We’ve
already dealt with free will and determinism; however,
you may still wonder what’s the origin of your mind. According to tabula rasa theory your mental content
comes only from your experience. The
meaning of tabula rasa originates from Latin “blank slate” or “white paper”; it
means that you’re born with an empty mind which is to be filled with your life
experiences which, according to tabula rasa theory, are the unique source of
mental content. One of the most famous philosophers who held belief in tabula
rasa is probably English philosopher John
Locke who claimed that “all
ideas come from sensation or reflection”. It sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
Personally,
I don’t believe in tabula rasa theory. There are numerous literary works which
aim to prove that we are not born
with tabula rasa. Some of them (such as "Lord of the Flies" by W. Golding) seem
to convince the reader of an innate evil, others (such as a classic of children’s
literature "Pollyanna" by E. H. Porter) claim that all people are born good. It
shows how different philosophical theories may be when it comes to mind – tabula rasa, innate evil, or
innate goodness. Are you really born with tabula rasa then?
