He believed that every person was born with a tabula rasa, or blank slate. Which philosopher was this?

He believed that every person was born with a tabula rasa, or blank slate. Which philosopher was this?

• A. Voltaire
• B. Montesquieu
• C. Frederick the Great
• D. Locke

Answer: (D)

The idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that knowledge comes from experience is John Locke’s signature claim. He argued there are no innate ideas; the mind is shaped by sensory experience and reflection as we interact with the world. This empiricist view helped fuel Enlightenment thinking that valued learning, education, and environment as the sources of human knowledge and virtue. The other figures are known for different contributions: Voltaire for religious tolerance and civil liberties, Montesquieu for the separation of powers, and Frederick the Great for enlightened absolutism in Prussia. So the philosopher who articulated tabula rasa is John Locke.

The idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that knowledge comes from experience is John Locke’s signature claim. He argued there are no innate ideas; the mind is shaped by sensory experience and reflection as we interact with the world. This empiricist view helped fuel Enlightenment thinking that valued learning, education, and environment as the sources of human knowledge and virtue. The other figures are known for different contributions: Voltaire for religious tolerance and civil liberties, Montesquieu for the separation of powers, and Frederick the Great for enlightened absolutism in Prussia. So the philosopher who articulated tabula rasa is John Locke.