East Asian · macro

Confucianism

Heaven is real and mostly silent; what matters is becoming a person of character through study, ritual propriety and the obligations of family. Ritual is essential and metaphysics is optional — an inversion of almost every other tradition here.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

E3 Locus of belongingleaning a people, inheritedFurther toward "a people, inherited" than most traditions in the matrix.
A1 Divine realitybetween nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsFurther toward "nothing beyond the natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodachieved by effort or insightFurther toward "achieved by effort or insight" than most traditions in the matrix.
B2 Reading of sacred textleaning literal and bindingFurther toward "literal and binding" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.42	0.22
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	leaning impersonal principle or orderAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.32	0.18
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	between strictly one and many powers and spiritsAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.48	0.18
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	leaning fully present within itAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.70	0.15

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	leaning revealed and fixedAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.35	0.16
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	leaning literal and bindingAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.25	0.14
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	leaning clergy and tradition decideAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.22	0.14

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	between ends at death and continues in some formAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.55	0.22
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	leaning one life, then judgmentAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.25	0.18
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.75	0.14

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	achieved by effort or insightAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.92	0.06
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	essential and prescribedAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.08	0.07
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	leaning to be disciplinedAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.35	0.15

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	between one true path and many valid pathsAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.48	0.18
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	leaning beginningless or naturalAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.68	0.18
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	leaning a people, inheritedAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.18	0.12
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredAnalects, Mencius, and the Neo-Confucian Four Books	0.58	0.16

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.