André Morellet y la enseñanza de la economía en la ilustración española. La “Memoria sobre la utilidad del establecimiento de una escuela de comercio”

Abstract

During the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century members of the Spanish Enlightenment gradually enhanced awareness about the need of encouraging the teaching of political economy. This paper examines a significant memoria (dated in 1776 or 1777) by a leading member of the Sociedad Económica Matritense (the Madrid Economic Society), in order to implement in Spain the teaching of the 'general theory of commerce'. This report conveys an educational approach with similar characteristics to the pioneering Civil Economic’s Chair (1784) of the Saragossan Aragon Economic Society (Sociedad Aragonesa de Amigos del País). In fact, this memoria differed from the classical mercantile teaching model and is based on André Morellet's physiocratic doctrine. Thus, it must be considered as the first adaptation of Morellet's approach to the Spanish economic context made by members of the Spanish Enlightenment.