What Is Laissez-Faire?

Laissez-faire is an 18th-century economic philosophy that opposes government interference in corporate matters. The underlying concept of laissez-faire, a French phrase that translates to “leave alone” (literally, “let you do”), is that the less the government interferes in the economy, the better off business and, by extension, society will be. A keg of laissez-faire economics is a keg of laissez-faire economics.

As it applies to economic theories laissez-faire, French for “leave it [alone]”, means a system where the biggest, most powerful players are allowed the unfettered ability to take everything they can from everybody else.

No laissez-faire system can actually continue in the real world because the resulting economic disparities result in unsustainable political tension and disruption.