Justin Pottle is a PhD candidate in Government. His primary research interests are in democratic theory, focusing on manipulation and the political ethics of the public sphere. Justin’s dissertation draws on the philosophy of language and political psychology to explore how political rhetoric shapes the ways civic actors come to see each other as moral and epistemic agents, and the implications this holds for democratic legitimacy. He also writes on normative issues relating to propaganda, media governance, and American pragmatism. At Harvard, Justin teaches courses on political theory and American political institutions and works with the EJ Safra Center’s Democratic Knowledge Project designing civics curricula on the history of political thought. He holds a BA from Wesleyan University’s College of Social Studies.