There is a theory that many philosophers states that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates. English speakers have called that initial state of mental blankness tabula rasa. It is a term taken from a Latin phrase that translates as smooth or erased tablet or clean slate
This term started gaining widespread popularity in English language when British Philosopher John Lecoke championed the concept of in his sssay concerning human understanding in 1690.
In later years, a figurative sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in its original state and that has yet to be altered by outside forces. It is often used to denote an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate.
Example
I always start a novel from a state of tabula rasa
After the devastating nuclear attack, Japan decided to start from tabula rasa and became one of the most developed nations in the world