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"We don't need no thought control": dealing with faculty members spreading conspiracy theories.

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Title: "We don't need no thought control": dealing with faculty members spreading conspiracy theories.
Authors: Siegel, Stefan T.1 (AUTHOR) Stefan.Siegel@unisg.ch, Troxler, Eliane1 (AUTHOR) Eliane.Troxler@unisg.ch, Daumiller, Martin H.2 (AUTHOR) martin.daumiller@lmu.de
Source: Higher Education (00181560). May2026, Vol. 91 Issue 5, p1865-1882. 18p.
Subject Terms: *University faculty, *School responsibility, *Misinformation, *Higher education, *Critical thinking, *Education ethics, *Information dissemination, Conspiracy theories
Abstract: Recent studies reveal that a significant proportion of the population in various countries endorses at least some form of conspiracy theory (CT). Notably, there have been instances of faculty members spreading CTs, despite their pedagogical obligations to foster academic and scientific thinking. While the existing literature has predominantly focused on student populations, an examination of less-studied cohorts such as faculty members seems necessary. This theoretical article delves into the prevalence, underlying factors, and ramifications of CTs within the context of higher education. The present analytic article distinguishes CTs from scientific theories, elucidates the detrimental consequences for individuals and the broader society engendered by the uncritical propagation of CTs, and scrutinizes the responsibilities of students and faculty in mitigating the dissemination of misinformation. Moreover, the article posits potential solutions from both student and faculty standpoints to counteract the proliferation of CTs in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: "We don't need no thought control": dealing with faculty members spreading conspiracy theories.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22University+faculty%22">University faculty</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+responsibility%22">School responsibility</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Misinformation%22">Misinformation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking%22">Critical thinking</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Education+ethics%22">Education ethics</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+dissemination%22">Information dissemination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Conspiracy+theories%22">Conspiracy theories</searchLink>
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  Data: Recent studies reveal that a significant proportion of the population in various countries endorses at least some form of conspiracy theory (CT). Notably, there have been instances of faculty members spreading CTs, despite their pedagogical obligations to foster academic and scientific thinking. While the existing literature has predominantly focused on student populations, an examination of less-studied cohorts such as faculty members seems necessary. This theoretical article delves into the prevalence, underlying factors, and ramifications of CTs within the context of higher education. The present analytic article distinguishes CTs from scientific theories, elucidates the detrimental consequences for individuals and the broader society engendered by the uncritical propagation of CTs, and scrutinizes the responsibilities of students and faculty in mitigating the dissemination of misinformation. Moreover, the article posits potential solutions from both student and faculty standpoints to counteract the proliferation of CTs in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s10734-025-01500-5
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        Text: English
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              Text: May2026
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