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Making friends and hosting | Malaika Aiyar

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In the early days of university, some people at my college and I started a card-playing group. Most days until late, a Merton common room became a space for wide-eyed first years who were still getting to know each other, to hang out over silly card games until late, with a background of delirious chat. This setting was surprisingly effective at bringing people closer; it revealed their sense of humour, competitiveness, music taste, how they felt about their degree, and their views on certain philosophy topics (mostly hot year 1 PPE topics such as free will, utilitarianism, or if we should care about philosophy at all). Unknowingly, I had created a recurring, casual, self-selecting space, something Socratica believes is crucial for forming genuine friendships and fostering collaborative work across arts and sciences. Since then, I've noticed many spaces like that around me: a friend with an "open door" policy where anyone can pop in for a chat in his room, another hosting weekly brunch

Making friends and hosting | Malaika Aiyar Making friends and hosting 15.02.2025 In the early days of university, some people at my college and I started a card-playing group. Most days until late, a Merton common room became a space for wide-eyed first years who were still getting to know each other, to hang out over silly card games until late, with a background of delirious chat. This setting was surprisingly effective at bringing people closer; it revealed their sense of humour, competitiveness, music taste, how they felt about their degree, and their views on certain philosophy topics (mo

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