<P> The eighteenth - century Swiss philosopher Jean - Jacques Rousseau used tabula rasa to support his argument that warfare is an advent of society and agriculture, rather than something that occurs from the human state of nature . Since tabula rasa states that humans are born with a "blank - slate", Rousseau uses this to suggest that humans must learn warfare . </P> <P> Tabula rasa also features in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis . Freud depicted personality traits as being formed by family dynamics (see Oedipus complex). Freud's theories imply that humans lack free will, but also that genetic influences on human personality are minimal . In Freudian psychoanalysis, one is largely determined by one's upbringing . </P> <P> The tabula rasa concept became popular in social sciences during the twentieth century . Early ideas of eugenics posited that human intelligence correlated strongly with social class, but these ideas were rejected, and the idea that genes (or simply "blood") determined a person's character became regarded as racist . By the 1970s, scientists such as John Money had come to see gender identity as socially constructed, rather than rooted in genetics . </P> <P> Psychologists and neurobiologists have shown evidence that initially, the entire cerebral cortex is programmed and organized to process sensory input, control motor actions, regulate emotion, and respond reflexively (under predetermined conditions). These programmed mechanisms in the brain subsequently act to learn and refine the ability of the organism . For example, psychologist Steven Pinker showed that--in contrast to written language--the brain is "programmed" to pick up spoken language spontaneously . </P>

Who came up with the blank slate theory