March 23

Luís António Verney (1713–1792) was a leading Portuguese thinker who studied in France and Italy and became a pioneer of educational reform. In his influential work "O Verdadeiro Método de Estudar," he criticized traditional Jesuit teaching and advocated for science-based, student-centered instruction. Verney’s ideas challenged the prevailing educational system in Portugal and laid the groundwork for curricular modernization. He engaged in philosophical debates on reason, knowledge, and religion, impacting Enlightenment discourse. His legacy endures in the reforms that transformed Portuguese education.

Friedrich August von Hayek was an Austrian-British economist and philosopher renowned for his work on price signals and free-market theory. He received the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his pioneering analysis of the interdependence of economic, social, and institutional phenomena. His 1944 book The Road to Serfdom argued against central planning and for individual liberty, influencing generations of policymakers and scholars. Hayek held academic positions at the London School of Economics and the University of Chicago, mentoring many future economists. His writings on spontaneous order and the limits of government intervention remain foundational in modern economic and political thought.