The first essay on the political rights of women

"The First Essay on the Political Rights of Women" by Condorcet is a significant treatise advocating for women's enfranchisement, written during the late 18th century. This book is a political essay that seeks to address the inequalities faced by women in relation to citizenship and legal rights. It emerges from the broader discourse of the Enlightenment, reflecting the emerging ideals of equality and justice during that time. In this essay, Condorcet argues against the exclusion of women from political rights, asserting that both men and women possess equal natural rights derived from their shared humanity. He critiques the societal norms that uphold gender inequality and posits that women's exclusion from citizenship is both unjust and fundamentally illogical. Condorcet highlights various historical examples to demonstrate that women can govern and contribute to society as competently as men. He contends that the law not only denies rights to women but also perpetuates their subordination, suggesting that true progress in society cannot occur while such inequalities exist. The essay ultimately calls for recognition and granting of political rights to women, framing it as a crucial step towards societal improvement and justice. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet, known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French political economist and mathematician. His ideas, including support for free markets, public education, constitutional government, and equal rights for women and people of all races, have been said to embody the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment, of which he has been called the "last witness", and Enlightenment rationalism. A critic of the constitution proposed by Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles in 1793, the Convention Nationale — and the Jacobin faction in particular — voted to have Condorcet arrested. He died in prison after a period of hiding from the French Revolutionary authorities.