Elon Musk has apparently promoted a theory that democracy should be replaced by a Republic of “high testosterone” men.
The theory, which appears to have been posted anonymously on the 4chan forum in 2021 without any data to support it, holds that “only alpha males with high testosterone and aneurotypical people” are capable of free thought.
He further argued that a “Republic” would be “better” run by “high-status men” and that “women and low-status men” should not be the ones making decisions.
The Tesla billionaire retweeted a screenshot of the theory on Sunday (after it was posted by the X account @AutismCapital, which shares far-right content) and wrote: “Interesting observation.”
The theory’s claims, which state that “high testosterone males” and “aneurotypical individuals” are better suited to making decisions, appear to be unfounded and experts say there is “no solid scientific evidence to support” these claims.
Behavioural experts further argue that Musk’s sharing of this theory is “elitist”, “separatist” and “incredibly dangerous” as it makes “huge assumptions” about certain groups of people and increases the risk of society “missing out on phenomenal contributions”.
Musk, 53, has made a number of controversial claims on X under the guise of “free speech”, and last year even admitted he was “dumb” for promoting an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
Elon Musk, pictured in June 2023, has apparently promoted a theory that democracy should be replaced by a Republic of “high testosterone” men.
Republican leadership theory, which appears to promote hegemonic masculinity, suggests that women are not effective decision makers because they naturally seek the approval of others.
“People who cannot defend themselves physically (women and men with low testosterone) analyze information through a consensus filter as a safety mechanism,” the post reads.
‘They literally don’t ask ‘is this true?’ they ask ‘will other people be okay with me thinking this is true?’ This makes them very malleable to brute-force consensus; if every screen they look at says the same thing, they’ll adopt that position because their brain interprets it to mean that everyone in the tribe believes it.’
It is unclear who wrote the original post, as it was posted on an anonymous forum three years ago, and whether this author is qualified to comment on gender theory.
Additionally, the article includes the use of the word “aneurotypical,” which is not a real word. The author was supposedly referring to “neurodivergent” individuals, a term used to describe people whose brains function differently than what is considered typical.
Productivity and mindset coach Samantha Lancashire has counterattacked the theory, arguing that “there is no solid scientific evidence to support the theory that high levels of testosterone or neurodivergence confer superior decision-making or objective reasoning abilities.”
“The influence of testosterone on behaviour is complex, affecting things like aggression and risk-taking, but not necessarily leading to better judgement,” he told DailyMail.com. “Decision-making processes are multifaceted and can be influenced by a wide range of biological, social and cognitive factors that vary from person to person, not just gender or hormone levels.”
The theory, apparently originally posted on the anonymous forum 4chan in 2021, argues that “only high-testosterone alpha males and aneurotypical people” are capable of free thought. It further argued that a “republic” would be “better” run by “high-status men” and that “women and low-testosterone men” should not be the ones making the decisions.
He further argued, citing Carl Jung, founder of the school of analytical psychology, that a “healthy society recognizes and values the contributions of diverse individuals who embody different archetypes, leading to a more balanced and inclusive government.”
“Therefore, the approach cited by Musk could be seen as dangerous as it does not lead to balance or inclusion and focuses exclusively on gender bias to drive decision-making principles,” Lancashire added.
His criticisms were echoed by Julia RogersCertified Master Coach and expert in psychodynamics, who claims that the theory presented in the tweet does not “take into account emotional intelligence.”
She argued that several studies have shown that “women have a slightly higher level of emotional intelligence (EI) than men” and that people with a high level of EI are “capable of assessing their own emotional state and that of other people.”
“Elon Musk’s comments don’t take into account how we emotionally respond to information and what impact it may have on us. How likely are we to consider information in an unbiased manner all the time? People with high emotional intelligence are able to reflect on biases they may have when reviewing information,” Rogers told DailyMail.com.
“Their approach is incredibly dangerous because it is elitist and separatist. It makes huge assumptions about groups of people, and history teaches us that doesn’t work well!”
He added: “It also risks missing out on phenomenal contributions from large sections of society. To critically analyse information, we must be able to look at it from all angles and through all lenses, without adopting a reductionist approach.”
It’s unclear why Musk, who has promoted X’s community-based fact-checking system as an essential tool for combating the spread of misinformation on the platform, would share a post promoting a seemingly baseless theory.
It’s unclear why Musk (pictured in November 2023), who has promoted X’s community-based fact-checking system as an essential tool for combating the spread of misinformation on the platform, would share a post promoting a seemingly baseless theory.
Musk may have shared the post because he supports the theory or possibly because the tweet written by @AutismCapital appeared to mock former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. The account claimed the theory was “also known as the Reich effect.”
Last week, the former Clinton administration official wrote an op-ed in the Guardian arguing that “Musk is out of control” and needs to be “checked.”
While Musk could have been commenting on the suggested connection to Reich, the post could also simply be the latest in a series of controversial theories he has promoted.
Last month, as Britain grappled with nationwide unrest, Musk claimed that “civil war is inevitable” in the U.K. He was also accused of violating his platform’s rule on deepfakes after posting a doctored video in which he mocked Vice President Kamala Harris with a manipulated voice.
Similarly, Musk, a self-proclaimed advocate of “free speech,” has used his social media as a platform to promote anti-trans theories, content of controversial war narratives, and has been accused of allowing Russia to use X to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.
He was even forced to apologize last year after promoting an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory on the site.
DailyMail.com has contacted Elon Musk and X for comment.