Which society did C.S. Lewis help establish at Oxford in 1941?

C.S. Lewis helped establish the Socratic Club at Oxford in 1941.

The Socratic Club was founded at Oxford University during the Second World War, with Stella Aldwinckle serving as its first president. Lewis became a prominent participant and later served as president. The club was named after Socrates and aimed to encourage serious discussion of Christianity and competing philosophical and religious views.

Meetings typically brought speakers and questioners together for sustained debate. The format reflected the club’s commitment to examining arguments rather than simply hearing lectures. Lewis’s participation helped make the society an important setting for Oxford discussions about belief, reason, morality, and religious doubt.

The Socratic Club is often confused with the Inklings, but they were different groups. The Inklings were an informal literary circle associated with Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, while the Socratic Club was a structured discussion society open to debate. The club ceased regular activity in 1972.