Academy of Science morals and policies

The Academy of Science morals and political is one of the five Académie S of the Institut of France.

Founded in 1795, removed in 1803 and restored by François Guizot in 1832, the Academy of Science morals and policies is the oldest French institution covering the field of the social sciences. In the spirit of Montesquieu, its role is scientifically to describe the life of the men in company in order to propose the best forms for its government.

Organization

The members of the Academy are elected by their pars, according to their personal merits. The Academy counts 50 members divided, according to their specialities, in six sections:

To these six sections foreign associates and correspondents are added. Among the foreign associates appear in particular Vaclav Havel, Juan Carlos Ier and Benoît XVI.

The Academy constitutes an interdisciplinary body of reflection. It diffuses on its Internet site the texts the communications which are presented to him, as well as reports/ratios and certain texts written by its members.

History

Ancestors of the current Academies, the royal Academies were created in second half of the 17th century: French Academy (1635), Academy of the inscriptions and the humanities (1663), Academy of Science (1666), as well as the various academies at the origin of the Academy of the Art schools.

The class of sciences morals and policies of the National institute (1795-1803)

There existed before 1789 no institution special corresponding to the policy and Academy of Science morals. This one originates in the “Class of sciences morals and policies” of the National institute of sciences and arts created by the Convention of the 5 fructidor year III (August 22nd 1795), two years after the removal of the royal Academies by the French revolution (decree of the Convention of August 8th 1793).

The Institute was then divided into three classes: the first devoted to physical sciences and mathematics (field of the old Academy of Science), the second with sciences morals and policies, and the third with the literature and the fine arts (field of the other Academies former to the Revolution: French Academy, royal Academy of the insriptions and the humanities, royal Academy of painting and sculpture, royal Academy of architecture).

Suppression of the class of sciences morals and policies (1803)

By consular decree of the 3 pluviose year XI (January 23rd 1803), the National institute was reorganized in four classes: classify physical sciences and mathematics, class of the language and French literature, classifies history and of literature old, fine arts classify. The members of the three primitive classes were to be distributed in the four news, those of the class of sciences morals and policies were transferred, according to the nature of their work, in the classes of physical sciences and mathematics, the language, the literature and the history and literature Frenchwomen.

This reform, which tended to reconstitute the old Academies, was achieved by Louis XVIII which restores them by the Ordonnance of March 21st, 1816, in their names and prerogatives, while maintaining them within the Institute of France.

Restoration of the class of sciences morals and policies (1832)

“Sciences morals and policies influence directly among us the fate of the company, they quickly amend the laws and manners. One can say that, for one half-century, they have played a part in our history. It is that they acquired for the first time what they had always missed, a really scientific character. ”

Thus François Guizot, Minister for the State education of the king of the French Louis-Philippe Ier and historian, argued near the king the need for restoring the second class.

The policy and Academy of Science morals was restored by the ordinance of October 26th 1832. It was divided into five sections: philosophy, morals (become moral thereafter and sociology), legislation, right public and jurisprudence, political economy and statistics (supplemented later by the addition of the word “finances”), general and philosophical history (become since history and geography).

Twelve academicians remained of the second class. They élirent their new fellow-members.

The first rules of procedure fixing the numbers of academicians of each section, the number of free members, foreign associates and correspondents knew his principal modification in 1964, when the Academy decided to remove the category of the free members to join together them within a new section of titular academicians, the general section, composed of ten members.

Role and missions of the Academy

Work

Placed under the protection of the Head of the State, the Academy, described as public moral person with particular status, fulfills its functions by the behavior of regular meetings of reflection, ordered around fundamental topics or of topicality.

In the last years, topics were studied such as:

  • State and religion (1994)
  • the role and the place of the State at the beginning of XXIe siècle' (2000)
  • the man and his planet (2002)
  • Regards crossed on Europe (2004)
  • is France sick of its justice? (2006)

The Council

For this reason, the Academy was often requested by the public authorities on subjects of company. Very frequent until in 1914, this practice became rarer thereafter, because of the professionalisation of the public life and the multiplication of the number of the experts in the ministries. However, the Academy continues to exert moral magistère and continues to seize, when the need is felt some, the public authorities. During these last years, it thus on several times the occasion to give opinions, motions or wishes such as:
  • Opinion of the Academy on the bill constitutional concerning the Charter of the Environment (May 10th, 2004)
  • Recommendations on the legal adaptations of the royalty to Internet (July 9th, 2001)
  • Motion on the reforms of the procedures of census of the French population (October 16th, 2000)
  • Wish on the translation of the European patents (June 19th, 2000)
  • Wish against the patentability of the human genome (June 5th, 2000)

Validation

By distributing prices and rewards every year, the Academy fulfills the requirement to announce the best works published on the topics suggested to the contest in the last past years.

It also delivers opinions on the elections in the great research and educational establishments: École practices high studies, École of the high studies in social sciences, Conservatoire national of arts and trades, Collège de France.

Current members

See also the List of the members of the Academy of Science morals and political
Office for 2007: Mr. Israel, President. Mr. Terré, Vice-president. Mr. Albert, perpetual Secretary.

External bonds

  • Official site

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