Taoism

Time is relational and infinite — it is the natural rhythm of the Tao, the eternal cycling of yin and yang. Time is cyclical and non-directional: the ten thousand things arise, flourish, and return to the root in endless alternation. The sage moves with time's natural flow (wu wei) rather than imposing artificial temporal structures. Time is continuous because the Tao flows without interruption or beginning.

Space is relational and infinite — it is the expanse in which the Tao operates, not an independent container. Space is curved in the sense that the Tao's flow follows natural contours rather than straight lines. It is local and three-dimensional as experienced by beings embedded in the natural world.

Matter is relational and finite — the ten thousand things arise from the Tao and return to it. Matter is conserved in the cycle of arising and returning: nothing is truly created or destroyed, only transformed. It is local: all things are concretely situated in the natural landscape. The Taoist values simplicity and naturalness in one's relationship to the material world.

Energy is relational and infinite — the vital force (qi/chi) flows through all things as the Tao's animating principle. Conservation holds because qi circulates eternally through the cycles of yin and yang. Dispersibility is irreversible in any particular transformation, but the Tao's creative energy is inexhaustible in the long run.

The Tao cannot be captured in information — 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.' True reality transcends informational encoding. What we call information is a relational, conventional construction that fails to capture the Tao itself. It is non-conserved because all formed information is impermanent and ultimately returns to the formless. It is continuous because the Tao is an undifferentiated, flowing whole.