Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet (; 17 September 1743 – 28 March 1794), known as
Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French
philosopher,
mathematician, and early
political scientist whose
Condorcet method in voting tally selects the candidate who would beat each of the other candidates in a
run-off election. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he advocated a
liberal economy, free and equal public instruction,
constitutionalism, and
equal rights for women and people of all races. His ideas and writings were said to embody the ideals of the
Age of Enlightenment and
rationalism, and remain influential to this day. He died a mysterious death in prison after a period of flight from French Revolutionary authorities.