This thought-provoking quote suggests that the ability to substitute verbal aggression for physical violence marked a crucial step in human societal development. It implies that language, even for conflict, enabled a more complex, less destructive form of interaction, laying the groundwork for civilization.
Quote by Sigmund Freud: “The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.”
The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.
Insight
Historical Context
Published during the rise of fascism and the shadow of another world war, 'Civilization and Its Discontents' explored the inherent tension between individual desires and societal demands. Freud pondered how civilization manages human aggression to maintain social order.
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Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. He developed therapeutic techniques such as the use of free association and discovered transference.
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