Sigmund Freud developed his evolutionary theory for the origin of the Oedipus complex in Totem and Taboo, published in 1913. This complex scenario, involving what Freud called “the primal crime” and its subsequent phylogenetic consequences, incorporated theories from a number of sources, including Charles Darwin. Freud claimed to have found in Darwin a proposal for the structure for early human social organization. Since then, “Darwin’s primal horde” has endured in a variety of literatures that build on Freud’s work. In this essay, “Darwin’s primal horde” is reevaluated from the standpoint of Darwin’s writing. Darwin’s words were taken out of context and exaggerated. The primal horde is a concept that Darwin would not recognize, that he did not propose, and that misrepresents what he wrote. It is Freud’s construction, not Darwin’s. Modern authors should not cite Darwin when discussing “Darwin’s primal horde.”
Richard J. Smith, "Darwin, Freud, and the Continuing Misrepresentation of the Primal Horde," Current Anthropology 0, no. 0 (-Not available-): 000.
DOI: 10.1086/688885
