tabula rasa
blank slate
(for the present context) the OED defines this term as follows:
an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals; a clean slate:
the team did not have complete freedom and a tabula rasa from which to work
a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.
a young mind not yet affected by experience
the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions
something existing in its original pristine state
cultural definition Something new, fresh, unmarked, or uninfluenced. Tabula rasa is Latin for “blank slate.”
Thus you could say: My mate is new to this corporate world of jealousy and hostility - he's a tabula rasa.
Example sentences from Collin's dictionary:
"But you don't start with a tabula rasa (clean slate), you have to deal with society as it is, and try to make constructive progress. TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES (2001)
It was on this tabula rasa , Picasso believed, that a new art form could originate. TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES (2002)
Porn, on the other hand, is a tabula rasa as far as greatness is concerned. Victoria Coren, Charlie Skelton ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING: HOW WE TRIED TO MAKE THE GREATEST PORN FILM EVER (2002)
With someone new, you're a tabula rasa , which has its charms for those who enjoy reinventing themselves. GLOBE AND MAIL (2003)
