Esquisse d'un Tableau Historique des Progrès de l'Esprit Humain

Written while Condorcet was in hiding during the Terror, this Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind (1795) is one of the great optimistic works of the Enlightenment. Condorcet traces the intellectual and moral progress of humanity through ten epochs, arguing that reason, science, and liberty will continue to advance despite temporary setbacks.