Condorcet and Modernity

A full treatment of Condorcet's politics, and a major contribution to enlightenment studies from a senior scholar.

David Williams (Author)

9780521841399, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 September 2004

320 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.64 kg

"A great virtue of David William's account of Condorcet is that he brings clearly into focus both hsi free-trade economic theories and his political thought (including his relationship with Thomas Jefferson and other American founding fathers). These aspects have in the past often been dealth with in isolation." - Jonathan israel, Institute for Advanced Study The Historian

The Marquis de Condorcet was one of the few Enlightenment ideologists to witness the French Revolution and participate as an elected politician at the centre of events during France's transition from monarchy to republic. Condorcet and Modernity explores the interaction between Condorcet's political theory, legislative pragmatism, public policy proposals and the management of change. David Williams examines key topics including rights, the civil order, the Church, the slave trade, women's civil rights, judicial reform, voting and representation, economics, monarchy, power and revolution. He explores the complex links between Condorcet as the visionary ideologist and Condorcet as the pragmatic legislator, and between Condorcet's concept of modernity - the application of 'social arithmetic' to government policies. Based on an extensive array of both printed and manuscript sources, this major contribution to enlightenment studies is a full treatment of Condorcet's politics.

Acknowledgements
References and abbreviations
Introduction
1. Profile of a political life
2. Human nature and human rights
3. The civil order
4. Managing enlightenment
5. Reform and the moral order
6. New constructions of equality
7. Justice and the law
8. Representative government
9. The economic order
10. Managing the Revolution
Conclusion: the human odyssey
Bibliography
Name index
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD]