Ted Goertzel | |
---|---|
Born | November 20, 1942 |
Education | Antioch College (B.A., 1964), Washington University in St. Louis (M.A., 1966; Ph.D., 1970) |
Known for | Research on conspiracy theories |
Children | 2 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Sociology |
Institutions | Rutgers University–Camden |
Thesis | Brazilian student attitudes towards politics and education (1970) |
Ted George Goertzel (born November 20, 1942), [1] is an Emeritus Professor in the Sociology Department at Rutgers University–Camden. He is the author and co-author of books and articles spanning from social economy, politics, and conspiracy theories. He is the father of Ben Goertzel, with whom he co-authored the 1995 book Linus Pauling: A Life in Science and Politics. [2] [3]
As a social scientist, Goertzel studied conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking in depth. One of his first studies on the subject started in 1992 with a telephone survey of 348 randomly chosen residents in southwestern New Jersey. [4] The survey was of 10 conspiracy theories circulating at that time. He concluded that anomie, insecurity, and lack of trust in people are positively correlated to conspiratorial thinking. [4] [5] [6] Moreover, people who believe in a conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in more than one. [5]
He is therefore considered an expert on rumors, including the Zika conspiracy theories, [7] ebola, [8] and Moon landing conspiracies. [9]
Ted Goertzel | |
---|---|
Born | November 20, 1942 |
Education | Antioch College (B.A., 1964), Washington University in St. Louis (M.A., 1966; Ph.D., 1970) |
Known for | Research on conspiracy theories |
Children | 2 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Sociology |
Institutions | Rutgers University–Camden |
Thesis | Brazilian student attitudes towards politics and education (1970) |
Ted George Goertzel (born November 20, 1942), [1] is an Emeritus Professor in the Sociology Department at Rutgers University–Camden. He is the author and co-author of books and articles spanning from social economy, politics, and conspiracy theories. He is the father of Ben Goertzel, with whom he co-authored the 1995 book Linus Pauling: A Life in Science and Politics. [2] [3]
As a social scientist, Goertzel studied conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking in depth. One of his first studies on the subject started in 1992 with a telephone survey of 348 randomly chosen residents in southwestern New Jersey. [4] The survey was of 10 conspiracy theories circulating at that time. He concluded that anomie, insecurity, and lack of trust in people are positively correlated to conspiratorial thinking. [4] [5] [6] Moreover, people who believe in a conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in more than one. [5]
He is therefore considered an expert on rumors, including the Zika conspiracy theories, [7] ebola, [8] and Moon landing conspiracies. [9]