Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind

work by Condorcet

Also known as: “Esquisse d’un tableau historique des progrès de l’esprit humain”(Show More)

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July 13, 2026

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The Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind is a seminal work by Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet, a French philosopher of the Enlightenment. Written while Condorcet was in hiding, the book outlines his belief in the indefinite perfectibility of humankind.1

Condorcet posits that humanity has progressed through nine historical epochs and envisions a tenth future epoch characterized by the destruction of inequality between nations and classes, and the continuous improvement of individuals. He argues that progress is driven by reason and knowledge, and that education is crucial for societal advancement. The work also expresses a strong aversion to religion and monarchy. Despite its optimism, the book contains factual errors due to the circumstances of its writing, but its core ideas have had a significant influence.1

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Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet
…progrès de l’esprit humain (1794; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind). Its fundamental idea is that of the continuous progress of the human race to an ultimate perfection. He represents humans as starting from the lowest stage of savagery with no superiority over the…
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…progrès de l’esprit humain (1794; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind). Its fundamental idea is that of the continuous progress of the human race to an ultimate perfection. He represents humans as starting from the lowest stage of savagery with no superiority over the…
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Crusades
Crusade as metaphor
…progrès de l’esprit humain (1795; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind) postdates Jefferson’s metaphor and cannot have been the inspiration. Whatever the origin of Jefferson’s usage, the Crusade metaphor had become so well established in American usage by 1861 that E.G. de Fontaine was…
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…progrès de l’esprit humain (1795; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind) postdates Jefferson’s metaphor and cannot have been the inspiration. Whatever the origin of Jefferson’s usage, the Crusade metaphor had become so well established in American usage by 1861 that E.G. de Fontaine was…
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cultural evolution
Unilinear theory
…progrès de l’esprit humain (1795; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind), the Marquis de Condorcet listed 10 stages, or “epochs,” of cultural evolution. He posited that the final epoch had begun with the French Revolution and was destined to usher in universal human rights…
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…progrès de l’esprit humain (1795; Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind), the Marquis de Condorcet listed 10 stages, or “epochs,” of cultural evolution. He posited that the final epoch had begun with the French Revolution and was destined to usher in universal human rights…
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