What does the Latin phrase 'tabula rasa' mean?

'Tabula rasa' ('blank slate') is the theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception. Epistemological proponents of 'tabula rasa' disagree with the doctrine of innatism which holds that the mind is born already in possession of certain knowledge. Generally, proponents of the 'tabula rasa' theory also favour the "nurture" side of the nature versus nurture debate when it comes to aspects of one's personality, social and emotional behaviour, knowledge and sapience.

'Tabula rasa' is a Latin phrase often translated as "clean slate" in English and originates from the Roman 'tabula' used for notes, which was blanked by heating the wax and then smoothing it. This roughly equates to the English term "blank slate" (or, more literally, "erased slate") which refers to the emptiness of a slate prior to it being written on with chalk. Both may be renewed repeatedly, by melting the wax of the tablet or by erasing the chalk on the slate.