Some Thoughts Concerning Education is an exposition written by John Locke and published in 1693. Within it, Locke explores the methods of education to foster a healthy mind and character. The essay was extremely influential and widely read; it became the chief philosophical work on education during the 18th century, translated into a multitude of European languages.
The principal thought of Locke's essay was that education is what forms a man. As Locke writes: "I think I may say that of all the men we meet with, nine parts of ten are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by their education." This was a rather radical viewpoint at the time, for many considered inner character and virtue to be by birthright alone, not something that could be taught and fostered. With this, Locke built onto his tabula rasa theory, that the mind is a blank slate and is imprinted upon by experience.
