Förnuftets fostran och framsteg
Relationen mellan begreppen frihet och utbildning hos Condorcet.
The majority of the interest for Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794), has been focused on his work in mathematics and political science, especially on his famous method on voting tally. With a background in the French enlightenment, on the brink of the revolution, this essay focuses on his political and philosophical ideas, specially his thoughts on the role of education in humanity?s struggle toward greater freedom. Is it possible to identify a connection between the concepts of education and freedom in his writings? This question is largely unanswered, even though it is fundamental for the understanding of the underlying reasoning of Condorcet. It is this gap that this essay intends to fill. By analyzing Condorcet?s essays, the Sketch and On Freedom, using Quentin Skinner?s contextual method, the essay aims to explore Condorcet?s reasoning on the two concepts, and tries to identify whether or not a connection between them exists. The study finds that there is a connection between education and freedom present in the writings of Condorcet, and it is clear that he has a very structured view of the two concepts, respectively. The distinction between instruction and education is especially central in his essays and the identified link between education and freedom.