Arp - Tattoos: philosophy for everyone: I ink, therefore I am

VOLUME EDITOR

ROBERT ARP has taught and published in many areas of philosophy and
ontology in the information science sense. He also has done a lot of work in
the philosophy and popular culture realm, and has regularly flashed his half
smiley face, half skull tattoo (located on his right arm, thank goodness!) to
make a point about the distinction between appearance and reality in
introduction to philosophy courses.

SERIES EDITOR

FRITZ ALLHOFF is an associate professor in the philosophy department
at Western Michigan University, as well as a senior research fellow at
the Australian National Universitys Centre for Applied Philosophy and
Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, he is
also the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine &
Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P.
Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe, Wiley-Blackwell
, 2007). His academic research interests engage various facets
of applied ethics, ethical theory, and the history
and philosophy of science.

Series editor: Fritz Allhoff

Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking. Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too. This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious or just curious.

Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind

Edited by Michael W. Austin
Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking

Edited by Fritz Allhoff
Food & Philosophy: Eat, Think and Be Merry

Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe
Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isnt Worth Drinking

Edited by Steven D. Hales
Whiskey & Philosophy: A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas

Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams
College Sex Philosophy for Everyone: Philosophers With Benefits

Edited by Michael Bruce and Robert M. Stewart
Cycling Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force

Edited by Jess Ilundin-Agurruza and Michael W. Austin
Climbing Philosophy for Everyone: Because Its There

Edited by Stephen E. Schmid
Hunting Philosophy for Everyone: In Search of the Wild Life

Edited by Nathan Kowalsky
Christmas Philosophy for Everyone: Better Than a Lump of Coal

Edited by Scott C. Lowe
Cannabis Philosophy for Everyone: What Were We Just Talking About?

Edited by Dale Jacquette
Porn Philosophy for Everyone: How to Think With Kink

Edited by Dave Monroe
Serial Killers Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing

Edited by S. Waller
Dating Philosophy for Everyone: Flirting With Big Ideas

Edited by Kristie Miller and Marlene Clark
Gardening Philosophy for Everyone: Cultivating Wisdom

Edited by Dan OBrien
Motherhood Philosophy for Everyone: The Birth of Wisdom

Edited by Sheila Lintott
Fatherhood Philosophy for Everyone: The Dao of Daddy

Edited by Lon S. Nease and Michael W. Austin
Coffee Philosophy for Everyone: Grounds for Debate

Edited by Scott F. Parker and Michael W. Austin
Fashion Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking with Style

Edited by Jessica Wolfendale and Jeanette Kennett
Yoga Philosophy for Everyone: Bending Mind and Body

Edited by Liz Stillwaggon Swan
Blues Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking Deep About Feeling Low

Edited by Abrol Fairweather and Jesse Steinberg
Tattoos Philosophy for Everyone: I Ink, Therefore I Am

Edited by Robert Arp

Forthcoming books in the series:

Sailing Philosophy for Everyone: Catching the Drift of Why We Sail

Edited by Patrick Goold

This edition first published 2012
2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tattoos : philosophy for everyone : I ink, therefore I am /
edited by Robert Arp. 1st ed.
p. cm. (Philosophy for everyone ; 50)
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-67206-8 (pbk.)
1. Tattooing. I. Arp, Robert.
GN419.3.T375 2012
391.65dc23

2011044950

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This book is dedicated to Susan, Zoe, and Lexi Arp, and Bill Drake.

ROCKY RAKOVIC

Tattoos were a harbinger of Twitter. If I were to tweet that message, it wouldnt reach the right audience. Twitterers have opinions (lots!), but for someone to see my tweet they would have to follow me, and you mostly follow people whose opinions you share. Also, there are those who dont get tattoos or tweets; for instance, my mother is not on Twitter.

Youre what? was my moms response when I told her I was leaving my job at a major publication to take editorial control of Inked a tattoo lifestyle magazine. If this were a sitcom I would have just repeated myself, but it wasnt, so I paused to give her a moment to reflect on my decision. I dont like tattoos, she continued (though that phrase could use an exclamation point, my mother doesnt exclaim; at times like this her voice inflects a loving worry and theres no punctuation mark for that). Do you have tattoos?