My Dog is a 17th Century Philosopher
“Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished?” – John Locke
17th century philosopher John Locke frequently expounded (and to some degree expanded) upon the notion that we are all born just a “blank slate”. Without preconceived ideas about how the world is, and how it ought to be.
This premise, often referred to as Tabula rasa, (which can be traced back to Aristotle and is Latin for “clean slate”)…posits that our minds are born blank, without preconceived ideas or knowledge, and certainly without bias.
What if we could carry that clean slate with us, into life. What if we could carry that clean slate with us, into each day.
But we can’t, can we?
We may be born a Tabula rasa, but we quickly become the sum total of our experiences and our surroundings. We quickly develop memories, preconceived notions, biases and even prejudice.
On one hand…thank goodness. Our glorious mammalian brains provide us with dominion over the earth. They allow us to learn, and to love, and to dream.
On the other…sometimes I wish I could be as ‘blank slate’ as my dog. You know, happy as could be, even after being locked up in the laundry room for 12 hours. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hi, hi, hi, hi, smile, smile, bark, bark. Yeah, I’ve been in here all day, but it’s soooooooo nice to see you. Treat, treat, treat, treat?”
You know what I say? Embrace them both.
Be grateful for our minds and our intellect. Embrace our memories and experiences, and even our biases.
But do your best, every day, to enter the world with a bit of Tabula rasa. Be open to new experience. Learn from those around you. Shed your undue biases, when it promotes personal growth.
You know which part of Locke’s philosophy on Tabula rasa I enjoy the most? The notion that individuals are free to author their own soul. That they are free to define their own character. That we have all begun as Tabula rasa, in order that we might pursue our “natural rights”.
You know what else is fantastic about this? These concepts heavily influenced America’s founding fathers. Locke’s sentiments and language are all over the Bill of Rights.
Oh well…I guess this reflection could go on and on.
Damn I love to learn. WOOF!
