Which philosopher believed that children were born a "blank slate"?

John Locke is the philosopher who believed that children were born as a "blank slate," or "tabula rasa." This concept suggests that individuals are not born with innate ideas or knowledge; rather, they acquire understanding and knowledge through experience and perception. Locke emphasized the importance of the environment and education in shaping a person's character and intellect.

In contrast, other philosophers like Jean Piaget and Sigmund Freud had different perspectives on human development. Piaget focused on cognitive development and believed that children actively construct knowledge through their interactions with the world, while Freud emphasized the influence of unconscious desires and early childhood experiences on personality development. Erik Erikson, on the other hand, proposed a psychosocial theory of development that centered on identity formation through various life stages. These differing views highlight the multifaceted nature of human development, but Locke's notion of the "blank slate" specifically underscores the role of experience in knowledge acquisition and personal growth.