An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke is a foundational text in the philosophy of empiricism, exploring the nature of human knowledge and the mind. Published in 1689, this Enlightenment masterpiece challenges the notion of innate ideas, proposing instead that the mind begins as a "tabula rasa" or blank slate, shaped by experience. Locke meticulously dissects the formation of ideas, distinguishing between simple ideas derived from sensory experience and complex ideas construc ...