Cartesian modernity: an open path?

This article revisits a discussion presented by Marilena Chaui, in Um anacronismo interessante, to reflect on the Cartesian heritage and its appropriation, particularly by German idealism, exemplified by Kant and Hegel. Our hypothesis is that there is an equivocal reading of Descartes which establishes him as the precursor of the concept of subject as subjectivity, which would then emerge as a condition of possibility for the practice of philosophy or for its interpretation. This reading key allows us to engage in the discussion of what Alquié, in Descartes et l’ontologie négative and in A filosofia de Descartes, proposes about the status of Cartesian ideas in contemporary thought. Therefore, we conclude that it is necessary to continually renew the invitation to enter the conceptual and argumentative universe of philosophy. Furthermore, we argue the hypothesis that modernity is not a singular project but rather an ongoing one.