Le jeu et le sérieux dans les Lois de Platon

The Laws rely upon the notion of play linked to seriousness. The project of the Laws is to set up a precise model for a political constitution and, in the same movement, to provide for the pedagogical means to implement it. This double ambition explains the main theme of play, as it is precisely what articulates the two levels.

By means of the plurality of its figures, the notion of play is present in all the texts of Plato dealing with the art of law. The composition of the text testifies to this omnipresence which must be read as a sign of its function : play structures the dialogue and is at the basis of law-making. Thinking of play in the Laws, is thinking about the very construction of the city. It is also and above all understanding what legislating means in this text.