What term describes the belief that individuals are born as a blank slate?

• A. Terra incognita
• B. Nihilism
• C. Tabula rasa
• D. A priori

Answer: (C)

Tabula rasa describes the belief that individuals are born with a mind that is a blank slate, with no innate ideas. This idea, rooted in empiricism and most famously associated with John Locke, argues that knowledge comes from experience, sensation, and environment rather than preexisting ideas. In American literature and thought, tabula rasa supported notions that education, upbringing, and social conditions shape who we become, aligning with Enlightenment ideals about human potential and reform. The other terms don’t fit: terra incognita means unknown land, nihilism asserts life has no inherent meaning, and a priori refers to knowledge or reasoning independent of experience, which contradicts the blank-slate view.