The French Academy as a Proponent of Egalitarianism

T h e F ren ch A ca d em y a s a P ro p o n en t o f E g a lita ria n ism K A R L I S R A C E V S K I S mlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA W he n we consider the concept of equality in eighteenth-century thought, we are inevitably reminded of its appearance as the central term of the well-known revolutionary slogan. Nevertheless, while equality is a recurring topic in the eighteenth century, its manifesta­ tions are various, often ambiguous. The purpose of my paper is to study one particular strain of egalitarianism— the one promulgated by the French Academy. By tracing its evolution from the time of the Com­ pany’s foundation to the interpretation it receives in philosophic dis­ courses, I hope to bring out the complexity of the concept and to elucidate the special meaning it acquires for the philosophes who take over the Academy in the second half of the eighteenth century. For the French Academy, the theme of egalitarianism is a part of a long-standing tradition that has always presented equality as a cor­ nerstone of the Institution. Section XV of the statutes on which the Academy was founded in 1635 reads: “Celui qui presidera fera garder le bon ordre dans les assemblees le plus exactement et le plus civilement qu’il sera possible, et comme il se doit faire entre personnes egales.”1 The intention of this bylaw was twofold. It was meant, first, to abolish all social distinctions within the confines of the Academy, 105 106 / WVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA K A R L I S R A C E V S K I S and second, to recognize achievement in the domain of letters. This had been the intention of the first protector, Richelieu, and was that of his successor, the chancellor Seguier, as well. Pellisson, the Academy’s first official historian, gives us the following account of the chancellor’s dealings with other members of the Company: “Il est impossible d’en user plus qu’il fait civilement avec tous les Academiciens... il preside avec la meme familiarite que pourrait faire un d’entre eux, jusqu’a prendre plaisir qu’on l’arrete et qu’on 1’interrompe , et a ne vouloir point etre traite de M o n seig n eu r par ceux-la meme de ces Messieurs qui sont ses domestiques.”2 W hen, following the death of Seguier, Louis XIV became the pro­ tector of the Company, the monarch showed himself just as desirous as his predecessors of maintaining the spirit of equality in the Academy. According to d’Olivet, when one of the older members of the Academy, the cardinal d’Estrees, requested that he be permitted to have a more comfortable fa u teu il instead of the ordinary chair that the members had, Louis XIV, “prevoyant les consequences d’une pareille distinction, ordonna a l’intendant du garde-meuble de faire porter quarante fauteuils a l’Academie.”3 This innovation remedied a situa­ tion that had not been entirely satisfactory, since “les Academiciens, ou Cardinaux, ou Dues, ou en un mot d’un rang extremement distin­ gue, etaient d’une maniere peu convenable a leur rang, surtout dans les seances publiques.” The king’s action, therefore, “sauvait en meme temps et les egards dus aux grands noms, et cette egalite flatteuse dont l’Academie se fit des sa naissance une loi inviolable.”4 The concept of equality implicit in these words and actions appears thus in a rather ambiguous light. It is obviously not understood to have a levelling effect, as it does not reduce anyone’s stature but rather elevates the members in a symbolic fashion to the “highest common denominator.” The inaugural discourses of the newly elected Academicians are revealing in this regard. A new member customarily recognizes the honor of belonging to an intellectual elite. But, in addition, he is obviously impressed by the realization that he finds himself on an equal footing with the bearers of the more illustrious names that decorate the membership list. Consequently, although Academicians speak of equality, their rhetoric betrays the awe they T...