In this episode, Professor Chris Winch discusses how children develop language, behaviour, moral judgment, practical skills, and values by participating in shared activities. This learning takes place through experience, imitation, and example rather than formal teaching. Winch also argues that important social practices — such as conventions, promise-keeping, loyalty, and shared bonds — exist independently of the state, sustained by mutual recognition and participation rather than government enforcement.
Winch and Black discuss the tension between social conditioning and human freedom, and why people are often reluctant to let go of established ways of thinking and living. Who decides what counts as “normal”? Are we simply conditioned by our society, or do we have freedom to question and change these norms?
Professor Chris Winch is Professor of Educational Philosophy and Policy in the School of Education, Communication and Society at King’s. His recent book Civil Society’s Education Reflections on the Informal Roots of Learning was published in 2025 by Bloomsbury.