Marquis de Condorcet Biography

Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, better known as Marquis de Condorcet was a French mathematician, philosopher and political thinker whose works exemplified the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment. The Condorcet method—the election method of selecting the candidate who would win in all pairings against each of the other candidates—was proposed by him. He was of liberal political views and believed in equal rights for everyone regardless of race or gender. A much loved and respected figure in 18th century France, his works and writings hold their relevance to this day. A learned man, he was acquainted with several distinguished men of his time like Leonhard Euler, Jacques Turgot and Benjamin Franklin. He was a protégé of the great mathematician and philosopher, Jean Le Rond d’Alembert and became a well respected mathematician in his own right. Over the course of time he focused his interest on philosophy and politics. He became a campaigner for human rights and voiced his opinions seeking equal rights for the blacks and women. He was excited about the French Revolution in which he took an active interest and believed that bringing about political, economical and socials reforms were necessary to transform France. His political activities however led to his arrest and he was later found dead in prison under mysterious circumstances.