This article is compiled from: The Chinese Embassy in France, Native Environment, French-speaking World, etc.
The French baccalaureate has just passed, and here are the essay topics from the past decade. In comparison, the differences in the understanding of “writing” between China and France can be clearly presented through the baccalaureate essays. Chinese essays tend to focus too much on literary style, often neglecting factual analysis and theoretical argumentation, which may reflect some conditions of Chinese society. The French essay can serve as a mirror for reflecting on one’s own culture.
2023 French High School Baccalaureate Essay
On June 14, 2023, the French high school graduation baccalaureate(Bac) commenced. The first round of philosophy essay exams. Philosophy is a compulsory subject for French high school students and is also the first hurdle of the baccalaureate. The exam duration is from 8:00 to 12:00, allowing 4 hours to write an essay.The topics are as follows:
General High School Subjects (Choose one of three)
Topic 1: Is happiness a matter of reason?
Is happiness rational?
Topic 2: To want peace, is it to want justice?
Does wanting peace mean wanting justice?
Topic 3: The explanation of an excerpt from La pensée sauvage by Lévi-Strauss,
Discuss an excerpt from Claude Lévi-Strauss’s work, “La Pensée sauvage” (The Savage Mind).
The handyman is capable of executing a large number of diverse tasks; however, unlike the engineer, he does not subordinate each of them to the acquisition of raw materials and tools, designed and procured according to his project: his instrumental universe is closed, and the rule of his game is to always make do with the “means at hand,” that is, a set of tools and materials that is finite at every moment, heterogeneous moreover, because the composition of the whole is not related to the current project, nor indeed to any particular project, but is the contingent result of all the occasions that have arisen to renew or enrich the stock, or to maintain it with the residues of previous constructions and destructions. The handyman’s means are therefore not definable by a project (which would also suppose, as with the engineer, the existence of as many instrumental sets as there are types of projects, at least in theory); it is defined only by its instrumentality, in other words, and to use the handyman’s own language, because the elements are collected or preserved on the principle that “it can always be useful.” Such elements are therefore half-particularized: sufficiently so that the handyman does not need the equipment and knowledge of all trades; but not enough for each element to be bound to a precise and determined use. Each element represents a set of relationships, both concrete and virtual; they are operators, but usable for any operations within a type.Lévi-Strauss, La Pensée sauvage (1962)
Vocational High School Technical Subjects (Choose one of three)
Topic 1: Does art teach us something?
What can art teach us?
Topic 2: Transforming nature, is it gaining freedom?
Does transforming nature mean gaining freedom?
Topic 3: The explanation of an excerpt from “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” by Adam Smith
Reflect on and discuss an excerpt from Adam Smith’s work, “The Theory of Moral Sentiments”.
There is a degree of negligence that would seem to deserve punishment even though this negligence causes no harm to anyone. If a person were to throw a large stone into a public road from the top of a wall without warning passersby and without looking where it might fall, they would certainly deserve punishment. A truly exact police force would punish such an absurd action, even if it caused no harm. The person who commits this act shows a blatant disregard for the happiness and safety of others. There is a real injustice in this behavior. This person recklessly exposes others to what no sensible person would want to risk; clearly, they lack a sense of what is due to their fellow beings, which is the basis of justice and society. Gross negligence is therefore, according to the law, almost equivalent to malicious intent. When unfortunate consequences arise from such carelessness, the person responsible is often punished as if those consequences had indeed been their intention; their conduct, which was merely careless and insolent, and which deserved punishment, is regarded as atrocious and subject to the most severe punishment. If a person accidentally kills another through the imprudent action mentioned above, they are, according to the laws of many countries, and notably according to the old law of Scotland, subject to the ultimate punishment. Although this is undoubtedly excessively severe, it is not at all contrary to our natural feelings. Our just indignation against the folly and inhumanity of this conduct is exacerbated by our sympathy with the unfortunate victim. Nothing, however, would shock our natural sense of fairness more than to lead a man to the scaffold simply for having carelessly thrown a stone into the street, without harming anyone.
2022 French High School Baccalaureate Essay
On June 15, 2022, the French high school graduation baccalaureate (Bac) officially commenced. The first round of philosophy essay exams. Philosophy is a compulsory subject for French high school students and is also the first hurdle of the baccalaureate. The exam duration is from 8:00 to 12:00, allowing 4 hours to write an essay. The topics are as follows:General High School Subjects (Choose one of three)1. Will artistic practice change the world?2. Should the state decide what is right?3. Explain the following: an excerpt from “On the Foundations of Knowledge and the Characteristics of Philosophical Critique” by Guno, 1851
Vocational High School Technical Subjects (Choose one of three)1. Is freedom disobedience to anyone?2. Is it right to defend one’s rights by any means necessary?3. Interpret an excerpt from Diderot’s “Encyclopedia”.
Previous French Baccalaureate Essay Topics2021 French High School Baccalaureate EssayOn June 17, 2021, 526,000 French high school seniors participated in the philosophy exam, choosing one of three essays and one article commentary, with an exam duration of 4 hours.
The philosophy topics for the general baccalaureate are as follows:1. Does debating mean renouncing violence? (Discuter, est-ce renoncer à la violence ?);2. Does the unconscious escape all forms of knowledge? (L’inconscient échappe-t-il à toute forme de connaissance ?);3. Are we responsible for the future? (Sommes-nous responsable de l’avenir ?);4. Analyze a passage from the work of French sociologist Émile Durkheim, “The Division of Labor in Society”.It is reported that considering last year’s special circumstances, the French Ministry of Education chose to retain the philosophy exam; however, candidates can take the higher score between their regular grades during the senior year and the exam score on June 17 as their final score. Therefore, some candidates went to the exam without any review, while others planned to challenge themselves again in the baccalaureate.2020 French High School Baccalaureate EssayLiterary Candidates’ Topics / Série L (Choose one of three)1. Does culture make us more human? 2. Can we abandon truth? 3. Discuss a passage from German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s “The World as Will and Representation”.Scientific Candidates’ Topics / Série S (Choose one of three)1. Is desire a manifestation of our flaws? 2. Is experiencing injustice necessary to know what justice is? 3. Discuss a passage from British philosopher John Stuart Mill’s “System of Logic”.Social Economic Candidates’ Topics / Série ES (Choose one of three)1. Are all truths definitive? 2. Can we be indifferent to art? 3. Discuss a passage from French sociologist Durkheim’s “The Elementary Forms of Religious Life”.2019 French Baccalaureate Essay⊙ Literary:1. Is it possible to escape time? 2. Does interpreting a work of art have any significance? ⊙ Scientific:1. Does cultural diversity hinder human unity? 2. Does recognizing a person’s obligations deprive them of their freedom? ⊙ Social Economic:1. Is morality the best constraint? 2. Does work differentiate humanity? 2018 French High School Baccalaureate EssayLiterary Candidates’ Topics / Série L (Choose one of three)1. Can we renounce truth? (Peut-on renoncer à la vérité?)2. Does culture make us more human? (La culture nous rend-elle plus humains?)3. Discuss a passage from German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s “The World as Will and Representation”.Scientific Candidates’ Topics / Série S (Choose one of three)1. Is desire a mark of our imperfection? (Le désir est-il la marque de notre imperfection?)2. Is experiencing injustice necessary to know what is just? (Éprouver l’injustice, est-ce nécessaire pour savoir ce qui est juste?)3. Discuss a passage from British philosopher John Stuart Mill’s “System of Logic”.Social Economic Candidates’ Topics / Série ES (Choose one of three)1. Are all truths definitive? (Toute vérité est-elle définitive?)2. Can we be indifferent to art? (Peut-on être insensible à l’art?)3. Discuss a passage from French sociologist Durkheim’s “The Elementary Forms of Religious Life”.2017 French High School Baccalaureate EssayLiterary Candidates’ Topics / Série L (Choose one of three)1. Is observation sufficient to know? (Suffit-il d’observer pour connaître?)2. Is everything I have the right to do just? (Tout ce que j’ai le droit de faire est-il juste?)3. Write an essay on a passage from French thinker and philosopher Rousseau’s “Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men”.Scientific Candidates’ Topics / Série S (Choose one of three)1. Does defending rights mean defending personal interests? (Défendre ses droits, est-ce défendre ses intérêts?)2. Can we free ourselves from our culture? (Peut-on se libérer de sa culture?)3. Write an essay on a passage from French philosopher Michel Foucault’s “Dits et Écrits”.Social Economic Candidates’ Topics / Série ES (Choose one of three)1. Is individual consciousness merely a reflection of the society to which one belongs? (La conscience de l’individu n’est-elle que le reflet de la société à laquelle il appartient?)2. Does an artist need to provide something for understanding in their work? (L’artiste donne-t-il quelque chose à comprendre?)3. Discuss a passage from Dutch philosopher Spinoza’s “Theological-Political Treatise”.In democratic countries, there is no need to worry about absurd orders, because it is almost impossible for the majority of a large assembly to agree on a single absurdity…
