Before the program begins, interested attendees are invited to a networking lunch with the speakers (1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.) at the Marengo restaurant. Free lunch for students upon request by email to liberalesunizar@gmail.com.
Confirmed speakers:
Pilar Almagro Marcos: biologist, philosopher, economist, and CEO of Grupo Vertisub, a company specializing in work at height and in hard-to-reach spaces, which she founded in 1989. She is also a communicator, influencer, and strategic consultant for business growth, with a career marked by the defense of individual freedom and entrepreneurship. She combines her business activities with artistic creation.
Jesús Adrián Escudero: Spanish philosopher born in Hamburg in 1964. He holds a PhD from the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg (Germany) and is a professor of Contemporary Philosophy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and director of the Heideggerian Studies Group. He is one of the leading specialists in the work of Martin Heidegger in the Spanish language, having translated, edited, and annotated numerous texts by the German philosopher, including the two reading guides for Being and Time.
Jon Aldekoa: economist and independent analyst specialising in money, banking, and monetary theory. He is the author of Dinero y Banca (Money and Banking), a Substack newsletter with over 2,000 subscribers dedicated to explaining how money is created, how central banks operate, and how quantitative easing and tightening affect financial markets. He is a regular contributor to the Instituto Juan de Mariana, where he has written on topics ranging from monetary aggregates and the quantity theory of money to Bitcoin and market price theory. His work is aimed at making the “plumbing” of the monetary system accessible to a broad audience.
Manuel Polavieja: independent researcher and writer specialising in monetary theory and the history of economic thought, with a particular focus on the Austrian School. He is a prolific contributor to the Instituto Juan de Mariana and to El Instituto Independiente (the Spanish-language branch of the Independent Institute), where he has published extensively on Carl Menger’s theory of value, the nature and origin of money, and the foundations of free-market economics. His work engages critically with both mainstream and heterodox traditions, exploring topics such as the cardinal nature of value, the monetary role of gold, Bitcoin as a commodity, and monetary freedom. He has also written on the relationship between neuroscience and economic theory.
