Atheist Symbol/Tattoo

[LordDirk]

Been thinking of getting a tattoo recently, and I finally created a symbol that I think best represents what I see in myself and in my atheism.

Symbol Breakdown:

Some reoccurring symbols I've seen in Secular, Naturalist, Humanist, Freethinker, "Bright", and Universalism icons have been the open circle, the "A", the atom, the infinity sign, the circle with a diagonal through it, the pyramid open or closed, the question mark, the human symbol, DNA, the Eye, and the light-bulb. Here is how I incorporated them.

We have the human inside his universe (the atom) and in the middle of an Eye or his vision, way of seeing his universe. The eye is also part of the atom symbol, representing our senses grounded in physical reality. The pyramid represents his thirst for knowledge and the desire for more as seen in the way it points up into the Question mark/Light Bulb. The light bulb/question mark represents out questions and ideas, and inside it is knowledge. The only way to reach it is through the question mark. I left the bottom line of the Eye slashing through the open end of the pyramid to hint at an "A", representing atheism.

I left any religious symbols out as best I could, this will be going onto my left shoulder soon.

 

[JustBusiness17]

I don't see the 'Eye' that your referring to...

Not to be an ass (more for inquiry's sake), but why do you feel that it's important to permanently "brand" yourself as an atheist? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of being an atheist? What I mean is that you are essentially closing off your mind from the possibility of believing in god which isn't the point. I approach the topic from a more open minded position (despite the hoops that I make theists jump through to convince me). I'm perfectly open to the idea of a god, I just refuse to accept that belief in the absence of evidence...

Also, where do you live? I ask because you are subjecting yourself to a lifetime of questions regarding the meaning of your tattoo and there are certain areas of the world where discrimination against atheists is still abundant. I'm not saying that you should let that stand in the way of going through with it, but it seems like something significant worth consideration.

I guess the bottom line is whether you find identifying yourself as an atheist meaningful enough to advertise it on your body. Based on the current plight of religion in the world, I think it can be justified... But when you remove the controversy of religion from the equation, atheism in itself is rather meaningless (IMO).

Just my perspective

 

[LordDirk]

I don't see the 'Eye' that your referring to...

Look closely, the human is the pupil.

why do you feel that it's important to permanently "brand" yourself as an atheist?

I used the term Atheist, but it's not a brand of any actual atheist group. It is a combination of the values that I hold important and what I believe symbolize them. Critical thinking, knowledge, logic and reason, skepticism, etc. The symbol is more a representation of man's and my own thirst for knowledge/

Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of being an atheist?

Atheism is the response to the claim "A god exists" the response being either "no" or holding out until evidence proves such. Since that is all that atheist means without injecting your own personal definitions, then I don't see how my tattoo will defeat the purpose of it. Also, a tattoo will not close my mind, simply represent what I stated before.

I ask because you are subjecting yourself to a lifetime of questions regarding the meaning of your tattoo and there are certain areas of the world where discrimination against atheists is still abundant.

Already considered it, and I'm confident in my ability to take care of myself. If someone gets angry at my tattoo which is simply a representation of what I hold to be important in my life, then that's their problem.

But when you remove the controversy of religion from the equation, atheism in itself is rather meaningless

Again, I don't know what your definition of atheism is, but as I see it, it is a response to the claim of theism. I don't know what meaning it has beyond that, and I used the term in the title of my tattoo because my tattoo falls under the definition of an atheist tattoo.

Thank you for the questions, I hope I answered them all for you. Best a luck!

 

[nemesiss]

its a bit complex for a simple logo... i'd go for Aronra's "zopdoz"

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Let's be nice to the kid, ok?

That is a sweet sort of symbol thingy, and I don't doubt that it would be a killer tattoo. I'm really impressed with it.

I would change the symbol for "knowledge" in the light bulb/question mark to look a little more obviously like a DNA helix. Maybe a little offset?

Anyways, let me give you my standard advice for tattoos:

Make damned sure your tattoo is invisible for anyone who will meet you at a company BBQ, executive retreat, loan application meeting, or parent/teacher conference. Get whatever tattoos you like, but make sure that they won't fuck you over for the rest of your life. I've got a tattoo, but it is high on my shoulder where I can cover it when needed.

 

[inkracer]

I have both my arms covered (full sleeves) I have my atheist tattoo on my left wrist. Just for simplicity, I went with the scarlet "A" of Dawkins' Out Campaign. It's something that most who aren't atheist aren't aware of what it is, and most that are atheist are aware of it. I have pics on my Facebook page, just hit the website tab.

 

[nemesiss]

Let's be nice to the kid, ok?

That is a sweet sort of symbol thingy, and I don't doubt that it would be a killer tattoo. I'm really impressed with it.

I would change the symbol for "knowledge" in the light bulb/question mark to look a little more obviously like a DNA helix. Maybe a little offset?

Anyways, let me give you my standard advice for tattoos:

Make damned sure your tattoo is invisible for anyone who will meet you at a company BBQ, executive retreat, loan application meeting, or parent/teacher conference. Get whatever tattoos you like, but make sure that they won't fuck you over for the rest of your life. I've got a tattoo, but it is high on my shoulder where I can cover it when needed.

i not saying it's not a nice symbol, its a bit complex for a logo.. but also for a tattoo.
to get that picture as a tattoo perfect requires a REALLY good artist to draw that.
it would be such a waste of money if it goes wrong.

additionally, it depends on the job your doing what is acceptable for a tattoo.
in most cases its best to get at a place that it can easily covered by easy clothes.
in hot weather like this, a white shirt isn't wise to wear certainly when its a bit see-through

 

[Eidolon]

Atheism should not have a symbol. It only goes to further the belief that it is a religion or some kind of dogma with structure and following.

 

[LordDirk]

Quoted from first post:

I finally created a symbol that I think best represents what I see in myself and in my atheism

Again I must reiterate that this isn't a symbol for atheism, but a symbol for what I see in myself and my atheism. I listed what I value and what I strive to practice in my life and this is a culmination of representations of those facts. I am not trying to label myself or atheism for that matter, I apologize if that was not made clear. As for the title, as described before, the symbol is an atheist symbol in that it also represents a disbelief in mysticism and spirituality, so rather than being a symbol to describe atheism it instead falls under the definition of atheism.

to get that picture as a tattoo perfect requires a REALLY good artist to draw that.

Thank you for your concern and for making that point. As this is my first tattoo I have been keeping an eye out for situations just like that. My artist is a fellow student from the art college I went to, and I have great confidence in his ability to create this tattoo.

One last note, to everyone who is worried about where I get this tattoo. I work as an animator and illustrator for a living, dress code is extremely more lax than in other professions. Only tattoos of extreme pornographic nature might be considered to cover up. Many of my co-workers have a large amount of visible tattoos and it has never been an issue.

Now as for the design, I am thinking of extending the thick oval (the eye oval) to intersect with the open circle to help simplify the design just a tad.

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.

 

[Case]

Mmh, too complex for a symbol.

 

[CosmicSpork]

It looks like a mad scientists evil empire logo.... I like it

 

[Doc.]

to be perfectly honest it looks pretty ugly. it reminds me of team logos unreal tournament 2004 used to have, just twice as complex. I'd suggest you to come up with something more stylish, take your time and look around for inspiration.

 

[FaithlessThinker]

If I have to choose a symbol for Atheism, I'd go with a light bulb... like this:

And perhaps even distribute rosaries made of test tubes. Oh, scientific method!

 

[LordDirk]

Mmh, too complex for a symbol.

Interesting statement, I am curious how simple a representation needs to be in order to count as a symbol.

to be perfectly honest it looks pretty ugly. it reminds me of team logos unreal tournament 2004 used to have, just twice as complex. I'd suggest you to come up with something more stylish, take your time and look around for inspiration.

I'm not sure what you mean by more stylish, or how you define it as ugly. Is it bad design or aesthetics?

Both these questions are not to defend my design, but rather I found both of those statements puzzling. I will defend however the fact that indeed I did put time into finding inspiration for the picture and I thought that was evident in its description.

It may very well be rather complex, whether or not that is concerning to me is still rather fuzzy. Feel free to elaborate on your earlier statements.

As for it looking like an evil empire logo, yeah I kinda had that feeling as well.

 

[Doc.]

I can't say what exactly i don't like it, that's how it works. the general idea is nice but the symbols could use some organization. it's overloaded with various geometric forms so when you look at it you just see a bunch of lines. do as you wish, if it was me I would draw some more variations, after all, it's going to stay on your body for a little while.

 

[TerrillLR]

So, did you ever get the tat?