Tabula Rasa
Tabula rasa is the idea that the mind at birth carries no innate content and is furnished entirely by experience — a phrase Locke never actually wrote.
Full definition of Tabula Rasa →:: COMPARE ::
Tabula rasavsNativism
The short answer
Nativism holds that some knowledge or structure is present before experience. Locke's target was the innatists of his own day, arguing against inborn principles; the modern nativist case rests on developmental and linguistic evidence he had no access to.
Side by side
| Aspect | Tabula rasa | Nativism |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | No content | Some structure |
| Denies | Innate ideas | Pure empiricism |
| Faculties | Present | Present |
| Evidence base | Argument | Development, language |
What each one means
Nativism
The contrast above sets out how Nativism differs from Tabula Rasa on the points that actually matter.