A Study On The Educational Thought Of Jean Antoine Condorcet

Marquis de Condocet (1743-1794) was a famous French thinker of the Enlightenment, "the final member of the Encyclopedists " (Michelet said), making great achievements in mathematics, economics, politics, philosophy of history, education and other aspects. His educational thought played an important role in its whole thought, closely linked to the political thought and historical progressivism. His educational thought was a summary of the Enlightenment, and also on their sublimation and development. His educational proposition not only reflected the bourgeois's requisition to establish a modern education system, Moreover, making a far-reaching influence to the educational reform of France, becoming an important basis for the modern education establishment in the 19th century France. This paper attempts to analyze Condorcet's education thought from the background, the specific principles embodied in the education, the educational proposition and the specific practice, the relation between education and feminism and historical progressism, with a view to understanding the details of his education thought, making us have a preliminary understanding to the whole idea of Condorcet.There are seven parts in the article.The preamble contains three parts: the brief instruction of Condorcet, the meaning and purport of the topics, the study of Condorcet's educational thought at home and abroad. The reason why I put the brief instruction of Condorcet here is that I hope readers could preliminary understand the life and writings of the "second line" thinker of the Enlightenment, before system understanding Condorcet's educational thought, and to reconsider its values and the historical status in the Revolution.Chapter I analyzes the formation of Condorcet's educational thought, divided into three sections. Section I instructs French educational condition in the Condorcet times, dealing mainly with the control of education by the church in the mid - and late 18th century and the backward condition of the national education, instructing Condorcet's own feelings in the church school at the same time. Section II presents Enlightenment thinkers' views on education and their impact to Condorcet. SectionIII introduces Condorcet's Reflection on Education. Condorcet advocated natural rights, and advocating to establish a free, equal republic country. But faced with the general public firmly shackled by ignorance, fanaticism and superstition, he concluded that only through the liberation of education, They could understand and exercise their rights and obligations. Chapter II analyzes the principles of Condorcet's educational thought, divided into three sections. As the principles which the development of national education follows, on the basis of inheriting the achievements, Condorcet advocated that education should be not only secular, rational, but also equal and popular, in order to establish a public education system which highlight embodies freedom, equality and fraternity. For the principle of freedom, Condorcet hold on that the right of education should be controlled by people, strongly opposed the church to control the school education, omitted religious education, established a fully secular and independent educational system. Meanwhile, Condorcet also strongly opposed the state's monopoly on education, educational institutions should be an autonomous body. For the principle of equality, Condorcet stressed that education is a tool for achieving social equality. So the national education should be widely available equal and completed. National Education is the state's responsibility for all citizens, everyone should should have equal access to school education, rather than because rich and poor, high and low social status and gender differences affect citizens having equal access to education. For the principles of fraternity, Condorcet thought that national education is based on the principles of freedom and equality of all citizens regardless of their class, gender, occupation, with no age restrictions. Its aim is to expand education on the depth and breadth.ChapterIII analyzes Condorcet's educational proposition, divided into three sections. On the basis of the well-known Education Act "National Education Program Planning Organization", which Condorcet submitted to the Legislative Council in 1792. Section I discusses the specific proposition bill, in the bill he set up a national education system which was composed by the primary school, secondary school, Institutes, lycees, the national society of sciences and arts. Condorcet gave a full explanation on the content, method, pros and cons in each gradation. Section II is the comparison between Condorcet's educational programs with the same period of Talleyrand's and Le Peletie's, to demonstrate its reasonableness. Section III describes the fate of Condorcet's education act and the future generations how to inherit his thought.Chapter IV analyzes the relation between the feminist thought of Condorcet and the education, divided into two sections. Actually the views about women's education should be included in his concrete education proposition, due to Condorcet is a major advocator of the feminist movement, and education is an important guarantee for the realization of women's rights. Therefore, for further analysis, I made more a chapter in order to clearly understand women's rights and education. Section I introduces Condorcet's feminist thought, Section II introduces the educational thought and concrete education proposition.Chapter V analyzes the relationship between education and historical progress. The important contribution of Condorcet to the philosophy of history is his progress thinking. With the continuous improvement of humanity, he believed that the personal and social development will be unlimited. Education and the advancement of knowledge and technology is an important driving force for progress in human history. Section I of this chapter introduces the concept of historical progress, and to discuss the education in the previous nine times in the history of mankind; Section II tells the relationship between education and the future of human progress, in connection with the Condorcet's Looking to the future of humanity mainly analyzes the historic mission of education.The last part is the overall evaluation to Condorcet's educational thought, and in connection with his political and historical thought, analyzin g his historical status in the Enlightenment and the Revolution.