Abstract
In the vocabulary of the Enlightenment, ‘economy of nature’ was related to the idea of the existence of a ‘balance’ between the different parts that make up the natural world. In turn, ‘animal economy’ and ‘vegetal economy’ had their meanings linked to the ‘organism’ of animals and plants, respectively. This article aims to analyze how Luso-American naturalists (Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, Manuel Galvão da Silva, and João da Silva Feijó) mobilized these concepts in examining aspects related to local realities of different parts of the Portuguese Empire (Kingdom and colonies) at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th.
Keywords
Economy of nature; Animal economy; Vegetal economy; Luso-American naturalists