Philosophical Explorer

A React application for comparing 23 philosophical and religious traditions across four areas: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, and Liberation.

Features

• Tradition Comparison: Side-by-side analysis of 23 philosophical and religious traditions
• Interactive Timeline: Chronological visualization with two positioning modes
• Detailed Tradition Views: Exploration of each tradition's core beliefs
• Source Integration: Links to primary texts and foundational documents
• Theme Support: Dark and light mode interface

Covered Traditions (23 Total)

Buddhism

• Theravada Buddhism - Liberation through the Noble Eightfold Path
• Mahayana Buddhism - Compassionate service and bodhisattva ideal
• Zen Buddhism - Direct insight through meditation

Abrahamic Traditions

• Judaism - Covenant relationship with God and ethical living
• Christianity - Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
• Islam (Sunni) - Submission to Allah through the Five Pillars

Indian Philosophy

• Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta) - Liberation through knowledge of Brahman
• Jainism - Liberation through non-violence and purification
• Sikhism - Union with the divine through devotion and service

East Asian Traditions

• Confucianism - Social harmony through virtue and propriety
• Daoism (Taoism) - Harmony with natural order
• Shintoism - Connection with kami and nature

Western Philosophy

Classical

• Stoicism - Virtue through reason and acceptance

Modern

• Utilitarianism - Maximum welfare for all
• Marxism - Historical materialism and class analysis
• Pragmatism - Truth through practical application
• Secular Humanism - Human dignity and scientific method

Contemporary

• Existentialism - Authentic existence and responsibility
• Absurdism (Camus) - Acceptance of life's meaninglessness
• Postmodernism - Critique of universal narratives
• Analytic Philosophy - Logical analysis and precision

Other

• Alan Watts - Western interpretation of Eastern philosophy
• Indigenous Wisdom - Sacred relationship with land and ancestors

Data Structure

Each tradition is analyzed across four philosophical dimensions:

1. Metaphysics

• Ultimate Reality: What exists at the deepest level
• View of World: How physical reality is understood
• View of Self: Human nature and consciousness
• Afterlife: What happens after death

2. Epistemology

• Sources of Knowledge: Scripture, reason, experience, revelation, intuition

3. Ethics

• Moral Principles: What makes actions right or wrong
• Virtue Systems: Character traits to be cultivated

4. Liberation/Salvation

• Ultimate Goal: The highest human aspiration
• Path/Method: How to achieve this goal

File Structure

src/data/
├── json/
│   ├── traditions.json     # Complete tradition data
│   └── sources.json        # Online source links
├── loaders.ts             # Data loading utilities
└── traditions.ts          # Data exports

Source Integration

The application links to primary texts from:

• Academic Institutions: University of Leeds, Tufts University, USC, IIT Kanpur, Calvin University
• Digital Projects: Chinese Text Project, SuttaCentral, Access to Insight, Sefaria
• Archives: Project Gutenberg, Sacred Texts Archive, Archive.org, Wikisource

Timeline Features

Timeline Modes

• Accurate Mode: Proportional historical spacing with era labels at historical centers
• Linear Mode: Even spacing with evenly distributed era labels

Interface

• Single horizontal timeline with color-coded tradition markers
• Hover tooltips with tradition details
• Click markers to open detailed tradition information
• Category filtering by philosophical families
• Tabbed organization for Historical Eras and Philosophical Categories

Era Distribution

• Ancient (before 0 CE): Indigenous Wisdom, Judaism, Jainism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Daoism, Stoicism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism
• Classical (0-500 CE): Christianity, Zen Buddhism
• Medieval (500-1500 CE): Sunni Islam, Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta), Sikhism
• Early Modern (1500-1800 CE): Utilitarianism, Marxism, Pragmatism
• Modern (1800+ CE): Analytic Philosophy, Alan Watts, Secular Humanism, Existentialism, Absurdism, Postmodernism

Data Quality

Confidence Scoring

• 95-100%: Well-documented traditions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism)
• 85-94%: Good documentation with minor uncertainties
• 70-84%: Good sources with some gaps
• Below 70%: Limited sources or scholarly disagreement

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Setup

git clone [repository-url]
cd philo-explorer
npm install
npm start

Build

npm run build    # Production build
npm run lint     # Code linting

Deployment

Cloudflare Pages

1. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard
2. Navigate to Pages → Create a project → Connect to Git
3. Select the repository and configure:
   • Project name: philosophical-explorer
   • Production branch: main
   • Framework preset: Create React App
   • Build command: npm run build
   • Build output directory: build
4. Click "Save and Deploy"

The app will be available at: https://philosophical-explorer.pages.dev

CLI Deployment

npm install -g wrangler
wrangler login
npm run build
wrangler pages deploy build --project-name=philosophical-explorer

Contributing

Data Improvement

1. Review tradition data in src/data/json/traditions.json
2. Verify against scholarly sources
3. Submit improvements with citations
4. Update confidence scores based on source reliability

Code Contributions

1. Follow TypeScript and React best practices
2. Maintain accessibility standards
3. Test across different themes and screen sizes

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Technical Details

• Framework: React 19 with TypeScript
• UI Library: Material-UI v5
• Build Size: ~201KB gzipped
• Data: JSON-based with 23 philosophical traditions
• Deployment: Cloudflare Pages with global CDN

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This application is for educational purposes. Users are encouraged to consult primary sources and scholarly works for authoritative information.