Elon Musk promotes anonymous theory that democracy should be replaced by a Republic of 'high testosterone' men and women are not welcome

Elon Musk has seemingly promoted a theory arguing 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 supporting data, argues that 'only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people' are capable of free-thinking. 

It further argued that a 'Republic' would be 'best' run by 'high status males' and that 'women and low T men' should not be decision makers.

The Tesla billionaire on Sunday retweeted a screenshot of the theory - after being posted by X account @AutismCapital, which shares alt-right content - writing: 'Interesting observation.'

The assertions in the theory, which states 'high testosterone males' and 'aneurotypical people' are better suited to make decisions, appear to be baseless, with experts saying there is 'no robust scientific evidence supporting' these claims.

Behavior experts further allege that Musk sharing of this theory is 'elitist', 'separatist' and 'incredibly dangerous' as it makes 'huge assumptions' about certain groups of people and increases society's risk of 'missing out on phenomenal contributions'.

Musk, 53, has launched a slew of controversial claims on X, under the guise of 'free speech', and last year even admitted he was 'foolish' for promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

Elon Musk, pictured in June 2023, has seemingly promoted a theory arguing that democracy should be replaced by a Republic of 'high-testosterone' men

The Republic leadership theory, which appears to promote hegemonic masculinity, suggests that women are not effective decision makers because they naturally seek approval from others.

'People who can't defend themselves physically (women and low T men) parse information through a consensus filter as a safety mechanism,' the post reads.

'They literally do not ask "is this true", they ask "will others be OK with me thinking this is true". This makes them very malleable to brute force manufactured consensus; if every screen they look at says the same thing they will adopt that position because their brain interprets it as everyone in the tribe believing it.' 

It is unclear who wrote the original post, as it was published on an anonymous forum three years ago, and whether this author is qualified to comment on gender theory. 

Additionally, the post includes a the use of 'aneurotypical', which is not a real word. It is assumed the author was referring to 'neurodivergent' individuals, a term used to describe people whose brains operate differently from what is considered typical.

Productivity and mindset coach Samantha Lancashire has hit back at the theory, arguing that 'there's no robust scientific evidence supporting the theory that high testosterone levels or neurodivergence confer superior decision-making abilities or objective reasoning'.

'Testosterone's influence on behavior is complex, as it affects aspects like aggression and risk-taking, but does not necessarily lead to better judgment,' she told DailyMail.com. 'Decision-making processes are multifaceted and can be influenced by a wide range of biological, social, and cognitive factors that vary person to person, not just by gender or hormone levels.' 

The theory, apparently originally posted on anonymous forum 4chan in 2021, argues that 'only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people' are capable of free-thinking. It further argued that a 'Republic' would be 'best' run by 'high status males' and that 'women and low T men' should not be decision makers

She further argued, citing Carl Jung who founded the school of analytical psychology, that a 'healthy society recognizes and values the contributions of diverse individuals who embody different archetypes, leading to more balanced and inclusive governance'.

'The approach cited by Musk could therefore be seen as dangerous, as it does not lead to being balanced and inclusive and is purely focused on gender led bias to power decision-making principles,' added Lancashire.

Her criticisms were echoed by Julia Rogers, a Master Certified Coach and psychodynamics expert, who alleges the theory presented in the tweet does not 'take into account emotional intelligence'.

She argued that several studies have revealed that 'females have a slightly higher emotional intelligence (EI) level than men' and that people high in EI are 'able to assess their own emotional state and other people's'.

'Elon Musk's comments take no account of how we emotionally respond to information and what impact it can have on us. How likely is it that we consider information impartially all the time? People with high EI are able to reflect on what biases they might be bringing when reviewing info,' Rogers told DailyMail.com.

'His approach is incredibly dangerous as it's elitist and separatist. It makes huge assumptions about groups of people - which history tells us does not go well!'

She added: 'He's also risking missing out on phenomenal contributions from huge parts of society. To critically analyze information we need to be able to look at it from all angles and through all lenses. Not taking a reductive approach.'

It is unclear why Musk, who has promoted X's community-based fact-checking system as an essential tool for combating the spread of disinformation on the platform, would share a post touting a seemingly baseless theory.

It is 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 disinformation on the platform, would share a post touting a seemingly baseless theory

Musk may have shared the post because he supports the theory or possibly because the tweet penned by @AutismCapital seemed to mock former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. The account claimed the theory was 'also known as the Reich effect'.

The former Clinton Administration official last week penned an op-ed in the Guardian arguing that 'Musk is out of control' and needs to be 'reined in'.

While Musk could have been commenting on the suggested connection to Reich, the post could also just be the latest in a string of controversial theories he has promoted. 

Last month, as Britain battled nationwide rioting, Musk alleged that 'civil war is inevitable' in the UK. He was also accused of breaking his platform's rule on deepfakes after he posted a doctored video mocking Vice President Kamala Harris with manipulated voice. 

Similarly, Musk - a self-declared proponent of 'free speech' - has used his social media to platform to promote anti-trans theories, content from controversial war accounts 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 he promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory on the site.

DailyMail.com has approached Elon Musk and X for comment.