The Whole Laissez-Faire Thing
I’ve been doing a piece of longer writing where the subject of “laissez-faire” financial policy has come up repeatedly. Without getting into the specifics of that particular piece of political economic orthodoxy, I have some Franglais usage I’d like to sort through when it comes to “laissez faire” versus “laisser faire”.
I used to be in the “laissez faire” camp. That is the second-person plural conjugated form of the French verb laisser, which translates loosely as “you leave”. Combine that with “faire” and you’re saying something like “you let it be”. That is what you mostly see in this context in North America, and that is what I mostly used.
Now, however, I have had a change of heart. Rather than saying laissez faire, with the conjugated form, I have decided it makes more sense, given the usage, to say laisser faire, with the infinitive form of the verb laisser.
Why? Because you’re not urging some regulator or politician in particular to leave, say, Goldman Sachs, alone so that that it can make its partners wealthy by picking your pocket. Instead, however, you are commenting on the general political & economic principle of wanting economic actors left alone to do their misdeeds -- but you have no specific person in mind, so no verb conjugation necessary.
Interestingly, the French agree with me on this one:
« Readings | Home | Readings »