“The idea that boys want to sleep with their mothers strikes most men as the silliest thing they have ever heard. Obviously, it did not seem so to Freud, who wrote that as a boy he once had an erotic reaction to watching his mother dressing. But Freud had a wet-nurse, and may not have experienced the early intimacy that would have tipped off his perceptual system that Mrs. Freud was his mother. The Westermarck theory has out-Freuded Freud.”

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About Steven Pinker

Canadian cognitive psychologist and linguist, best known for his accessible explorations of human nature and the rational foundations of morality. His work bridges psychology, evolutionary biology, and philosophy, offering insights into language, violence, and progress.

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