2. Plato’s Laws and the Enigma of Godlikeness

This chapter shows why the Laws’ exhortations to become like god should not be understood as repudiations of reverence. The Athenian Stranger urges political men to assimilate themselves to the divine as far as possible, but he also insists that they revere “the god” whom they would strive to resemble. In fact, he suggests that it is precisely in their reverence, in their “moderation,” that lawgivers and citizens might transcend their humanity as far as they are able. Godlikeness therefore presents a curious paradox in the Laws. One becomes like the god by remembering that one is no god at all. Law cannot safely originate with human beings; yet human beings must involve themselves nonetheless in laying law down. Trustworthy lawgivers must revere the gods while at the same time emulating them, must somehow make law themselves while regarding that very task as beyond their ken. The chapter goes on to show how this paradox recurs in various contexts as the dialogue unfolds and concludes by distinguishing between three questions that it raises.