Petr Glombicek

There is common agreement about the role Descartes has played in European intellectual history, viz. the role of the “father of modern philosophy.” This view usually goes together with certain prejudices concerning the nature of modernity and modern philosophy itself, which has been widely and deeply criticized in the last 100 years. However, reinterpretation of the turn in metaphysics ascribed to Descartes can lead to a fresh look at modern philosophy. Such a task requires a complex study of Descartes’ philosophy, namely of his project, his concept of philosophy, of metaphysics and moral philosophy. Reconsideration of his key concepts should help to understand modern tradition as distinctly our tradition without a need to distance ourselves from it.