Condorcet, << kawn dawr SEH, >> Marquis de (1743-1794), was a French philosopher. His major work was Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind (1793-1794). He believed that human nature could be perfected and that history showed humanity’s progress toward an enlightened civilization. He opposed monarchy and religion. He felt that evils resulted from inadequate institutions and laws created by rulers and priests. Condorcet believed that history up to his time consisted of nine epochs (periods). In the 10th epoch, which he projected for the future, equality would develop among nations and classes, and people would improve physically, intellectually, and morally.
Condorcet was born on Sept. 17, 1743, in the Picardy region of France. His given and family name was Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat. He was a brilliant mathematician and was elected to the French Academy. He supported the French Revolution (1789-1799) and served in the revolutionary Legislative Assembly and Convention. But he was arrested as an enemy of the revolution. He committed suicide in prison on March 29, 1794.
