My name is Patrick Brooks, and I’m a philosophy PhD candidate at Rutgers University. I’ve taught courses in logic, epistemology, and film and philosophy. I look forward, also, to offering a course in life worth living, and, to the extent possible, incorporating these principles in my other courses. My primary research areas are social and political philosophy, political epistemology, and the philosophy of conspiracy theories. My dissertation, “Democracy, Trust, and Conspiracy Theories” investigates why people initially posit conspiracy theories, why they believe conspiracy theories and whether they should, and how citizens in a democracy should engage with and respond to seemingly untrustworthy institutions.