An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

John Locke's seminal work, "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding", explores the foundation of human knowledge and understanding.

Published in 1690, the essay posits that the human mind is a blank slate or 'tabula rasa' at birth, and it is through sensory experience and reflection that individuals acquire knowledge.

This empirical approach challenged the prevailing notion of innate ideas promoted by philosophers such as Descartes.

Locke's essay is divided into four books, with the initial books refuting the existence of innate ideas and later books discussing the origins and organization of ideas, the role of language in human understanding, and the extent and reality of human knowledge​