“Only connect”, said E.M. Forster in Howard’s End, and that ends up being the essence of this conversation. Nathan designs social spaces with variations on this goal.

We talk about the difference between rituals and games, what’s wrong with the New Stoics, and some things to try when small talk threatens to ruin an evening. We didn’t quite get to the bottom of games as “art in the medium of agency itself” (phrase curtesy of C. Thi Nguyen), but Nathan articulates quite beautifully why connecting to other people is necessary for getting in touch with reality.

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