Let Us Alone! Summary and Analysis

Rand looks at the origins of the term laissez-faire in this chapter. She looks at the reign of Louis XIV, whose chief adviser was Colbert. At one point Colbert asked business leaders what he could do to help them and they replied, in French, 'laissez-nous faire" which means "leave us alone." The best help the government could give them was to leave them alone and not to interfere in the marketplace. This way they could follow the market signals and do what competition required instead of what government interference wanted. They would not be constrained by government rules and regulations. Coercion does not help the marketplace. The intelligence of man is responsible for production and prosperity. Government intervention in the marketplace is the use of physical force. The two are not compatible. The coercion interferes with the...