Protecting the old from the young In Money Motive, the American doctor T. Wiseman explains that the practice of leaving wills dates back to ancient times, when primitive people strove to keep younger generations down and prevent greedy and overambitious sons from casting out elderly fathers. Over the course of history, the most tragic of all stories have been those describing children fighting over fathers 'estate and titles.
在《金錢心理學》一書中，美國作家魏斯曼指出，人類制訂遺產制度的起源，可以追溯到遠古時期，原始人為了安撫下一代，以免自己年老體衰時被野心勃勃的兒子們分食驅逐而做的設計；歷史上一再重演的故事也說明，最赤裸裸而慘絕的，往往是父子間的財產權位之爭。