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What did Plato believe about the human soul? The one minute guide

Updated Thursday, 20 August 2015
What is Plato's chariot allegory? How did Plato explain the soul using a chariot and two horses? We've got a really simple guide...

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Plato compared the soul to a person driving a chariot pulled by two flying horses
One horse is beautiful and noble; it wants to soar into heaven. This horse is our finer spirit.
The other horse is ugly and bad. This horse represents our base nature, driven by passions and irrationality.
The soul is our rational self, trying to keep control between these two horses pulling in opposite directions

Plato compared the soul to a person driving a chariot pulled by two flying horses. One horse is beautiful and noble; it wants to soar into heaven. This horse is our finer spirit. The other horse is ugly and bad. This horse represents our base nature, driven by passions and irrationality. The soul is our rational self, trying to keep control between these two horses pulling in opposite directions.

Based upon an extract of our free course The Body In Antiquity.

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