ABSTRACT
Modern critical theory has always rightly been circumspect when it comes to picking and promoting existing trends. Critical theory has much to do if it is to till the soil of ideas in neoliberal times so that we might better recognize and promote those social and political developments that give us the best chance. In the critical theory tradition, ideology critique specifically targets those conceptual strategies used by political regimes to close down competing projects that might exercise judgements, register costs and propose attractive alternatives. Social democracy is to be appreciated as a political project that broke open claims about needs as a main demand upon and reinvention of democratic politics. Critical theory would need to put its thinking in the service of the casualties, damages and costs to concrete lives if it was to try to advance the future against the continual roll-out of disasters.
