No evidence that belief in conspiracy theories is negatively related to attitudes toward transhumanism

Bibliographic Data

ID21392051
AuthorsAnthony Lantian (0000-0001-7855-3914, Département de Psychologie, Laboratoire Parisien de Psychologie Sociale UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre Nanterre France, corresponding author), Michael Rose (0000-0002-5400-2461, Département de Psychologie, Laboratoire Parisien de Psychologie Sociale UPL, Univ Paris Nanterre Nanterre France)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue4
Pages569-580
Publication date2024-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.13003
PMID38282567
OpenAlexW4391318712
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited62

Transhumanism is a movement that emphasizes the improvement of the human condition by developing technologies and making them widely available. Conspiracy theories regularly refer to the allegedly transhumanist agenda of elites. We hypothesized that belief in conspiracy theories would be related to more unfavorable attitudes toward the transhumanist movement. We examined this association through two pre‐registered studies (based on two French samples, total N after exclusion = 550). We found no evidence of a negative relationship between belief in conspiracy theories and attitudes toward transhumanism. This null result was further corroborated by Bayesian analysis, an equivalence test, and an internal mini meta‐analysis. This work plays a precursory role in understanding attitudes toward an international cultural and intellectual movement that continues to grow in popularity and influence

Epistemology · Popularity · Transhumanism · Interdisciplinary Studies: Technology, Society, and Humanities · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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