Western Classical
Socrates · Plato · Aristotle · The Stoics
VirtueCharacterReasonExcellence
"What would a person of good character do here?"
The Wisdom Map
Humanity has been thinking about your question for a long time.
These are the traditions that may speak in your circle. They are treated specifically — not flattened into "Eastern" or "Indigenous philosophy" — and the model is asked to draw on whichever genuinely illuminate your question.
Western Classical
Abrahamic
Christian Wisdom
Augustine of Hippo · Thomas Aquinas · C. S. Lewis
LoveGraceForgivenessHope
"What does love require of you here?"
Jewish Wisdom
Maimonides · Rabbinic tradition · Hillel
CommunityDebateDutyEthical action
"What does this moment demand of you, not just feel?"
Islamic Wisdom
Al-Ghazali · Rumi · Ibn Rushd
SubmissionInner purificationBalanceDivine trust
"What part of this is yours to hold, and what is not?"
Dharmic
Hindu Philosophy
Bhagavad Gita · Vedanta · Yoga philosophy
Dharma (duty)Non-attachmentRoleSelf-knowledge
"What is your duty in this situation, regardless of outcome?"
Buddhist
Zen Buddhism
Dōgen · Hakuin · Shunryū Suzuki
Direct experiencePresenceEmptiness
"What is actually happening, before the story about it?"
Theravada Buddhism
Pali Canon · Buddhaghosa
MindfulnessEthical conductLiberation from craving
"Where is craving or aversion shaping this?"
Tibetan Buddhism
Padmasambhava · Tsongkhapa · The Dalai Lama
CompassionInterdependenceSkilful means
"How does this person's suffering relate to your own?"
East Asian
Confucian Thought
Confucius · Mencius
RelationshipsFamilyResponsibilitySocial harmony
"What does your role in this relationship truly ask of you?"
Taoism
Laozi · Zhuangzi
FlowNaturalnessWu wei (non-forcing)
"Where are you forcing what wants to unfold on its own?"
African
Ubuntu
Desmond Tutu · Mogobe Ramose
CommunityI am because we areReciprocity
"How does this affect your community?"
Indigenous
Haudenosaunee Lens
Great Law of Peace · Oren Lyons
Seven-generation thinkingStewardshipReciprocity
"How will this decision affect the seventh generation after you?"
Andean Lens
Ayni reciprocity · Pachamama traditions
BalanceRelationship with landCollective wellbeing
"What relationship — to people, to land, to self — is out of balance?"
Modern Western
Existentialism
Jean-Paul Sartre · Albert Camus · Simone de Beauvoir
FreedomResponsibilityMeaning-making
"What are you free to choose here, and what are you avoiding choosing?"
Feminist Philosophy
Simone de Beauvoir · bell hooks · Audre Lorde
PowerVoiceEmbodiment
"What power dynamics are at work here?"
Care Ethics
Carol Gilligan · Nel Noddings · Joan Tronto
RelationshipsCareInterdependence
"What does caring well — for them and for yourself — actually look like?"
Ready to ask your question?
Open the circle