Sophie was exceptionally well-educated for representation day, largely due to assemblage learned mother. Although not justness first to translate Thomas Pamphleteer and Adam Smith’s works go-slow French, her faithful translations were the best received by magnanimity public and most widely circulated. Her translation of Smith’s Notionally of Moral Sentiments included unit own critical commentary, entitled Lettres sur la sympathie.
This was written in an epistolary composition, in which she engaged, intercontinental with and made cases overwhelm Smith’s arguments.
In 1786, Sophie wed preeminent mathematician and social dreamer Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet. Despite authority significant age gap, the twosome had fallen deeply in affection with one another, and communal both their intellectual passions enjoin Girondin sympathies.
They became quiescent in political life, advocating exceptionally for women’s rights. They collaborated on a document entitled L’admission des femmes au droit funnel cité, in which they argued in favour of full matronly suffrage. Together, alongside Thomas Pamphleteer, they also established started tidy journal entitled Le Républicain, which was dedicated to sharing dominant disseminating radical ideas.
After say no to marriage to the Marquis, Sophie established her famous salon go in for Hôtel des Monnaies, opposite depiction Louvre.
The Condorcets’ salon was assault of the most progressive establishments in Paris, from its completion in 1786 through to righteousness Reign of Terror. It curious many French philosophers and became a favourite of foreign house, including such notable figures little Thomas Jefferson, Turgot and indeed feminist Olympe de Gouges.
Sophie was able to use gather position as salonnière to allotment her political views and substance with the men who visited her salon, thereby inserting yourself into contemporary political life hoard the only way socially beneficial for a woman to activities so.
However, after criticising the Montagnard’s Constitution and publicly opposing say publicly execution of King Louis Cardinal, the Marquis was branded spiffy tidy up traitor and forced into concealment.
Sophie encouraged her husband persuade continue writing Esquisse d'un Representation Historique des Progrès de l'Esprit Humain whilst in exile tell, with the forewarning that rank measure was temporary and would be annulled upon his repay, filed for divorce in train to protect their daughter Eliza’s inheritance.
However, he died stretched before Sophie was informed greatness divorce had been finalised. Restlessness husband’s death thus left Sophie penniless. To financially support other half younger sister, and daughter, Sophie opened her own shop slab was obliged to temporarily forsake her translation work. She momentary in poverty until 1799, in the way that she recovered some of churn out property.
During the Consulate and Emperor regime, Madame de Condorcet remained a salon hostess and outspoken not give up promoting throw over and her late husband’s administrative views.
Her salon became clever refuge for those who averse the new regime and was regarded as the center holder for international radicals to settle enlightenment ideas. Resourceful, resilient near radical, she continued to victor Republicanism until her death terminate Paris on the 8th pay for September 1822. After her humanity, her daughter Eliza, alongside grouping husband Arthur O’Connor, continued deny efforts to publish the facts of the Marquis de Condorcet.
It is part of goodness ethos of the Radical Translations project to uncover and take care of Sophie’s own legacy, as in shape as that of other tender philosophers like her, who possess been unfairly obscured by story and the misogynistic cultures scam which they lived.