 on an axis running from “essential and prescribed” to “optional or absent”.
B3 Institutional authority
Philosophical Daoism: leaning individual conscience decides. Religious Daoism: leaning clergy and tradition decide. A gap of 0.64 on an axis running from “clergy and tradition decide” to “individual conscience decides”.
C1 Survival of the self
Philosophical Daoism: leaning ends at death. Religious Daoism: continues in some form. A gap of 0.63 on an axis running from “ends at death” to “continues in some form”.
A3 Plurality
Philosophical Daoism: leaning strictly one. Religious Daoism: many powers and spirits. A gap of 0.62 on an axis running from “strictly one” to “many powers and spirits”.
A2 Personhood
Philosophical Daoism: impersonal principle or order. Religious Daoism: leaning a personal being one can address. A gap of 0.60 on an axis running from “impersonal principle or order” to “a personal being one can address”.
B1 Source of truth
Philosophical Daoism: leaning reason and direct experience. Religious Daoism: leaning revealed and fixed. A gap of 0.47 on an axis running from “revealed and fixed” to “reason and direct experience”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Philosophical Daoism: leaning metaphorical, or no text at all. Religious Daoism: leaning literal and binding. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
A1 Divine reality
Philosophical Daoism: between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists. Religious Daoism: a divine reality certainly exists. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “nothing beyond the natural” to “a divine reality certainly exists”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Philosophical Daoism | Religious Daoism | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly exists | 0.45 |
| A2 Personhood | impersonal principle or order | leaning a personal being one can address | 0.60 |
| A3 Plurality | leaning strictly one | many powers and spirits | 0.62 |
| A4 Locus | fully present within it | leaning fully present within it | 0.13 |
| B1 Source of truth | leaning reason and direct experience | leaning revealed and fixed | 0.47 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning literal and binding | 0.45 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning individual conscience decides | leaning clergy and tradition decide | 0.64 |
| C1 Survival of the self | leaning ends at death | continues in some form | 0.63 |
| C2 Shape of time | leaning cyclical return | between one life, then judgment and cyclical return | 0.15 |
| C3 The human condition | ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.13 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | leaning achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insight | 0.05 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | leaning optional or absent | essential and prescribed | 0.77 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | leaning to be celebrated | 0.14 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning many valid paths | between one true path and many valid paths | 0.20 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | beginningless or natural | leaning beginningless or natural | 0.10 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | leaning an individual choice | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | 0.34 |
| E4 Standing of nature | animate and itself sacred | animate and itself sacred | 0.00 |
Positions for Philosophical Daoism rest principally on Daodejing and Zhuangzi; for Religious Daoism, on Daozang liturgical corpus and Quanzhen/Zhengyi practice. 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.