The chapter argues that there is a core affinity between conspiracy theory and critical theory. Arguing against Richard Hofstadter that there is an easy line of demarcation between the two, the introduction to Conspiracy/Theory asks how the individual can manage knowing in a world that is filled with state and corporate deceptions, attentional hacks, and complex, multifaceted forms of violence. It interrogates the role of anticipation and intuition for those who have either too much information or not enough to explain the conditions they are experiencing. It also redraws the lines between theory and conspiracy, while attending to the need to identify political manipulations for power or profit.