Would you rather be an unhappy human or a happy pig?

Poll

Pig or Human?

The pig rolls about all day, eats its food, and is very happy with that.

The human has infinite worries, much stress and has to work hard in his 9-5 office job. He does, however, have a much greater awareness of the world, high ambitions and potential to achieve much greater things.

Which would you rather be?

Scroll to see replies

The human?

unhappy human

From a human perspective I think it's difficult to honestly answer 'pig', but they don't know any different, so it'd definitely be better in some ways.

Reply 4

Trivialness

won't the pig eventually be slaughtered? I'd say human

Reply 5

nexttime

Lefty Leo

The human?

I wouldn't say it was obvious - you'd give up eternal happiness in favor of... whatever humans have.

Reply 6

lm_wfc

Neither, I'd be a content man-bear-pig.

Reply 7

grape:)

Humans have potential to go from unhappy to happy. So. Human.

Reply 8

Beatrix Potter

random. But a happy pig!

Reply 9

Lefty Leo

nexttime

I wouldn't say it was obvious - you'd give up eternal happiness in favor of... whatever humans have.

As a pig, the limit of your life is rolling around in mud and eating.

Maybe i wouldn't know any better as a pig, but i quite like being able to think, to speak, to argue, to laugh, to love, to want to make a difference .. and i think i'd much rather take all the problems that came with.

Reply 10

northern-vic

I wanna be a spiderpig and do whatever a spiderpig does :frown:

Reply 11

Kreuzuerk

The pig, provided I have no concept of the human's general superiority and am not about to be slaughtered.

Reply 12

faber niger

Happy pig, no doubt. I'd probably rather be a unhappy pig, to be honest! :biggrin:

(Although I doubt that such animals have as great a capacity for sustained melancholy as humans -- unless, of course, they're in physical pain.)

Reply 13

nexttime

Lefty Leo

I'd probably agree, but writing this thread it was quite hard to describe why you would ever want to be human (in this context) - what use is love, ambition etc if you are care-free anyway?

Reply 14

Sh4w

lm_wfc

Neither, I'd be a content man-bear-pig.

You mean like, half man, half bear-pig or half pig, half man-bear? :p:

Reply 15

Kneechuh

This always confused me. It's part of J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism...

"Would you rather be a sad Socrates or a a happy pig?", which is basically the same question as the OP's. Mill stated that it'd be better to be a sad Socrates - though I don't know why...

Personally, I see it as the hassle of knowledge. Would you rather know that a comet was heading towards earth and about to destroy us tomorrow, or would you rather live your life without this worry? Surely being happy is what's important?

Would appreciate views that support Mill's claim - preferably someone that's read it, as I just don't understand :dontknow:

Reply 16

Leopold Bloom

Apparently I live like a pig anyway, so guess I'm halfway there.

Reply 17

Formerly LieDown

If it was possible to become happy as a human, then a human. If I had the choice of being eternally miserable, then a pig. A pig that is kept on a nice pretty farm in the countryside lol, not a battery pig.

But if I was just a 'stressed' human, which is what I am now, then I can cope