Snake

kawaii

Ya, wasn't sure where to put this thread but anyways...

I was playing the game snake on my phone today and I began to wonder: would we be happier if we behaved and thought like that poory pixellated snake?

For example, our human nature causes us always to want change in hope of a better life. However, for this reason we are usually in a state of unhappiness as we constantly think about how much better things could be.
On the other hand, the snake has accomplished perfect happiness it seems as it focuses on the basic fundamentals of life (food) and does not even consider the possibility of changing things. It focuses on what it needs rather than what it wants so in a sense it has everything that it could want even though to us it would seem like so little.

However, the snake leads a perfectly linear life (unless it dies, but thats besides the point) whereas humans experience the highs of life toward which we strive, and the lows of dissapointment and deprivement of these highs.

So, who do you people think is better off? Man or pixellated snake?

Nimbooku

But you forget, the life of said pixelated snake (dubbed 'Sammy' by those of us ancient enough to have played games in Q-Basic) is ultimately self-destructive.

He is focussed entirely on food, but his consumption which is naturally unhindered by any biological factors is also not subject to any virtuous self-denial. As a result the snake grows to such gross proportions that his self inflicted death is inevitable. Without a value system to counter his biological deficiencies, the snake is doomed. But any value system presupposes a desire that the world should be like this rather than like that i.e. discontentment with some state of affairs.

Further more, Sammy has no say in his own fate. It is purely determined by the arbitrary whim of a controller, not always one of any real skill or at all well suited for the task. Even we staunch determinists recoil at such a pessimistic philosophizing about our own place in the universe. Completely at the mercy of the thumbs of an all powerful and incompetent God? Eesh!