Outline of the History of Human Spiritual Progress

Author: Condorcet (French), translated by He Zhaowu and others
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-05-01
Features: The book Tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain vividly reflects the historical perspective of the Enlightenment era. In it, he strives to elucidate the laws, stages, and driving forces of historical development. The main purpose of Tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain is to demonstrate that history is a process of the continuous liberation of human reason: the first step is liberation from the constraints of the natural environment, and the second step is liberation from the constraints of history. The essence of progress lies in removing obstacles on the path of historical advancement, which come from both the autocracy and hierarchy of the ruling class, as well as the ignorance and prejudice of the masses; however, both can and should be eliminated through political and intellectual revolutions. History is also a manifestation of the self-development of rational forces. Humans must obey natural laws; but the collective efforts of humanity over the long term can also constrain and utilize natural forces, which can still be considered a part of nature. In other words, the liberation of humans from the constraints of nature itself is also natural. Similarly, the growth of human freedom is also a part of natural law. In this way, the historical perspective of the 18th-century Enlightenment movement—which holds that progress depends on the development of human reason and that people therefore have reason to place infinite confidence and hope in the future—was vividly reflected in his Tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain.