John Locke was born in 1632. He received his bachelor's degree in 1656 and his master's degree in 1658. In 1690, Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding appeared. From there Tabula rasa was born. This then laid the foundation for environmentalism. Locke was an English philosopher considered one of the “most influential Enlightenment thinkers” and “important to the social contract” (Wikipedia). Locke died in 1704 without ever marrying or having children. His theories are part of what we practice today. An Essay on Human Understanding is a set of four books and inside is "an extremely long and detailed theory of knowledge, starting from the very basics and building up." (SparkNotes Publishers, nd) In these four books, Locke sets out his views on the blank tablets. The blank tablet is a belief that when we are born our minds are empty and as we grow, environment and experience create our minds. Locke said that some knowledge is found in the mind from an early age, but begins in the womb…… “for example, the differences between colors or tastes. If we have a universal understanding of a concept like sweetness, it is not because it is an innate idea, but because we are all exposed to sweet tastes from a very young age. » (SparkNotes Publishers, nd) Through this and other equally insightful writings, John Locke became one of the most influential thinkers and a great political theorist. In Locke's writings the term Tabula Rasa appeared. Tabula Rasa is a theory that we are born without knowledge and that knowledge comes from experience and environment. A person's sensory experiences form the rules for processing from birth. Everyone is “free to define the content of their character” (Wikipedia). Our thoughts come...middle of the article......from his theory to education” (Early Childhood Education Today). John Locke was a great philosopher who wrote An Essay on Human Understanding in which Tabula rasa appears, which later laid the foundation for environmentalism. Which I believe is something that affects us all. Works CitedJournal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 53, n° 4 (October - December 1992), pp. 647-668 (article consisting of 22 pages) (Morrison. Early Childhood Education Today, 11th edition. Pearson Custom Publishing 13.5.3). SparkNotes Publishers. (nd). SparkNote on the essay concerning human understanding. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/Tabula rasa. (March 4, 2010). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved at 9:54 p.m. on March 15, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tabula_rasa&oldid=347737376