Tabula Rasa and Innatism Summary

Tabula Rasa and Innatism
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According to John Locke, humans learn everything they know from zero. He coined the term "Tabula Rasa," which connotes that individuals are born in the world in a blank state, wherein everything that he or she learns comes from the outside world. This meant that experiences are the vital factors that lead to learning. John Locke's theory emphasizes that children acquire every knowledge and thought from what is indoctrinated to them. This highlights how nurture is the determinant of a person's personality or behavior.
On the other hand, an opposite theory, termed Innatism, denotes that humans are born with innate ideas or behavior inside of them. This theory states that a person's expression and behavior are integrated into his or her mind and finds their way to be expressed to the outside world. The notion of good and evil is one major concept that is considered by Innatism. Many philosophers argue that people can distinguish from good or evil regardless of one's experience and background. A notable philosopher, Descartes, theorized that some thoughts are rooted in people's minds because God designed humans in that way. One example that innatism claims as innate in children is a propensity for language. Noam Chomsky, an American philosopher, claims that every child is innately blessed with LAD, which stands for Language Acquisition Device. This knowledge or capability allows children to learn whatever language is taught to them, but the argument is that it is through the innate capability they learn. (Howell, 2021)
These two theories are extensions of the Nature vs. Nurture question that has baffled philosophers from history. I think that both theories can entertain the notion of free will. A blank slate does not necessarily mean that a person will only follow what is taught to him or her because curiosity and excitement exist in every person. Curiosity leads a pe...