The name "John Locke" is one that may ring a bell, not only for its significance in 17th century politics but also in psychology. Born in Somerset, England in 1632, Locke received his education at the University of Oxford and later expanded his sphere of influence in philosophy. ... (Bernstein et al, 1997) Locke acknowledges that humans have inherent propensities that monitor our thought, emotion, and bodily processes, but that concepts of religion, politics, math, and science are all impressions that have resulted from experience. ... In addition to founding Empiricism, John Locke had a str...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Others such as John Locke were of the conviction that the mind is influenced by the way an individual is nurtured (Michie 1329). Locke suggested that the mind starts as a blank slate (tabula rasa), and everything constitutes an individual is determined by his or her experiences. ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The modern understanding of this ancient theory of tabula rasa can be largely attributed to English philosopher and scholar, John Locke, who wrote on the subject in his work An Essay Concerning Human Understanding published in 1690. ... Also connected to the idea of tabula rasa, is the theory of empiricism, the foundations of which "are found in the works of John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume" (Caldwell 577). Locke explores the aspects of human knowledge in his Essay, and concludes that "knowledge is restricted to ideas generated by objects that one experiences through ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Philosopher John Locke suggested that humanity is neither good nor bad but a 'tabula rasa' - something we write on based on our experiences. ... This reinforces John Locke's view that humans are shaped by experience, rather than being innately destined to misery, and Jean Jacques Rousseau's belief that 'man' is constructed by those around him. ...

• Word Count: 1673
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As early as the late seventeenth century, philosopher John Locke's theory of tabula rasa, "blank slate, "stated that "the human mind receives knowledge and forms itself based on experience alone, without any pre-existing innate ideas that would serve as a starting point" " (Tabula rasa "). Essentially Locke believes that genetics play no role in the development of personality or character. ... His admittance to Victor that upon waking, "no distinct ideas occupied my mind " (Shelley 91), is Shelley's way of showing that at birth the creature was, as Locke suggests, a blank slate. ...

• Word Count: 1453
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate