What does “Tabula Rasa” mean? The Idea That the Mind Begins as a Blank Slate

Some philosophical phrases survive because they offer a simple picture of human nature. "Tabula rasa" is one of the clearest examples. The phrase is still used in ordinary language to describe a fresh start, a clean beginning, or a mind unmarked by prior influence. But its original philosophical meaning was more precise and more ambitious. It named a theory about where human knowledge comes from and what the mind is like at the beginning of life.