龔多塞（Condorcet, 1743-1794）是法國啟蒙運動哲學家之一，其知識領域非常廣泛，年輕時以數學見長，專精於算數與統計，1774年進入法國宮廷服務於財政部，其著述轉向政治與哲學，發表一系列關於哲學、認識論（l‟épistémologie）、科學、人權、政治體制、政治運作等等相關領域之著述，在法國大革命之前就已經形成啟蒙運動在公民政治領域方面之完整論述體系，尤其發表了著名的「龔多塞矛盾」（paradoxe de Condorcet），闡釋投票行為中的個人偏好與選舉結果之間的矛盾定律。作為啟蒙運動哲學家，龔多塞特別在教育領域中發展出一套完整的論述體系，他主張國家必需設置健全的公眾教育體系，讓全體國民均有接受基礎教育的平等機會，使得公民得以擺脫因蒙昧無知而產生的奴役壓榨狀態，成為真正自由的公民。此外，公眾教育必需傳授以理性啟蒙為準繩的科學真知識，讓全體公民均有平等參與民主政治的機會與能力，具備參與民主政治之立法與公共決策所需的智慧，有效參與公共事務之討論並且做出符合理性思考原則之政治決策。有了具備理性思考能力的公民，民主社會才有機會養成公民之群體意識以及公民意識，這也是讓人類社會由「人治」政治體制轉型成「法治共和國」的重要基礎。可惜龔多塞的教育理論在第一共和時並未受到充分重視，法國十九世紀推展國民教育時也並未忠實體現龔多塞的公眾教育理念，但時至今日仍然是思考國家教育政策與民主政治進步間之互動關係時非常重要的理論依據。

Condorcet (1743-1794) is one of the philosophers of the age of Enlightenment in France, his knowledge system includes a variety of different fields. At his young age, he was an excellent pupil in mathematic, especially in arithmetic and statistics. In 1774, he was recruited as a high ranking financial officer in the royal court, so he began to write articles on philosophy and politics, especially in epistemology, science, human right, political regime, political institutions and its function, etc. Before the French Revolution, he has developed a complete theory in the fields of civil politics, he has notably published the “Condorcet paradox”, in which he explains the contradictory relations between personal preferences and electoral result. As an Enlightenment philosopher, he has developed an exclusive theory in education, he argues that the State should establish a complete public instruction system, each citizen has the equal right to receive an elementary education, thus they could free themselves from the status of slavery and oppression engendered by ignorance and illiteracy, and at the end become really free citizens. In the mean time, public instruction should popularize true scientific knowledge based on rational Enlightenment, all citizens could then have equal opportunity and capacity to participate in public affairs, they could possess wisdoms that allow them to take part in the legislative and public decision procedures of democracy, they can also effectively join in public affairs‟ discussion and making political decision conforming to rational thinking criteria. With these citizens capable of rational thinking, a democratic society would have the chance to forge the sense of citizenship as well as group identity, and this would be the most important basis to convert the human society from governing by individual will to the one governed by law. Unfortunately, the French First Republic didn‟t attach a big importance to ideas of Condorcet, they were also miss-interpreted under the educational reform conducted under the French Third Republic. Nevertheless, Condorcet‟s educational ideas remain to be a very important knowledge base for evaluating progress and interactions between education and politics in modern society.