Is there a non-religous, pro-rational-thought symbol to wear?

[Arugula Latte]

I would love to see a symbol that says for all the world to see that: I believe in rationality and science and nature, I don't subscribe to supernatural and superstitious beliefs, I know lifeforms evolved over millions of years, and I don't need some book from a desert tribe of 3,000 years ago or a male priest or minister telling me how to live my life.

Just as crosses around the neck instantly identify Christians to each other, this would instantly identify those of us who are not only not religious, but have an interest in countering the tremendous amount of religious dogma that is helping push this country down the tubes.

Any designers out there? Or does such a symbol exist already? (I'm not thinking of a pagan pentagram ... something different.)

[Baconfoot]

1. How about we create one using David Hume's silhouette(SP?)? NT

[trotsky]

2. The Darwin Fish is probably the closest thing we have.

The American Atheists logo is pretty neat, but it's not recognizable.

[patrice]

3. I think the Yin-Yang symbol from Taoism, which is not a religion,

is pretty rational.

The Tao is BTW an ethical system, not a religion.

[bloom]

6. That is what I first thought of... eom

[patrice]

12. I like especially the little seeds of one in the other.

i.e. the little dot of white in the black, and the little dot of black in the white.

To me this is a represenation of the truth about a problem that science (or any "knowing", as in, for example, also faith) has with the nature of proof.

[SnowGoose]

17. Some people would argue with that...

I think I've even heard Huston Smith describe the difference between Taoism as a philosophy (which has great appeal to the modern western mind) and Taoism as a religion, which is just as superstitious, fetishistic, and full of dogma as so many other religions.

The devil is, as they say, in the details.

'Goose

[johnaries]

24. Yes, there is a "Philosophical" Taoism and a "Religious" Taoism,

and the Religious Taoism has developed a lot of different sects over the ages just like Christianity - with various levels of dogma.

The "Philosophical" Taoism is really somewhere between philosophy and religion. Doesn't really fit into either category very neatly. But, Taoism also teaches that while useful, labeling and categorization can also be very limiting.

I've been studying Taoism (actaully pronounced Daoism) for several years, and it's the primary inspiration of my own spiritual beliefs.

[toddaa]

26. A common misunderstanding of Westerners

Westerners tend to split Taoism between the philosophical and the religious. The problem is that Taoism cannot be easily split into the two camps. Taoist thinkers and Taoist priests have drawn from each continuously in its two and half millenium history. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu weren't even Taoists by today's definition. Most Asian Study scholars prefer to call them proto-Taoists. Taoism as both a religion and a philosophy is deeply entwined in Chinese culture, which means that it is also heavily influenced by Confucian and Buddhist teachings.

What is positive about Taoism, is that it is flexible. Like Buddhism, you can strip away all the religious formalism of the many hundreds of religous schools and find the essence of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. The rituals are not a deviation from Taoist philosophy, they are an extension.

For me, Taoism is the most adaptable metaphysical system of thought that I've encountered. It requires the practioner and believer to do nothing. This is the essence of Chuang Tzu's teachings.

[The Magistrate]

33. Well Said, Sir

[Warpy]

19. It's also natural sciences.

Buddhism is an ethical system, a philosophy, and a psychology. It's been turned into a religion by people who are incapable of embracing what it truly is and need regimentation and ritual, but that's not what it is.

However, the yin/yang is probably the best choice. It's recognized by a lot of people you want to recognize it, and not recognized as anything but decoration by the people who would wave a bible in your face and accuse you of heathenism, idolatry, blasphemy, and unnatural relations with your mother.

[tubbacheez]

21. The yin-yang symbol does portray a creation theory.

The outer circle is the One, or the Whole.

It is divided into the Two, or the Yin and the Yang, which are in constant movement with respect to each other, and are represented by the swirly halves in the icon.

The little dots indicate that Yin always contains some Yang, and vice versa. This emphasized that they are not linear opposites, but rather circular opposites.

Paraphrasing, here's the story of creation from the Tao: in the beginning, the One became Two, then the interplay of the Two became the Ten Thousand Things (representing all things in the universe).





You're correct that Lao Tzu's classic book, Tao Te Ching, was not written as a religious document. And no translation of it that I've ever read comes even close to establishing a religion.


That said, modern day Taoism is definitely a religion. Over the millenia, Taoism took the teachings of Lao Tzu and merged them with local pagan religious ideas and rituals. Contemporary Taoism is pretty complicated, with lots of deities and other things a pure rationalist would consider as superstitions.



I'm only a novice scholar of the Tao, but I don't think I'd consider the Tao Te Ching as an ethical system. To me, it seem closer to metaphysics.

It purports to tell the reader "how things work". It uses cosmological concepts like the "law of heaven and earth" that the wise know and heed, but the foolish aren't aware of or outrightly ignore.

So it seems to my limited understanding that the Tao itself is neither a religion nor an ethical system.

It definitely feels like a philosophy, and it's cosmological aspects feel like a metaphysical description.

[PassingFair]

4. Well, there's theDarwin Fish...

and then there's this: The American Atheist Symbol, cute with our without the center A

[Arugula Latte]

11. That's kinda cool.

It sort of looks like the symbol for nuclear energy, eh?

[PassingFair]

38. Yeah, just remove the A and complete the last elipse..

and you've got yourself a tasty little atomic logo there. Suitable for pendants, earrings, etc.
I would buy a gold one, if I could find it!

[NAO]

5. Nuke the Unborn Gay Whales...for Jesus

An American Atheists tee shirt slogan from a few years back.

[phusion]

7. How 'bout this?

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/emblems.html

[Arugula Latte]

10. Heh heh.

Don't know if I'd have the guts to wear that around my neck!

[dutchdoctor]

8. check out my avatar n/t

[Nye Bevan]

9. A group of atheists are calling themselves "The Brights"

and trying to get the word "Bright" to catch on as a noun meaning atheist (a horribly pretentious choice of a word IMHO). You might be interested in their website http://www.the-brights.com/ and they do have some symbols like:

(see http://www.the-brights.com/vision/symbolism.html)

[patrice]

14. IMO, That's too absolutist to be rational.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I'm not fond of that term, either.

But I will check out the site. Thanks!

[Jonx6]

18. Yeah,

I don't care for that term either. It just doesn’t sound good.

[prodigal_green]

13. How about the double helix of DNA?

cool symbol and has nothing at all to do with religion (the Darwin fish is a reaction against religion for example). Plus, it is really elegant and beautiful.

[Arugula Latte]

16. I like that.

Plus it's kind of "spiritual" in the way it shows all the connections amongst lifeforms.

[patrice]

20. The ends need to be connected

into a Mobius strip perhaps?

[patrice]

27. or an infinity sign, you know, the horizontal 8

[Ladyhawk]

35. How about DNA in a horizontal 8?

Life forever...

[Discord]

23. I was thinking the same thing.

Some kind of DNA strip. Would just need to make it an easier design to make and advertise.

[DemoTex]

22. Cool bumper-sticker spotted in "We Still Pray" land:

WE STILL THINK

[tubbacheez]

25. Pick a symbol from mathematics.

If you want a non-religious (as opposed to anti-religious) symbol that connotes purely rational thought (no emotion, no faith, no guessing, no asserting without proof)....


math seems the only hard-core choice to me.






The three dots that symbolize "therefore" or "it follow that" sounds like a good choice.

Alternatively, "quod est demonstratum" or "QED", meaning "which is thus proven", might be decent choice.


http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci803019,00.html

[CornField]

28. I was thinking the same

And was drawn to the upside down A symbol which symbolizes "for all"

I also like the idea of mixing the double helix with the infinity symbol.

[patrice]

29. I'm going to opt for the Mobius strip

because of the way that it has one thing (an edge) that appears to be two.

Though it would be harder to do than the infinity symbol, it would make great jewelry, pendents and such.

[H2O Man]

30. a smile n/t

[Jim Lane]

31. American Humanist Association logo

The AHA uses a stylized human figure:

The statement on the AHA website is: "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity." That seems at least roughly congruent with what you're looking for.

I took a quick look at the site and didn't notice them selling any wearable objects with this symbol, but maybe I missed something: http://www.americanhumanist.org/index.html

[mcscajun]

32. I dunno...I think maybe George Carlin said it best.

He does so often. :)

"I leave symbols to the symbol-minded."

[HeeBGBz]

34. A ? would be fitting

Nobody knows anything really.

[Generator]

36. The sun

The son. The sun. The winter solistice-Christmas? The sun rises again.

Without the sun there would be no life on earth.

Global warming-keep the sun from destroying the planet by stopping humans from destroying the earth.

[sandnsea]

37. We were thinking of candles

A candle in the window campaign. Decals, real candles, candle pins.

Would that be something everybody could get behind?

:shrug: