I've played a few games lately, and had an interesting situation: my first (or second) great scientist appears, and while I'm deciding where to build my academy, I look at what tech is available, and it's philosophy! I check the religion screen, and lo and behold, nobody has founded taoism!

I tend to get drama because it's nice tradebait -- it's worth enough that you can get good stuff for it after you trade away alphabet, and it can be nice to have theatres and culture slider when happiness is low!

Unlike, say, the code of laws slingshot, this one doesn't impede your early game at all, and it only takes one hop from alphabet to make available that's reasonable to take anyways.

Since I've never seen it mentioned on these forums, I figure either it's a good strategy and I'd suggest it to y'all.... or nobody's said anything because it's a bad strategy. ;) Either way, here it is.

The reason for the code of laws slingshot is to get both a religion and courthouses. Courthouses are rather important to forming a large nation.

As for philosophy, unless you want a pacifist nation and wish to sit there only half expanded for the early part of the game, I don't see why it should be done.

The Angkor Wat is good to have early for a Great Profit strategy.

Philosophy is far better as in beeing much more expensive when trading, taoism is a cooler religion.
(Beeing relatively secular compared to some of the others) -Yeah, i know that sounds stupid. It is.

...as long as you get it for free by either the oracle or a scientist.
I usually get two-three techs per trade for this biscuit, including code of law.
And no, pacifism isn't that bad at all, the 100% GPP makes it all worth while... and more.
It might not be the best "major expanding-civic", but it's the best "anything else but major expanding-civic"... at least at that time.

I usually make a beeline to drama, so i can get this gem for free as soon as possible, sometimes even before the oracle has been finished... then it's just a "chopping-matter".

I'd wait until you get civil service, use the scientiest to take philosophy and then take nationionalism as your free tech.

So a Great Scientist can hurry Philosophy? I myself have never seen that happen; I tend to choose that tech as my free tech when finishing the Oracle, for I've never seen a Great Prophet be able to hurry it.