In Plato’s Phaedrus he describes the basic conflict of human nature with a metaphor. In his metaphor, Plato described a charioteer that is steering a chariot pulled by two winged horses, one white, one black, both with differing intentions. The white horse symbolizes morality, while the black horse symbolizes irrationality. In the metaphor, it is the goal of the charioteer to steer towards enlightenment, however, he cannot do so because the horses are heading in different paths.

I believe this metaphor accurately represents human nature because humans often have to choose between morality and irrational desires. I don’t think the fact that Plato uses a metaphor to display this concept takes away from the point. In fact, I believe the metaphor was the most effective way for Plato to convey his ideas. I think the Chariot Allegory made Plato’s argument concerning human nature especially meaningful because it gave his argument unique character.