"The Soul of Man, before it has received any Impression on it, is compar'd to a Rasa Tabula, by Philosophers, that is, It is as it were, a plain capable of any Impression whatever"
— Coward, William (b. 1656/7, d. in or before 1725)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for Abel Roper; and J. Chantry
Date
1705
Metaphor
"The Soul of Man, before it has received any Impression on it, is compar'd to a Rasa Tabula, by Philosophers, that is, It is as it were, a plain capable of any Impression whatever"
Metaphor in Context
(5) No Table purely shav'd. ----
The Soul of Man, before it has received any Impression on it, is compar'd to a Rasa Tabula, by Philosophers, that is, It is as it were, a plain capable of any Impression whatever. The Conveyance of the Notions impress'd on the Soul, are for the most part deriv'd from the Senses, tho' not totally so; For there are some Innate Ideas, or Conceptions of [end page 257] things born with us, and grow up with us also, as the Principle of Self-preservation, &c. I must confess of late Years, several Wise, and judicious men have rejected Innate Ideas, and attribute most Actions of Man to Education, and Converse. But this being too great a Field of Controversy to be here travers'd over. I refer my Reader to the Judicious Mr. Lock's Book of Human Understanding.
(pp. 257-8)
The Soul of Man, before it has received any Impression on it, is compar'd to a Rasa Tabula, by Philosophers, that is, It is as it were, a plain capable of any Impression whatever. The Conveyance of the Notions impress'd on the Soul, are for the most part deriv'd from the Senses, tho' not totally so; For there are some Innate Ideas, or Conceptions of [end page 257] things born with us, and grow up with us also, as the Principle of Self-preservation, &c. I must confess of late Years, several Wise, and judicious men have rejected Innate Ideas, and attribute most Actions of Man to Education, and Converse. But this being too great a Field of Controversy to be here travers'd over. I refer my Reader to the Judicious Mr. Lock's Book of Human Understanding.
(pp. 257-8)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1705).
Coward, William. Abramideis: or, the Faithful Patriarch. Exemplify'd in the Lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. An Heroic Poem. (London: Printed for Abel Roper; and J. Chantry, 1705). <Link to ESTC>
Coward, William. Abramideis: or, the Faithful Patriarch. Exemplify'd in the Lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. An Heroic Poem. (London: Printed for Abel Roper; and J. Chantry, 1705). <Link to ESTC>
Theme
Blank Slate, Lockean Philosophy, Innate Ideas
Date of Entry
10/09/2006
