Политическото като игра според Платон в Закони
Politics as a game according to Plato's Laws

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with the ‘play’ as a key concept in Plato’s political philosophy, mainly according to the Laws but also to some passages from Theaetetus, Statesman, Republic. In the frames of the interpretation, the fundamental aim of philosopherspoliticians- lawgivers’ action is the construction of a homogeneous community in order to guide all citizens (and the city as a whole) towards virtues bearing in mind, however, their individual interests and abilities. Therefore, it was found that the organization of proper education is a primary task for the legislator. Precisely in the educative perspective the role of the games gets its explicit importance: through playing, the children are trained and involved in their future activities as adults. But there are also games for adults: for example, the relations between men and gods are regulated through the games during festivals. And most importantly, the philosophical refl ection, also on political topics, represented by Plato in the specifi c dialogue form (by itself a playful genre somewhere in the middle between literature and philosophy) is also a kind of a game: less serious than the real politics but suffi ciently useful and instructive as a model with the rules imposed on the players in each strategic game (even the creator of the universe turned out to be a participant in such a game).

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