Final answer:
John Locke's philosophy asserts that humans are born as blank slates (tabula rasa) and that experience shapes our knowledge and ideas, emphasizing the nurture aspect of the nature versus nurture debate. His work influenced the understanding of natural rights and the formation of government based on the social contract.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Locke, a renowned philosopher from the 17th century, is known for his theory that the human mind at birth is a blank slate (tabula rasa), devoid of innate ideas. According to Locke, all knowledge comes from experience, which is composed of sensation—receiving information through our senses—and reflection—thinking about what we have experienced. Our minds, therefore, acquire knowledge through the formation of ideas, which begin as simple concepts and grow into more complex ones as we continue to accumulate experiences.
Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding addresses this concept, strongly advocating that at birth, we are not equipped with any pre-existing knowledge, ideas, or morals. This view formed a fundamental basis for later debates about nature versus nurture, suggesting that human development is determined by education and societal influences, rather than any innate predispositions or qualities we are born with.
In his political philosophy, as outlined in his Second Treatise of Government, Locke extends his ideas about human nature by stating that people have natural rights, including life, liberty, and property, and emphasizes the importance of a social contract that governs society while protecting these rights.