Marquis de Condorcet.

The father of Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicholas Caritat, the marquis de Condorcet (pronounced "kohn-dawr-SEH"), was a French cavalry officer who died in battle shortly after his son was born. Condorcet's mother became anxious and isolated her son for fear of his safety, dedicating him to the Virgin Mary and clothing him in girl's white dresses until the age of eight. His uncle, a bishop, intervened and acquired a tutor for the boy's early religious education, eventually sending him to study at a Jesuit school in Reims. Later, Condorcet attended the College of Navarre at the University of Paris and studied mathematics and philosophy. Although his family pressured him to embark on a military career, Condorcet chose to become a mathematician instead. Condorcet formed close friendships with outstanding mathematicians and members of the Académie des Sciences in Paris, including Jean Le Rond d'Alembert and Joseph-Louis Lagrange. D'Alembert became a mentor and guided Condorcet's early mathematical research. A paper that Condorcet presented to the academy systematized and generalized integral calculus and established his reputation as one of the most influential mathematicians of the era. D'Alembert's patronage helped Condorcet attain membership to the prestigious scientific organization in 1769; he rose to assistant secretary in 1773 and then permanent secretary in 1776. Condorcet became the principal spokesperson for the French scientific community; and his interests broadened. His friendship with the writer Voltaire and other men of letters instilled within Condorcet the desire for social reform. The mathematician became a leader among an influential group of Enlightenment philosophers known as the philosophes. Condorcet wrote pamphlets ferociously attacking organized religion, political institutions, and social customs. INSET: Marquis de Condorcet.