Innatism

In epistemology, Innatism is the doctrine that the mind is born with certain thoughts, ideas, knowledge, or beliefs. The opposing doctrine, that the mind is a tabula rasa at birth and all knowledge is gained from experience and the senses, is called Empiricism. Infants are born with a fear of heights, and an ability to swim, contrary to the idea that we evolved from tree dwellers, just as two non-metaphysical examples. This philosophy lends itself to ideas about reincarnation, God, Science, and the nature of the universe.