Across families
Philosophical Daoism and Stoicism
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: 0.13 (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.
A rational order running through a material cosmos, and a life spent aligning your judgements with it. Its positions on authority, text and ritual land almost exactly where Quaker Christianity does, which is the most interesting near-collision in the matrix.
Where they agree
A4 Locus
Both sit at fully present within it — a gap of 0.03.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Both sit at leaning metaphorical, or no text at all — a gap of 0.03.
C3 The human condition
Both sit at ignorant but fundamentally sound and leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound respectively — a gap of 0.03.
B3 Institutional authority
Both sit at leaning individual conscience decides and individual conscience decides respectively — a gap of 0.06.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at leaning optional or absent and optional or absent respectively — a gap of 0.06.
E3 Locus of belonging
Both sit at leaning an individual choice and an individual choice respectively — a gap of 0.06.
A1 Divine reality
Both sit at between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.07.
A3 Plurality
Both sit at leaning strictly one — a gap of 0.10.
C1 Survival of the self
Both sit at leaning ends at death and ends at death respectively — a gap of 0.10.
B1 Source of truth
Both sit at leaning reason and direct experience and reason and direct experience respectively — a gap of 0.10.
E1 Exclusivity
Both sit at leaning many valid paths — a gap of 0.12.
Where they part company
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Philosophical Daoism: beginningless or natural. Stoicism: leaning an intentional act. A gap of 0.53 on an axis running from “an intentional act” to “beginningless or natural”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Philosophical Daoism | Stoicism | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists | 0.07 |
| A2 Personhood | impersonal principle or order | leaning impersonal principle or order | 0.20 |
| A3 Plurality | leaning strictly one | leaning strictly one | 0.10 |
| A4 Locus | fully present within it | fully present within it | 0.03 |
| B1 Source of truth | leaning reason and direct experience | reason and direct experience | 0.10 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.03 |
| B3 Institutional authority | leaning individual conscience decides | individual conscience decides | 0.06 |
| C1 Survival of the self | leaning ends at death | ends at death | 0.10 |
| 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 | 0.03 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | leaning achieved by effort or insight | achieved by effort or insight | 0.25 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | leaning optional or absent | optional or absent | 0.06 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.20 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning many valid paths | leaning many valid paths | 0.12 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | beginningless or natural | leaning an intentional act | 0.53 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | leaning an individual choice | an individual choice | 0.06 |
| E4 Standing of nature | animate and itself sacred | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.16 |
Positions for Philosophical Daoism rest principally on Daodejing and Zhuangzi; for Stoicism, on Epictetus’ Discourses, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Seneca’s Letters. 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.