Tabula rasa

Tabula Rasa is a theory that the (human) mind is at birth a "blank slate" without data or rules for processing it, and that data is added and rules for processing it formed solely by our sensory experiences. Tabula Rasa was first advocated by John Locke, and is central to empiricism, and also featured in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis.

Implicit in the theory is the belief that individuals are infinitely and arbitrarily malleable by society: by changing the individual's environment, and thus his sensory experiences, one can shape the individual without any intrinsic restriction. Thus the theory is taken up by many utopian schemes that rely on changing human nature in order to achieve their goals.