Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, was born on September 17, 1743, in Ribemont, Picardy, in southern France. His family had an ancient and noble heritage tied to the principality of Orange, and most of his male ancestors had pursued either military or ecclesiastical careers. His father died when Condorcet was four years old, and his mother, twice widowed, reacted by smothering her son in a blanket of protection. Dedicating him to the Virgin to protect him from the "Evil Eye," his mother dressed Condorcet as a girl until he was eight years old. Ending his informal education conducted by his mother at the age of 11, Condorcet was sent to his uncle, the Bishop of Lisieux, who arranged for a Jesuit tutor for Condorcet. In 1758, Condorcet enrolled in the University of Paris and studied philosophy and mathematics at the College of Navarre.

Upon graduation in 1760, Condorcet, as a...