People have thought very differently about children in different historical eras. In ancient Rome and throughout the Middle Ages, for example, childhood was brief： A boy or girl was considered an "infant" until the age of six, but soon afterward worked alongside adults in the fields, in the workshops, or at home. Children were thought to be born in a state of sin and were viewed as the property of their fathers. Such beliefs contributed to strict discipline of children and neglect of their special needs.
These harsh attitudes softened during the Renaissance and Enlightenment as the humanistic spirit of the times caused a rediscovery of the special qualities of childhood. In paintings, for example. young children were depicted as playing and doing other childish things, rather than being shown as miniature adults. The importance of childhood as a unique period of development was understood more fully in the 17th and 18th centuries, as reflected in the writings of two important European thinkers： the English philosopher John Locke and the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. John Locke argued that the newborn infant comes into the world with no inherited predispositions （天性），but rather with a mind as a "blank slate" that is gradually filled with ideas, concepts, and knowledge from experiences in the world. He concluded that the quality of early experiences, particularly how children are raised and educated, shapes the direction of a child's life. Later, Jean Jacques Rousseau claimed that children at birtli are innately good rather than evil, and that their natural tendencies should be protected against the corrupting influences of society. Rousseau's attitude had an important influence on society, and inspired, for example, the novelists Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo.who decried（揭露）the exploitation of child labor and highlighted the need for educational and social reform.
The central argument made by John Locke is that ______.