"It is the Opinion of a late ingenious Philosopher of our own Nation [Mr. Locke], and I think mankind are generally come into the same Way of thinking, 'That the Soul of Man is at first but a Tabula rasa, a Kind of fair unwritten Paper, till it has receieved Impressions form without, and improved upon them by its Faculty of Reflection.'"

— Bernard, Thomas (1684/5-1755)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for B. Motte and C. Bathurst
Date
1736
Metaphor
"It is the Opinion of a late ingenious Philosopher of our own Nation [Mr. Locke], and I think mankind are generally come into the same Way of thinking, 'That the Soul of Man is at first but a Tabula rasa, a Kind of fair unwritten Paper, till it has receieved Impressions form without, and improved upon them by its Faculty of Reflection.'"
Metaphor in Context
It is the Opinion of a late ingenious Philosopher of our own Nation, and I think mankind are generally come into the same Way of thinking, 'That the Soul of Man is at first but a Tabula rasa, a Kind of fair unwritten Paper, till it has received Impressions form without, and improved upon them by its Faculty of Reflection;' consequently that 'tis only Wisdom and Instruction, that fill it with fair and excellent Characters, that write Things upon it in their natural Shape and Order; that draw them to the Life, and in their true Colours and Postures, and describe upon it the greatest Concerns that are or have been in the World: And by their Means it becomes a delightful Store-house of the richest Truth and most valuable Knowledge.
(p. 14)
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO
Citation
Bernard, Thomas. The advantages of learning. A sermon preached at Felstead-church in Essex, August 12th, 1736. On occasion of the annual meeting ... at the free-school there. By Thomas Bernard. London, 1736. Based on information from English Short Title Catalogue. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale Group.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO
Theme
Blank Slate; Lockean Philosophy
Date of Entry
10/09/2006

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.