Sophie de Grouchy on the Cost of Domination in the Letters on Sympathy and Two Anonymous Articles in Le Republicain

Abstract

Political writings of eighteenth-century France have been so far mostly overlooked as a source of republican thought. Philosophers such as Condorcet actively promoted the ideal of republicanism in ways that can shed light on current debates. In this paper, I look at one particular source: Le Républicain, published in the summer 1791, focusing on previously unattributed articles by Condorcet's wife and collaborator, Sophie de Grouchy. Grouchy, a philosopher in her own right, is beginning to be known for her Letters on Sympathy, a response to Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiment, which she published at the same time as her translation of that text into French. I argue, further, that in the texts, which I attribute to Grouchy, we can find the early development of a commercial republican theory, a belief, which is reflected in her discussion of the 'cost' of tyranny.

Women Philosophers in the French Revolution (Gouges, Roland, Grouchy)

“…That is, Grouchy uses her own philosophical engagement with Smith to deduce a number of observations and recommendations for the rebuilding of France along republican principles. In shorter journalistic works that she published anonymously, Grouchy also defended republicanism at a time when it was not yet accepted as a possible solution for France (Bergès 2015).…”

What’s it got to do with the price of bread? Condorcet and Grouchy on freedom and unreasonable laws in commerce

“…1 We know that she wrote more 2 – but are not aware of any other texts published in her name. I have previously argued that some of the articles published in a paper edited by Condorcet in the summer of 1792, Le Républicain , were either written or co-written by Grouchy (Bergès, 2015). In those texts, and also in Grouchy’s Letters , we find the early development of a commercial republican theory.…”

“…6 See Bergès (2015) for a description of the contents and regarding the attribution of some of the articles to Grouchy.…”

“…10 An earlier version of the argument in this article section was presented in section 4.2 of Bergès (2015).…”

A Republican Housewife: Marie‐Jeanne Phlipon Roland on Women's Political Role

“… See Bergès for a discussion of Grouchy's republican thought, and Pettit , 22ff., 272 for a contemporary argument that domination does not depend on the rulers’ actual interference. …”