Which English philosopher introduced the concept of the 'tabula rasa'?

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Which English philosopher introduced the concept of the 'tabula rasa'? John Locke is the standard answer.

In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, first published in 1689 and dated 1690, Locke argued that the mind begins without innate ideas. Experience then supplies its contents through sensation and reflection. He compared the mind to “white paper,” an image later associated with the Latin phrase tabula rasa, meaning “scraped tablet” or “blank slate.”

Locke’s view helped establish empiricism, the philosophical tradition that treats experience as the foundation of knowledge. The idea was not entirely unprecedented: Aristotle and the medieval philosopher Ibn Tufail had explored related notions. However, Locke gave it its most influential early-modern formulation, which is why he is credited in standard trivia and history references.

A common mix-up is to assume Locke invented the phrase itself. He did not normally write the Latin words tabula rasa in the Essay; the phrase became attached to his argument afterward. His position also concerned the origin of ideas, not the claim that heredity and biology have no influence on human development.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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