Philosophical · nontheistic
Epicureanism
Atoms and void, gods who exist and do not care, and death as simply the end — so fear of both is misplaced. The good life is modest, friendly pleasure, deliberately unambitious about everything else.
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.
- C1 Survival of the selfends at deathFurther toward "ends at death" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A1 Divine realityleaning nothing beyond the naturalFurther toward "nothing beyond the natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
- D2 Centrality of ritualoptional or absentFurther toward "optional or absent" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A4 Locuswholly beyond the worldFurther toward "wholly beyond the world" 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 | leaning nothing beyond the naturalLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.18 | 0.14 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can addressLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.38 | 0.20 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | between strictly one and many powers and spiritsLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.55 | 0.18 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | wholly beyond the worldLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.15 | 0.12 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | reason and direct experienceLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.95 | 0.04 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | leaning metaphorical, or no text at allLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.82 | 0.12 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | individual conscience decidesLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.88 | 0.08 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | ends at deathLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | one life, then judgmentLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.82 | 0.10 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | achieved by effort or insightLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.95 | 0.04 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | optional or absentLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.88 | 0.08 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | leaning to be celebratedLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.72 | 0.14 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | between one true path and many valid pathsLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.60 | 0.18 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | beginningless or naturalLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.95 | 0.04 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | an individual choiceLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.90 | 0.07 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredLetter to Menoeceus, Principal Doctrines, Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura | 0.40 | 0.18 |
Further reading
- Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus — Death is nothing to us — the C1 value in a single letter.
- Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, book 3 — The physics that makes the position hold together.
Compared with
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.