Editing Tabula rasa (section)

=== 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. In Locke's philosophy, ''tabula rasa'' was the theory that at birth the (human) mind is a "blank slate" without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing are formed solely by one's [[sense|sensory]] experiences. The notion is central to Lockean [[empiricism]]; it serves as the starting point for Locke's subsequent explication (in Book II) of simple ideas and complex ideas.

As understood by Locke, ''tabula rasa'' meant that the mind of the individual was born blank, and it also emphasized the freedom of individuals to author their own [[Soul (spirit)|soul]]. Individuals are free to define the content of their character—but basic identity as a member of the human species cannot be altered. This presumption of a free, self-authored mind combined with an immutable human nature leads to the Lockean doctrine of [[Natural rights and legal rights|"natural" rights]]. Locke's idea of ''tabula rasa'' is frequently compared with [[Thomas Hobbes]]'s viewpoint of human nature, in which humans are endowed with inherent mental content—particularly with selfishness.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}