In his novel Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift uses his main character's voyage as opportunities to satirize humankind. This is seen in his fourth and final voyage to the land of the Houyhnhnms. These creatures are portrayed as a supposed form of perfection and are even praised by Gulliver, yet Swift's true intention is to show his philosophy about humanity through the Houyhnhnms. Swift portrays this notion by providing many satirical inconsistencies in the description and behavior of the Houyhnhnms.
             An example of the inconsistencies is found in the third chapter. Here Gulliver is being examined by a Houyhnhnm and is declared a Yahoo. The houyhnms claim to be dominated by reasonable thoughts yet describing Gulliver as a yahoo is a sign of ignorance and not of reason. For if Gulliver were a yahoo he would not have the mental capacity or the civility to act as curdious as he did to the Houyhnhnms at first sight. Also, were he a yahoo, would be unable to learn the language of the Houyhnhnms. Therefore, the Houyhnhnms are judging Gulliver solely upon his physical appearance. Yet because the Houyhnhnms are unable to think them selves wrong, they simply accept Gulliver as a yahoo rather than accept a humanoid as a creature of reason.
             The sense of superiority that narrows the Houyhnhnms minds is also the sense that prevails through out the entire voyage. In chapter eight, one can clearly see this less than perfect trait. For when Gulliver describes the Houyhnhnm philosophy, he states " They will have it that nature teaches them to love the whole species, and it is reason only that maketh a distinction between persons, where there is a superior degree of virtue." (Pg.289) this would indicate that the houyhnhnms are incapable of discrimination among their horses, because that would be unreasonable. It further implies that one can only judge others but the content of their character rather than by their physic...