"If the Mind be as it were a rasa tabula in respect of the one, the same Reasons make it extremely probable that she must be so in respect of the other likewise"
— Anonymous
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for R. Dodsley; and sold by T. Cooper
Date
1741
Metaphor
"If the Mind be as it were a rasa tabula in respect of the one, the same Reasons make it extremely probable that she must be so in respect of the other likewise"
Metaphor in Context
The same Arguments which that truly great and judicious Philosopher, Mr. Locke, made use of in order to prove that there were no innate Ideas, will, I think, hold full as strong, and conclude with equal Force and Truth, against all implanted Appetites, Affections, &c. whatsoever. If the Mind be as it were a rasa tabula in respect of the one, the same Reasons make it extremely probable that she must be so in respect of the other likewise. For if God has endow'd Mankind with such Faculties and Powers, as by a proper Cultivation and Use, will enable them to acquire those Affections and Dispositions of Mind, and in a Degree suited to their present dependent Situation in Life, whence arises the Necessity of their being innate? As he has given Man the Means within himself of attaining them, it seems superfluous in the Deity, to impress them originally, and in its first Formation on the Mind, who, as a wise and good Being, will be sure to act in every Particular, for some End, suitable to, and becoming his infinite Perfections. [...]
(p. 5)
(p. 5)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO
Citation
An Introduction Towards an Essay on the Origin of the Passions; in Which Is ... Shewn How They Are All Acquir'd, and That They Are No Other Than Association of Ideas of Our Own Making, or What We Learn of Others. (London: Printed for R. Dodsley; and sold by T. Cooper, 1741).
Theme
Blank Slate; Lockean Philosophy
Date of Entry
10/10/2006
