Perhaps no other street in Paris carries such a weight of intellectual history as Rue de Condorcet. This isn’t just another pretty Parisian street. It’s a testament to a man who embodied the ideals of the Enlightenment.
Rue de Condorcet is named after Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat. He was the Marquis of Condorcet. More simply he was known as Nicolas de Condorcet. He was a philosopher. He was a political economist. He was a mathematician.
Condorcet was born in 1743. He quickly gained praise for his intellectual abilities. In 1765, he published his first work on mathematics. It launched his career. In 1769, he was elected to the Académie royale des Sciences. Condorcet worked with Leonhard Euler and Benjamin Franklin. He became an honorary member of many foreign academies. These included societies in Sweden, Prussia, Russia and America.
In 1785, Condorcet published one of his most important works. It was titled Essay on the Application of Analysis to the Probability of Majority Decisions. It described several famous results. One result was Condorcet’s jury theorem. It states that group voting accuracy increases with more members. Another was Condorcet’s paradox. It shows how majority preferences can become illogical.
Condorcet championed human rights. He defended women’s and Black’s rights. He became active in the Society of the Friends of the Blacks in the 1780s. He supported the ideals of the newly formed United States. He proposed political, administrative, and economic reforms for France.
During the French Revolution, Condorcet took a leading role. He hoped for a rational reconstruction of society. In 1791, he was elected as a Paris representative in the Legislative Assembly. He then became the secretary of the Assembly.
In 1790, Condorcet advocated for women’s suffrage. He wrote an article and published De l’admission des femmes au droit de cité. At the trial of Louis XVI in 1792, Condorcet opposed the death penalty. Condorcet was on the Constitution Committee. He was the main author of the Girondin constitutional project.
In 1793, a warrant was issued for Condorcet’s arrest. He was forced into hiding. He hid in the house of Mme. Vernet in Paris. There he wrote Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind. It narrates civilization’s progress in science. It claims a connection between science and human rights. It outlines a future shaped by scientific knowledge.
In 1794, Condorcet was arrested and imprisoned. He was found dead in his cell. The widely accepted theory is that he used poison. In 1989, Condorcet was symbolically interred in the Panthéon. This honored his role in the Enlightenment.
In 1860, the Rue de Condorcet was extended. It stretched between Rue Rodier and Rue des Martyrs. In 1865, it was extended again. It then stretched from Rue de Maubeuge to an impasse. This street stands as a reminder of Nicolas de Condorcet’s legacy. It’s a place where we can reflect on his contributions to mathematics. We remember his advocacy for human rights. We honor his vision for a better future.