Blank Slate John Locke Tabula Rasa Quotes

An english philosopher named john locke postulated the tabula rasa blank slate theory which states that people learn and acquire ideas from external forces or the environment.

Blank slate john locke tabula rasa quotes. Blank slate is a loose translation of the medieval latin term tabula rasa literally scraped tablet it is commonly attributed to the philosopher john locke 1632 1704 though in fact he used a different metaphor. John locke s blank slate theory or tabula rasa expands on an idea suggested by aristotle in the fourth century b c. John locke in his essay concerning human understanding restated the importance of the experience of the senses over speculation and sets out the case that the human mind at birth is a complete but receptive blank slate scraped tablet or tabula rasa upon which experience imprints knowledge.

The essay states that though humans are born without content they have the basic faculties to absorb and process content once they acquire it. 9 quotes have been tagged as tabula rasa. John locke puts forth his theory in book ii of his work an essay concerning human understanding first published in 1670.

Locke 17th century the modern idea of the theory is attributed mostly to john locke s expression of the idea in essay concerning human understanding particularly using the term white paper in book ii chap i 2. The theory proposes that beyond a very few basic instincts our experiences shape us entirely. Humans are born with an empty mind having no knowledge whatsoever.

People acquire ideas from the surrounding world turning simple ideas into complex ones. Tabula rasa indicates that frankenstein s failure to act as a parental figure towards the creature served to influence its personality and frame of mind in regards to society and its surroundings transforming its mind from a blank slate. This roughly equates to the english term blank slate or more literally erased slate which refers to the emptiness of a slate prior to it being written on with chalk.

I am no blank slate for love to write on my heart has walls marred with cracks bloodstains. He calls the mind a tabula rasa or blank sheet or writing tablet. Here is the famous passage from an essay concerning human understanding.