World History
Chapter 21: The Enlightenment: Writing to Learn
Enlightenment author Marquis de Condorcet wrote in Sketch of the Progress of the Human Mind (1794):
That among the advances of the human mind, we should reckon as most important for
the general welfare (common good) is the complete destruction of those prejudices that
have established an inequality of rights between the sexes, an inequality damaging
even to the party it favors.
the most enlightened people... will slowly come to perceive war as the deadliest
plague and the most monstrous of crimes... they will understand that they cannot
become conquerors without losing their liberty; that perpetual alliances are the only way
to preserve independence; and that they should seek their security, not power... We
may conclude that the perfectibility of humanity is infinite.
Prompt: How would you characterize Condorcet's mindset regarding mankind's future?
Write a three-sentence paragraph on this topic.
In sentence one, make a claim that answers the question.
In sentence two, cite specific evidence that supports your claim.
In sentence three, explain how the evidence in sentence two proves the claim you made in sentence one.