Why did ancient philosophers argue that being a pig was better than being human?
In short: Circe, the legendary Greek witch, is famous for transforming men into beasts. Yet, in a recurring philosophical tradition spanning centuries, her victims often refused to be turned back. They argued that animal life, free from human greed and moral decay, was actually a state of superior wisdom and virtue.
Circe first appears in Homer’s Odyssey as a powerful goddess and sorceress living on the island of Aeaea. Renowned for her mastery of herbs and potions, she famously transforms Odysseus’s crew into swine. While Homer’s narrative served as a cautionary tale against drunkenness, later writers saw deeper potential in her magic. By the time of Plutarch’s 1st-century Moralia, the 'Gryllus' episode introduced a radical idea: a dialogue between Odysseus and a former Greek turned into a pig, who insists that his new existence is preferable to the human condition.
This theme of the 'reasoning beast' became a staple of Western literature, used to satirize human vice. In 1549, Giovan Battista Gelli expanded this into a series of philosophical dialogues where transformed humans argue against restoration, claiming that human life is defined by conceit and cruelty. Similarly, Niccolò Machiavelli’s 1516 poem The Golden Ass and later works by La Fontaine and Louis Fuzelier used Circe’s menagerie to critique contemporary society. In these versions, the animal form is not a curse but a liberation from the corrupting influence of human passions.
The fascination with Circe also extended to her origins and iconography. Often described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the nymph Perse, she was depicted with flashing golden eyes and hair like fiery rays. While classical art established her as a predatory archetype, later thinkers like Giordano Bruno used her image to explore memory and the association of ideas. Whether viewed as a dangerous enchantress or a mirror for human folly, Circe has undergone more transformations in literature than those she ever inflicted upon her victims.
Ultimately, the myth of Circe serves as a flexible vessel for cultural critique. From the Renaissance to the 20th century, authors have used her island as a stage to question whether human reason is truly a blessing or merely a source of suffering. As scholar Judith Yarnall noted, the myth’s remarkable staying power lies in its ability to reflect the shifting fantasies and assumptions of the cultures that retell it.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Circe
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