What Is John Locke's Theory Of Childhood

John Locke, a very well-known philosopher who lived in the late 1600’ says “A child is a

blank slate that is formed only through experience.” (Locke). This quote means that children are

just blank and plain and they can’t have a personality or anything to them until they go through

experiences in life. This theory that Locke came up with explains children who are first born,

how everyone starts off the same, and how no one can have thoughts without experience.

Locke had many reasons for his theory about children starting off as a blank slate.

“Individuals acquire knowledge most easily when they first consider simple ideas and then

gradually combine them to form ones that are more complex.” (Locke). This quote is explaining

how
“Infants were neither inherently good nor

inherently evil. A child's nature and personality would develop over childhood.” When we are

born, we don’t have a personality or common knowledge yet because we haven’t been through

any experiences that have caused us to learn anything yet. Through experience, we gain good

traits or bad traits from the experiences and events that occur in our lives, but the moment we are

born, we don’t have any of those traits yet.

“All men are created equal, and each of us can be said to be the author of our own

character.” (Locke) In this quote, Locke is explaining how since every person is born without

experience, every person is born the same. All infants that have just been born don’t know

anything yet and aren’t their own person yet. Therefore, everyone is, in fact, born equal because

they haven’t experienced anything in life yet to sway their personalities or decisions in life.

“Children are born with minds as blank as slates, but they have natural inclinations which

include personalities, likes and dislikes.” (Locke) Children aren’t born completely blank.
This quote from the book is the monster describing that he had no thoughts in his mind or

anything of the sort. According to Locke, the reasoning for the monster to not have anything

going through his mind is because everyone starts off with a mind as a blank slate. The monster

started off as a blank slate and he practically says that by saying that all was confused.

Throughout the book, though, the monster starts to comprehend ideas and learn and grow

because he is becoming his own person through experience. He started off as a blank slate and

was formed through his experiences with people and objects around him, just like Locke’s theory

states.

Locke’s theory “A child is a blank slate that is formed only through experience.” Makes

complete sense and I agree with it completely. Everyone starts off as a blank slate and doesn’t

become their own person until they live and learn. Children who are first born, how everyone

starts off the same, and how no one can have thoughts without experience are just few of many

reasons how a child starts off as a blank slate and is only formed through