Abstract With the publication of its 50th issue, Telos enters its 15th year of publication in a socio-political context considerably different from the one of May 1968, when the first issue appeared. During this time the journal's focus, as well as its general theoretical framework, has undergone considerable change. It is thus appropriate to briefly retrace the contours of such a development and indicate when and why the shifts took place, along with the various problems encountered in continuing to publish this type of journal during a period of rapidly fading Left politics, theoretical retrenchment, and rising anti-intellectualism. Unaffiliated with any larger group, party or institution, Telos remains entirely a project of its editors and contributors.