The season one writing begun on May 2004, with the first episode being centered on Kate and following the guidelines of a self-contained script grounded in reality.[5] The script, credited to Lindelof, was finished by June.[6] It was the first episode directed by Jack Bender, who came to the show following an invitation by Abrams.[7] The episode is named "Tabula Rasa" after the Latin term meaning "blank slate", a concept attributed to the philosopher John Locke regarding how he believed humans are born without built-in mental content, then filled through their life experiences. Said concept is echoed by the final line of the episode, where Jack suggests the crash made the survivors into blank slates that could restart.[8]